Marathon, TX to Sanderson 3/25

Left Marathon RV Park and rode 60 miles to Sanderson. Denise and Dawn split riding and driving. Another beautiful day and fairly flat ride w/minimal head or tail winds. Sue Heston and Bob Gebo joined us this evening in Canyon Campground for dinner and setting up Sue's bike. Had to call Tom Clune at BI Cycle about getting the gearing right. Sue wouldn't let Mike talk to Tom about the trip because it would cost minutes on her cell phone....geese (Mike's comment). Since the Husky basketball team was in the playoffs, Bob brought Mike's Husky flag all the way to Texas.! Unfortunately, the Huskies lost the game.

Fort Davis to Marathon, TX 3/24

Easiest and nicest day of riding yet. Left Ft. Davis in sunshine and Dawn only had on 3 layers of shirts/jackets, 1 pair of gloves and socks. She still had Denise's ear warmers under her helmet for the first few miles. Oh, short bike pants under long ones, so still not too hot. Mike however was in a tank top and shorts by the end of 4 miles. Upon leaving the town of Fort Davis, we discovered that there actually was a town - not just the fort. As we left on bikes we rode past quaint, old hotels, shops, the court house and many other old buildings that would have been interesting to see. We cruised along Old Texas Hwy 118. Had a 42 mph downhill - how fun is that?!! and not much uphill. I rode the first 30 miles to the town of Alpine - looked like a cute town, but I didn't get to see it as we had to fill both the motor home and car w/gas which shouldn't be a problem, but they were connected and the gas tanks are on opposite sides. After Mike pulled off vehicle gymnastics, he, Denise and Russ left to ride the remaining 30 miles to Marathon, averaging over 20 mph because they had a very strong tail wind for a change. The tail wind hasn't quit all night. It's 11 p.m. and I'm surprised Russ and Denise haven't fled the tent for the motor home. Maybe the tent has blown away w/them in it. I asked someone today when the wind would quit and their answer was "you're in Texas!"

Fort Davis to Marathon, TX 3/24

Pretty scary to think of water that high running thru the middle of the campground. Good thing we know how to swim. Mike and Dawn leaving Fort Davis headed to Marathon, TX.

Rest Day at Fort Davis 3/23

Covered wagons at Ft Davis

Commander's residence

Agave cactus at entrance to Ft Davis

Old, old trees at Ft Davis









View overlooking the campground far below

Rest Day - Only bike ride was about 8.5 miles round trip from the campground to Fort Davis.
Denise and Russ finally got to sleep in their tent last night. They apparently had several visitors. The Javelina (wild pigs) visitors snorting and very smelly. We had left peanut shells in the fire pit that attracted them. Later, when Russ was returning from the rest room, his flashlight shone upon a skunk. They told us the Javelina smell very much like a skunk.
We had breakfast at the Indian Lodge Resort at the SP. We rode the bikes to tour Ft Davis. This fort was famous for the group of enlisted referred to as the "Buffalo Soldiers". They were not treated well either by other soldiers or the locals, but they were the group that finally drove Victorio back to Mexico. Victorio was an Apache that attacked the fort constantly.
After dinner we drove to the McDonald Observatory for a lesson on stars and planets that lasted for about an hour. After our lesson we all went outside for a "star party". They had huge telescopes set up for viewing of the night skies. It was very windy and cold, but we managed to look thru each telescope. We saw the Sea of Tranquility where Apollo XV landed on the moon, Saturn and it's rings, the Nebulus(sp) on the sword of Orion, The Hunter. The road to and from the observatory was full of curves. We rounded one turn and there in the dark to the left of the car was the biggest Javelina (wild pig) - jet black - almost road kill! All in all a very full rest day.

Van Horn (28 mi east) to Indian Lodge SP, Fort Davis

Top L - Vulture warming himself in the sun

Top R - Mike riding into Indian Lodge State Park


Bottom L - Mule deer behind the motor home


Bottom R - Mike & Russ starting the ride 28 miles east of Van Horn
(once again the pictures are in backward order)















Sunny morning. Got dropped off at Exit 173 I-10. Rode 3 miles to Kent, picked up Hwy 118 a side road with no traffic, but head winds! Average speed 6-8 mph for 23 miles, then climb thru the Davis Mtns. From Kent went from 4,200' to 6500', not severe, but with the wind gusts it was a long day!! Russ had flat tire #2. Finally crested at McDonald Observatory at Mt. Locke. Another welcome down hill glide and some flat with a couple of rolling hills. Didn't hit Ft. Davis SP until about 5 p.m. 52 miles ridden.

