A lot of the people took the train ride up the Mountain, the elevation was too high for me ,with my heart condition, to go. I got in trouble in 1993 and spent some time in the Cortez hospital for lack of Oxygen. So I just had to visit with everyone else that day. Took the laundry to the cleaners and had it done, can't carry enough clean clothes to last 14 days, 10 days I can make it home but not 14. If the ladies go we have to pull the trailers, you ladies know how that goes 1 case for me and all the rest for you. Rode around the area and seen some more of this Good old USA, the Rockies are Beautiful in their own way. Each part of our country has its beauty, and it is all just great. I think in my travels that Glacier National Park is the prettiest place I have ever seen. It makes Goose Bumps on me. Just like the song, PURPLE Mountains Majesty, they are there. What an awesome sight to see. I didn't win either of the M/C, as close as I got was the guy behind where I was sitting won the one GWTA gave away and someone in the casino won the one they were giving away. So my not ever winning anything still stands . Oh well maybe next time. It is time to start saying goodby to everyone until we meet again someplace on the road, or at a rally someplace. Who knows if you ever see a Gold wing with Yosemite Sam painted on the back wave it might be me.
Early up to beat some of the heat on our way back to Florida. We are going to travel in a direction taking us into the Ozarks in Arkansas and down in a angle thru La, Ms, Al and Fl. On our way East we stopped in Angle Fire, NM to visit a Viet Nam Memorial. A Doctor had it built in memory of his son who died in Viet Nam. It has quiet an exhibit of that war and the Military Mens pictures change monthly. They depend a lot on donations to keep it open. Needless to say we gave a donation before leaving. Just east of there in Eagles Nest we found another good place to have lunch while looking out the window at a large lake. The Texas flat landers don't know how to drive in curvy roads. A slow car in front of a pack of cars is almost surely carrying a Texas plate on it.. Saw a lot of people Fly Fishing in a good looking stream along side the road. Made it to Clayton, NM today. My Girlfriend was born in this town, I even called her Uncle and talked to him awhile. Sounds like they are all Ranchers out there. About all you see from the road is fence posts and Antelope. The cows must have been up in the Mountains as we didn't see any. Had to pay more in Clayton for a motel than anyplace, at least it was new and up to date. They even have weekend rates it that town and only one restaurant. You can talk to the cowboys there, and everyone knows everyone in town. Not bad food for being the only restaurant in town. While in the motel we met a couple from Selma, Alabama which is about 3.5 hours north of where we live. Got his phone number so will call them when we go up there for the fall color's ride first weekend in November.
We will be traveling in the north part of Oklahoma today. First thing we noticed was how bad the roads were. Thought we were in Louisiana already but hadn't traveled that far yet. Saw lots of wheat land and a lot of corn today. Circle farming with irrigation was nearly all you saw. At night the sprinklers have Strobe Lights mounted on them so they can tell the location by the lights. Sure looked eerie in the dark. Hit a bird this morning first one I ever hit, it was dead center of my windshield. Needless to say I ducked, it left a imprint of dust on the windshield. I hit another later in the day and you would have thought it was a Down Pillow from all the feathers that flew up. I even have one feather in my radio speaker. Can't figure out how it got in there.
Made it to Bartelsville,OK today and is it hot and humid . It was next to 100 degrees when we got there at 4pm. Had a good Catfish dinner in the Holiday Inn restaurant. It was over 80 degrees when we left the motel at 5 am. We rode most of the day in the Ozarks of North Arkansas. Lots of pretty country and some m/c roads to ride. Lakes and rivers everywhere. Lots of people fishing. Our goal for today is to get to Jonesboro,Arkansas for dinner at Ye Old Feed House. Found it to be closed on Sunday evening. They were open for lunch only. They have some of the best Fried catfish you will ever eat and the hot Cinnamon Rolls are to die for. But we had to settle for Cracker Barrel which is almost as good. That area is a big Rice, Cotton , Corn and Soy Beans farming and the humidity from all the Rice is very high. This could possibly be the last night on the road just depend on how tired we will get tomorrow.
This morning Dave beat me out to the motorcycles with his bag. He came back in right away and said someone stole the Arm Rests off his motorcycle. I said they would have made enough noise to wake us up getting them and I didn't hear anything. I walked outside and he had put his bag on my motorcycle. So we had a good laugh to start this day. I will never let him live that down. We have to go thru Memphis, Tenn on the way home, the interstate in Memphis is like interstate 10 in Florida always being worked on. We made it to just north of Jackson, Ms when a Dept of Public safety car almost ran us and a van off the road in a construction area. I got her stopped in a mile or so and got her name and plate number and told her I would turn her in to a Highway patrol. She said I didn't even see you or the van. But she almost knocked down all the barricades on the road trying to get back in our lane. I have since talked to her boss and he is taking care of the problem per his answer to me.
Later in the morning we had to hole up in a gas station because of lightening and rain. You don't travel if it is lightening due to the two antennas on our motorcycles. Had to wait almost an hour then put on rain gear and rode about half an hour and got out of the rain. Made it to Mobile,Al and decided it was only 2 more hours home so lets do it. Had to hole up again at mile post 37 under a overpass because of rain. Waited for half an hour and it quit. That was my first time stopping under a overpass in all of my travels on a motorcycle. That was only 19 miles from home. A total of 4300 miles round trip. And we got to see a lot of country that we hadn't seen before and some that we had both seen in different travels around the USA. It is great to know that you can do this anytime you are able. My heart held up real good on this trip and maybe it will continue to do good and I can do it all over again to another place. Always ride/drive safe and SMILE. JOHN BOLT