Albuquerque, Turkey!

Ok, that's actually the name of my favorite sandwich from Schlotzsky's Deli (along with cracked pepper potato chips), but it's also our destination for Monday, June 7. Still undecided on my route, I finally started looking at possibilities before loading the bike. I'd talked with Gary at our Albuquerque branch, and he advised against the direct route (550 out of Durango all the way to ABQ), and mentioned I should go over to Pagosa Springs or maybe further, going up Wolf Creek Pass, before heading south. Once I looked at the map, I figured Pagosa Springs would be a good route, and when Josh asked if I was riding with them (he, Charlie and Heather were riding back to Albuquerque), I said I was planning on taking the route through Pagosa Springs. He confirmed that was the route they were taking, so that sealed the deal.

I was hoping to make it into Albuquerque on Monday before our branch closed so I could visit my buds there, but decided if I didn't make it in time, I could stop by first thing in the morning before starting to head back east. I got to appreciate the freedom of traveling solo while I was waiting for the last folks to get packed up (and waiting. and waiting.) But, ah well, I was happy enough to have the company, and after hugs with our sad panda hostess, we rode away around 9:30, so it wasn't super late.

During the bike swap the previous night, Brian's VFR got a nail in the rear tire, and it was down 10 lbs on Monday morning, so he put a plug in the tire from a plug kit carried by Charlie. The nine of us that had stayed until Monday headed east on 160 towards Bayfield for breakfast at 'Brenda's', but by the time we got there, Brian had lost the plug and his rear wheel was slushing along on a totally flat tire. That was a bummer, but the contingency plan for him worked out pretty well. We were only about 15 miles from where Jo and Greg lived, and only a couple of miles away from where Greg worked. Brian ended up heading back to the Potato Ranch for the night, and went to the closed-on-Monday bike store Tuesday morning to get a new tire put on the bike. He rode home to the Denver area once his bike was re-shod, only being put out one day by the incident. Not too bad.

In the meantime, the rest of us were noshing down to some serious chow at Brenda's. Apparently thinking I had suddenly obtained a humongous appetite, I ordered the chicken fried steak and eggs. That came with bacon and a biscuit. And coffee and juice. I ended up having to leave some of it behind, not wanting to overload the weight capacity for my tires! We all topped off bikes at an adjacent gas station, made final luggage adjustments, and made sure Brian had enough air with a newly plugged tire to head back to the ranch. Since we were going to be parting ways in Pagosa Springs, with one group heading northwards toward Denver and the other group going south to Albuquerque, we bid our farewells, with hugs and threats of seeing each other the next year. Back on the road, once a few passing zones showed up, the eight remaining bikes were united in formation until Pagosa Springs and the turn off Highway 160 to Highway 84.

The next stop was Chama, NM, mainly for a top off of gas and deciding where lunch would be, before pushing on the next 80 miles to Espanola. The roads through this section varied between valleys, rugged red rock defiles, and open vistas with mountains to the south. One sight that all of us remarked on at lunch was an advertisement for jet ski rentals, when all you could see was parched land for miles around. Apparently, Lake Abiquiu is the hot spot where the jet skis would be put to use, but from the road, it looked like you'd be sandhogging in those things!

By the time we started weaving through the streets of Espanola, it was hot. Once on the south side of town, Josh blew past me on the left to let Charlie know we'd missed our exit for lunch. Took the next exit and wrapped back to the previous exit, entering the parking lot for Gabriel's, surrounded by trees. We took advantage of the shade to let the bikes cool, and after leaving as much gear as possible on the bikes (Josh looking stylish in his shorts and mid-calf motorcycle boots), we went inside to drink in the air conditioned comfort. It was 2:30, so it wasn't too busy, and one of the first things to happen was for a guy to come by with a big tray of goodies, and ask if we wanted everything. Turns out he was mixing fresh guacamole for us, and wanted to know what all we wanted included. 'Everything' worked for me and the others...with extra lime to satisfy Heather :) Due to my gargantuan breakfast, I couldn't finish my lovely chicken quesadilla, but Charlie was obliging enough to clean my plate for me. It was close to 3:30 before we got back on the road, and I called my guy at the branch I wanted to visit to let him know I wouldn't be there Monday afternoon, but to plan to see me on Tuesday morning.

I'd printed out directions to the branch, but not to my motel, but when I mentioned it was on old Route 66, Josh commented that was Central Avenue, which rang a bell. Without the time deadline to be in Albuquerque, I was able to enjoy the ride in from there, and I got the treat of going via back roads and never once having to slab it on the interstate. Two exits down from Gabriel's was the exit to Tesuque, which was tiny but had winding roads that wended through some pretty cool adobes. This filtered us into Santa Fe, and after a few stoplights, we were back to heading onto a two lane highway, designated as the Turquoise Trail (Hwy 14). This snuck us in to Albuquerque on the back side of the mountains, and led to some of the coolest part of the trip, both from 'twisty roads with fabulous views' cool, and from 'summer rain shower' cool. The temp gauge on Josh's BMW read 63 degrees when we were going through the rain (which was accompanied by three or four scary lightning bolts to the ground), but once we rode out of it, we were dry in approximately 5.2 minutes.

Some killjoy once said all good things must end, and eventually this proved true of our ride. Shortly after returning to more civilized surroundings, Heather turned left at a stoplight, leaving the group. I noticed we were now on Central Avenue (would you look at that!), so I figured I could find my way from there. I was in the left lane, and Charlie and Josh were trying to get into a side parking area for final consult, but a minivan foiled that plan. I didn't realize until too late what was going on, so Charlie made it into the parking area with me blithely rolling along, belatedly realizing what he was doing. Approaching the next light (within a block), Josh pulled up beside me, tapped his left side case, and then rolled right at the intersection. I wasn't sure if he was meaning, "Follow me," or "See you later," or "My luggage is broken." At any rate, I was already heading straight through in the left lane, and since I knew my lodging was on Central Avenue, I figured I could find it. Approximately six miles and 73 stoplights later, I did see the sign for my extremely non smoking motel.

A word about the lodging. I found it online with some pretty good reviews and decent pricing. The name of the place is Monterey's Non Smoker's Motel. It's in the name. There's a rotating 'No Smoking' icon on the front of the web page. When I made the reservation, Henry asked if I knew it was a non smoking property, and I said yes. He then proceeded to ask if I smoked. I said no. Upon checking in, I again was informed of the status and quizzed if I smoked. I somehow don't think they like to have smoking in their rooms. Not positive about this, but just a wild guess. At any rate, the room was spotless, had a ceiling fan over a small dinette table, fresh cut plant in a vase and blue polka dot sheets. The place was old enough to still use actual keys instead of cards to unlock the doors, and Henry provided me with something to put my kickstand down on so the bike wouldn't sink through the hot asphalt. Once I entered my room for the night, I stayed inside. I'd eaten enough to hibernate for days, the air conditioning was sublime, and I had to work on my blog and get things sorted for the upcoming days. Earlier, Charlie had offered one of 17 spare rooms at his house for me to stay, and while I definitely appreciated the offer (and may take it up later if I swing through Albuquerque again), I figured I needed the down time to plan out the rest of my week and get to bed at a decent hour.

I checked in on the BBO website to let everyone know I was at the hotel for the night, and later the group from Denver posted when they got to their location, as well as the lone rider from Minnesota who continued on up to Cheyenne that night. I wanted to get an early start in the morning, because Lubbock was the day's destination, 325 hot and boring miles away. Finally hit the hay around 11:00, ready to start the eastward trek home.