Van Horn - "The Motor Home"

Tom Pinske beside his beautiful motor home!

Sierra Blanca to Van Horn 3/21

R - Mike, Denise & Russ leaving Vista RV Park in Sierra Blanca, TX
L - Mike arriving at Eagle's Nest RV Park in Van Horn, TX



Left Sierra Blanca to head for Van Horn. Again a very cold morning. There were still icicles hanging under the motor home where the water attaches at 9:30 a.m. Rode 32 miles to the Eagle's Nest RV Park where Dawn was waiting for us w/lunch. After lunch Russ and Mike rode 34 more miles and Denise picked them up and they returned for showers, dinner and a quick trip to the local Dairy Queen, as we haven't seen any B&J in days. Although the days ride paralleled I-10 and not too scenic, there was little wind and much warmer than yesterday..probably 65 by the end of the ride. Russ continues to search for bungie cords and Mike is now collecting one license plate for each state we ride. We were eating dinner outside when a man from a 45 ft custom Provost RV came over & chatted briefly, stating he'd be back after his dinner. Russ returned from showering and Mike was in a rush because it was 7:40 p.m. and DQ was closing at 8 - You know how Mike loves his ice cream! As we were leaving along came the man from the "land yacht". Mike, of course, invited him to join us, so we jammed into the Focus. We introduced ourselves and it turned out he was Tom Pinske, owner of The Pinske Edge - Quality tools for solid surface fabrication - Coriane(sp), etc. Very interesting man. Gave us a tour of his motor coach. It was 45' long w/toy trailer equaling 75' 6". You entered up marble steps to a disco type floor complete w/filament lighting that pulsated to the music. Carved palm branches in the black ceiling which had mood lighting, couches covered in leopard and tiger prints. Lighting in glass cabinets, shower walls - everywhere!! A parrot etched into one cabinet and in the glass around the shower. The light behind the parrots changed from green to fuscia and back again. The bathroom sink was tiger printed. The previous owner had obviously added a lot of BLING! The BBQ outside was like having a Wolf attached to your RV, not to mention there were 2 huge flat screen TV's in the RV and one on the outside. He had 2 Harleys in his toy trailer. This was certainly the highlight of the day! Thanks Tom and "keep the rubber on the road"

Tornillo, TX to Sierra Blanca 3/20

Very windy and cold. Mike says 40 deg, but I think colder and much colder w/the wind chill. Started 5 miles east of Tornillo. I braved the sind and cold, riding thru Acala, but when we got to Fort Hancock a lady at the post office said she had come from Sierra Blanca where they had 2 inches of snow. That said - Mike was riding solo and I was riding in the motor home. Mike and Russ bucked the wind nearly all day covering only 54 miles. Not much in the way of scenery. Mountains pretty, but flat land rough. Southern AZ, New Mexico & Texas full of pecan trees, chili peppers and green onions so far - cotton not planted yet. The guys hit 1,000 miles today.

Canutillo to ? in the middle of nowhere 3/19

Left Gas Light RV Park (Canutillo) - warm & sunny from there thru El Paso. Mentally strenuous because had to ride thru the city of El Paso - missed a turn and ended up the only gringos at a large Mexican supermarket, got back on track, went across the Avenues of the America's/Big Mexican/American border crossing - rode thru many small closed down towns, ending up 5 miles east of Tornillo on a small man made lake camp ground (we use that term loosely! Dry camped - no utilities, very windy!!! There was a big wind storm - looked like rain, so we moved the motor home from an area that looked like it could get so muddy we'd get stuck. We watched as some people that were fishing took off when the wind kicked and left their fire. It created a brush fire along the lake, but didn't reach us. Mike had a few issues w/the toilet - probably too much information, but had to add it for some of you that are reading this and know Mike. Again it was very cold. The picture on the right was taken 3/18 at the end of the ride from Radium Springs. The one on the left is leaving a.m. on the 19th.

Radium Springs to Canutillo, TX 3/18

A little windy, but warm as we started riding. We've been told to prepare for high winds the next two days. We stayed at the Gas Light RV Park and actually ate dinner outside for the 1st time. Not many Gringo's here, but Mike thinks his tan is helping him fit in - except for the spandex shorts! He says a cowboy hat would help, but the shorts have to go. He forgot to tell me that when they were riding thru La Mesa they passed a high school that was totally fenced in. Students entering the school grounds had to pass thru security. The sign said "No Guns - No Drugs". We were warned by the people in the RV park to stay away from Juarez, Mexico. They ride between El Paso and the border tgo Juarez tomorrow. I'll post more pictures when I can sort thru and remember which were from what day. I rode the morning part of the day and Denise rode the afternoon.

