Andalusia, Alabama to Home Sweet Home!

Last day on the road and i am so ready to get home to my pad!  i woke up really early after a great night sleep, must of been all the tofu i had last night..hahaha...rode Hwy 84 to Valdosta...then hopped on the I-75 to I-10 to home sweet home...
So much to think about but not tonight...
Total miles...4925.9...

more after i have digested my adventure!

Vicksburg Mississippi to Andalusia Alabama!

more later...

Hot Springs, Arkansas to Vicksburg, Mississippi!!!!

Waking up to my beautiful view in Hot Springs, Arkansas...it looked a bit cloudy and rainy...decided to head south to Vicksburg, Mississippi!  With a surprise ride through Louisiana...Lake Providence is a wonderful little town set on a beautiful lake...
Once again ...not much to report...mostly the same beautiful 2 lane local roads connecting towns...all that were quite charming, excluding Tallulah, Louisiana...
However a couple funny things happened..i was eating lunch in Sheridan, Arkansas at an adorable little diner with no veggie things on the menu, but they did make me a nice wrap and baked potato...my waitress says we got a vegetarian..haha...
And in the place was a table with 2 young men who were on a lunch break..they looked but 16, were probably 25...and one acted like he was 50...i actually heard him talking about hunting several animals that were in his freezer...but i only started listening...after he mentioned squirrel...yes....squirrel...Then he was telling another story about some couple where the lady shot him with a .22 rifle, because they were fighting...
i was having a nice giggle...
Today's ride ended with crossing the Mississippi River into Vicksburg...where i am staying over...having a blast...sweet dreams ya'll!!

Ardmore, Oklahoma to Hot Springs, Arkansas

 Miles and miles of beautiful rolling hills….good roads and charming little towns…not much to report…today was a lovely day of motorcycling…the sweet, warm southern air…rolling hills, good pavement and lovely fresh summer smells was enough to rock me to sleep while riding….

Sipping ice cold raspberry tea from my camel back…made for a lovely day…

Just checked in my room in Hot Springs, Arkansas…it has a lovely view of Lake Hamilton and is clean and quiet…

Dinner served and total miles so far is 3989.6….a little bit closer to home…

Amarillo to Ardmore, Oklahoma

Early start today…roads are 287 South- 256 East- 62 East- 7 East – 76 South to Ardmore…these were small roads winding out of Texas and into Oklahoma!

Not much scenery to speak of…but lots of weirdness…

Part of the fun that I enjoy back roads is there are few people, usually the ones that live there, and the old building are unique and some restored some abandoned…

Some little towns pack so much charm you can really tell that the people living there are happy and prideful…

While other little towns…are sad, lonely and discarded…and I wonder how the people that live there get by financially and spiritually…

Today was filled with the latter…

Town after town after town…and there was an epidemic of biblical proportions of Grasshoppers…all over the road…I first that it was debris, leaves, logging trucks debris etc…but upong slowing down and getting a closer look…IT WAS GRASSHOPPERS!!!  Millions of them…

As I rode through the country side getting pelted with their little bodies….Ughhh!! 

My helmet, gear, moto and creature loving soul….severely damaged in this ….

Made it to Ardmore, Oklahoma just before the storm….

Whew!!

Taos to Amarillo...347 miles

Today is what i dream of when i imagine me and the open road...what a glorious day of motorcycling!!
Waking up in Taos, New Mexico i first road west on 64 to see the Gorge and Bridge over the Rio Grande...definitely impressive...it is the 5th highest bridge in the United States...
then heading back to Taos and connecting to Hwy 518 South...which is a delightful , twist and turns mountain road, with gorgeous views and a couple scenic turnouts...
Then it winds up past the Sipapu Ski Resort before twisting and turning its way down into the cute town of Mora... from here it turns into vast grassy yellow plains, then trees and opening up into the New Mexico's version of Las Vegas (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Las_Vegas,_New_Mexico)  the historic section of this town streets are lines with colonial houses....feels like the old south...
I connect onto Hwy 104 East...which is a quiet stretch of road....no towns, just a few people and amazing changing scenery....
I am first greeted by two female Pronghorn Antelopes....very pretty as they ran with me down the road...
then it is straight rolling hills road until Trujillo turnpoint, where it turns into red rock mountains, twisting and turning through here until coming down into a valley of meadows filled with purple and gold flowers....
I stopped for a break at the Conchas Dam...then continued on into Tucumcari...which was a bizarre little Historic 66 town filled with murals...and the streets were lacking in people..or much signs of life...
Hopping onto I-40 off and on to Route 66...i make my way to Amarillo...where i am stopping for the night!!

Good Night from Texas!

Georgia O'Keeffe inspired ride today!

I had a nice 3 night rest in Albuquerque, had some sushi, got a manicure and had some service done on my moto...all is great!!  I posted back 17lbs of shite home...haha...some of it was yes of course, whole bean coffee!!
After loading up my moto, i headed north to Santa Fe to go see the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum....thanks to my trusty GPS..i was able to maneuver around all of the construction and find my way there..it is nestled in a cute and clean little area of Santa Fe...with lots of galleries and people milling about...and only $12 to get in...
So i enjoyed the exhibits...then on my way out i was chatting with a docent (i love the random people i meet while traveling) who suggested a wonderful place for lunch that was just a bit north...so i went there and had a delicious experience and food with Vegetarian Tamales!! oh so yummy...i am still full...
Now off to Abiquiu (AB-I-KU)  which is where Miss O'Keeffe lived in the latter part of her life...on her ranch and a bit north of there part time in a place called Ghost Ranch...this whole area was of great inspiration to her in alot of her paintings...
i can see why...it has a very majestic and haunting beauty to it...
I rode until i found Mt Pedernal which was explained in more detail in the museum movie as her view from her home...Amazing that so many years have passed and it stands tall and strong in the horizon...
after a brief gas and water fill up....off to find the road to Taos....

after winding through some actual "lush scenery" i am on the road to Taos...riding next to the Rio Grande....the road ascends slowly with few twisties, not to much...but most impressive is when you come around one corner and up to the top you are surprised by a great vast view for miles...of mountains and the Gorge...
I am checked in for the night in Taos, New Mexico.....had a nice dinner and plenty of time to cool off....it is hot out here!!
Tomorrow morning i am going to see the little main plaza of town and ride out to the Gorge!
Feels good to be in motion again...