Hillsboro to Radium Springs, NM - 3/17

St. Patrick's Day dinner in Las Cruses, N.M. Dawn's only picture of the day.

Dawn drove Denise, Russ & Mike from Hillsboro back to the campground (24.5 mi). Dawn rode the 47.5 miles to Leasburg State Park in Radium Springs. Warm, peaceful ride. Not much climbing and not much wind. Dinner at the Texas Roadhouse was delicious. We wore our jerseys from the Ireland trip..the management took our picture to post on their wall.

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Silver City to Caballo State Park - 3/16

Once again my pictures ended up last first and first last. Top left is Mike & Russ at the top of Emery Pass. Alt. over 8,000'. Hillsboro, NM talking to a local character. Mike & Russ in front of the Emery Pass sign. View from the top of Emery Pass. Dawn & Mike heading out from Silver City.

Mike, Russ & Denise started 21 miles west of Silver City Rose Ranch Campground following Hwy 180 to Central Santa Clara - Hanover to Hwy 152 & Hwy 35 Jct to Emery Pass, a climb of over 3000' from 5000' to over 8000'. Dawn rode from the campground to the base of the pass. Driving the pass was quite an experience!! Denise had to be on edge as the passenger. There was very little shoulder and no guard rail between us a fall of thousands of feet!! with lots of switchbacks. I learned that going down something like that the motorhome should be in 1st gear - not 2nd, as the brakes overheated. Mike says it was one cold, long climb. 18 miles uphill, rested and used granny gear frequently. Wonderful view at the top. Then 17 miles downhill. WOW, the best downhill Mike ever experienced. Tight 20 to 20 mph posted corners. Not much traffic. Mike's never gone so fast. Total 71 miles.

Cliff Dwellings/Mining - March 15th

Dawn & Mike in the snow!









Gila Cliff Dwellings

Black Jack Canyon-Mangas - March 13th

Awaken early to a little frost. Denise drove the guys back to Black Jack Canyon and the bottom of the Big Hue Mtns so they could start their 6 mile climb. Roughly started at 2000' to go to 6000' elevation. Got smart today - lower gears and when the legs need a rest they stopped. 6 miles, 4000' feet of switch backs & curves. The scenery was spectacular! The rock formations, the valleys and distant mountain ranges beautiful. The west side of the climb was in the Apache Nat'l Park when they reach the peak and past Black Jack Campground they crossed into New Mexico and the Gila Nat'l Park. Riding down the back side of the pass the trees disappear and it becomes a grassy plain through Mule Creek (only a post office) and on to Buckhorn, pop. 50, where we had spent the night the night before. They had a packed lunch, but stopped at the only store in Buckhorn - The Last Chance Liquor Store. The sign outside read: "If your wife drives you to drink, have her drive you here". They visited w/the owner. He had not left the area except to serve in VietNam/US Army, so he was glad to share his history. They continued on through Cliff, pop. 400 and Riverside, then Mangas...only a sign. Mike doesn't even remember seeing a house. Rode 60 miles - ended somewhere in the Mangas Valley.
When they start up again they will cross the Continental Divide - 4 mile outside of Silver City where we are spending a couple of nights. After I picked up Mike and Russ we went to a couple of bike shops in Old Town Silver City and the car started, but would die if I idled. It was Saturday evening so nothing was open. Mike found a mechanic that was open on Sunday, but said he couldn't find anything without doing a diagnostic test - $250+. When Mike & Russ took the car to him it was running fine. The mechanic said it could have swollowed a bug in the air filter, or something like that.
Today is Monday the 15th of March and we awoke to snow! Popcorn type snow in the campground. We had decided to go to the Gila Cliff Dwellings about a 2 hour drive fron the campground. We drove toward the cliffs for about 30 minutes and were soon in over 2" and we started to slide a little so we turned around and went to town for breakfast. The sun soon came out, we called the Nat'l Park Service and they said "What snow?" and told us to use a different route. We drove for over 2 hours and reached the place where we had to park the car. The bridge had washed out so we had to walk 1.5 miles to the dwellings and another mile back out. What an amazing place! I'll post pictures separately. These dwellings date from the lat 1270's and 1300's.

Last night's B&J was Strawberry Cheesecake and tonight's was Chocolate Macadamia.

Black Jack Canyon-Mangas - March 13th

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Mike & Russ starting ride.






Mike in the rear view mirror at the start of the ride









Mike & Russ at a lookout











Javelina - wild pigs along side the road











Mike at the New Mexico border

More of Denise's Photos

A fishing boat in the Colorado River - AZ on the far side, CA where the boat is.





Mike beside a bra tree.









Dawn & Denise going for a ride in a "California Cruiser" in the Valle de Oro RV Park in Mesa.

Denis's Photos

These are in no particular order. They are Denise's pictures.

Safford to Black Jack Canyon - March 12

Denise beading & Dawn reading along the road as we wait for Mike & Russ to arrive for lunch. Mike and Dawn halfway up Black Jack Pass.
Dawn & Denise opt not to ride as the climb today was over 4000'. The guys left Safford with great expectations because of the expected climb from 1600 to 6000'. The first 36 miles took them through Soloman, the Black Hills, the Tollhouse Canyon, Threeway and Black Jack Canyon. We had lunch on the road side of Hwy 78. Then off for more of the climb. It was really getting warm. They called it a day after another 11 miles. Mike called and said to find a wide spot in the road - easier said than done, but his timing was great! We stopped to talk to him at the only wide spot in the road. While we waited, I took a short walk along the road and found a handful of small agates and 2 pieces of turquoise. Russ & Mike finally arrived and once again we loaded up the bikes. They had ridden 47 miles - all uphill. As we drove the rest of the way to Buckhorn, Mike couldn't believe what was facing them the next day. More climbing, switchbacks, short and steep corners. Turns out vehicles over 40' weren't supposed to be on this road. With the car in tow, we certainly are over 40'! Not much in Buckhorn except the campground, which wasn't much, and a small post office.

Globe to Safford - March 11

Dawn's hand print on the car window at Apache Gold RV Park. Dawn/Mike somewhere down the road between Globe (Apache Gold) & Bylas. A cardinal at the campground by Safford, AZ.

Light frost this morning - ice in the pass that we crossed the day before. Mike and Russ hit 500 miles yesterday. Turned into a very nice riding day w/tail winds. Globe to Bylas on the tandem. Rolling hills - one flat tire. Denise won $20 at the casino while she was waiting to leave to meet us for lunch in the motorhome at Bylas. Denise took over riding and I drove the motor home to a Walmart parking lot in Safford. Mike, Russ & Denise stopped for milkshakes in Thatcher before catching up w/me. We loaded up the bikes and drove to spend the night in a nice state park called Roper Lake. All of us donned our swim suits and soaked in a natural hot springs before dinner. I think I've also been forgetting to include the B&J ice cream taste tests. To this point we have sampled 7 flavors. Since I can't remember which I've entered I'll list them to here and then try to include them each day. We have had: Missiion to Marzipan, Cream Brulee, NY Super Fudge, Imagine Whirled Peace, Neopolitan Dynomite, Peach Cobbler, and today's was Phish Food w/small chocolate shaped fish in it. We are rating them 1-5, with 1 being "never buy it again". Those of you who know Mike know that he will never rate any of them a 1. He's never tasted an ice cream he didn't like.

Mesa to Apache Gold RV Park March 10th

Looking back down Gonzales Pass - only about 1/2 way up the pass
Queen Creek Tunnel part way up Gonzales Pass
An interesting cactus outside Mesa
Superstition Mountain - the view as we left Mesa on the bikes.

I don't quite have the hang of loading pictures, so the bottom 2 are when I was riding and the top 2 were after I traded w/Denise. Turned out to be a smart move on my part!
We left Valle de Oro and rode to Apache Jct and then to Florence Jct. -about 25 miles. It was a warm and very pleasant ride. After lunch Denise rode w/Mike & Russ. They climbed to 4000' at a 7% grade which gets one's attention and yet more climbing to Signal Mt. Pass. The higher the ride the colder it got. It went from 68 to 44 at Miami-Claypool. Finally into Globe to the Apache Gold Casino/RV Park. Mike's real tail light quit working and it was getting dark and really cold! When Mike/Russ/Denise arrived they were frozen. None had the right gear for the temperature because it had been so warm earlier. Lesson learned. If you are doing any kind of climbing from the desert to the mountains, take cold weather riding gear w/you. We ate dinner at the casino and watched as many local's played all the machines.