Day 2, Phoenix AZ (Miles logged 1320)

Day two started with a scenic drive along the Rio Grande River gorge south of Taos, NM. The pleasant morning temperatures gave way to scorching heat of the desert floor as I made my way through Albuquerque. That New Mexico heat was just a warmup to what awaited me in Phoenix as I ended my day. 

The lava flows of El Malpais and the majestic sandstone cliffs along Highway 117 southeast of Grant, NM were equally stunning.

I  hope you enjoy the pictures below from Day 2 of my ride. Many of you are in my thoughts and prayers I travel these roads each day. 

Riding this road south was definitely more relaxing than my trip through here riding in the opposite direction in 2020. It was quite an experience.  At that time, there was a two-inch layer of crushed road rock spread across the roadway the entire route. 

I was holding up fine during the ride, but the same cannot be said for my riding gear. Just before crossing from New Mexico into Arizona, I discovered half of the sole of my left boot had separated, which required a detour to a local Ace Hardware store for some shoe glue. However, my attempted repair was not very successful so I ended up stopping at a local Harley Davidson dealership in Phoenix to purchase new boots because, for the first time, I only packed one pair of riding boots. (Lesson learned) Lucky for me, I found a pair in my size on clearance at 75% off. God was definitely watching over me during this ride. 

Day 2 ended with 1,320 cumulative miles. 

Sunday and Monday I’ll be joined by Jeff Whisler, a retired Topeka officer from the motorcycle division, who now lives in the Phoenix area. Nothing like having a personal police escort to keep me in line. The journey should be more pleasant as we head into the mountains of Arizona, Utah and Colorado.

Day 1, Taos NM (Miles logged 733)

After attending breakfast with the Friday morning men’s group at Wanamaker Woods, I headed West by Southwest.

The morning was pleasant, however, temperatures rose as I headed past the many fields and grain elevators. Oil wells also dotted the landscape like ants on a picnic table. As I progressed West, meeting the never-ending parade of trucks, it dawned on me, if I had an $1 for every cattle hauler, grain truck or tanker I met, we could probably fund the children’s ministry for about three years. 

I stopped in Jetmore, Kansas, for lunch at a very tiny “hidden gem” called Judy’s Cafe. Had a fresh, ground beef burger with hand-cut fries.  

The smell of money (cattle pens) in western Kansas and eastern Colorado gave way to the more pleasant aroma of sage and pine through the rocky mountains in Colorado and New Mexico.

I also got my first traffic delay coming across the foothills of eastern Colorado as well as my first downpour of rain west of Walsenburg, CO. 

My riding gear protected me from the heat as well as the stinging rain. The associated cloud cover from the earlier rainstorm provided a pleasant last two hours of riding into Taos, NM.  

Miles completed today: 732.8

The 2024 Challenge Ride is Set

 

I have decided not to let my recent cancer diagnosis keep me down in helping raise funds for the Children's ministries department at Wanamaker Woods Church. After taking the last couple of summers off, I will be undertaking a fundraiser ride July 26 through August 6, between my scheduled immunotherapy sessions. 

This much needed "wind therapy" on Dr. Harley Davidson will cover over 4,000 miles throughout eight states, encompassing the Rock Mountains, Southwest ranges and Black Hills. 

Should you choose to pledge funds, I thank you in advance for your generous support of the children's ministries. As with all previous challenge rides, 100% of all contributions will go directly to the church. You can pledge a set dollar amount or an amount per mile ridden. I will be posting my cumulative mileage and images on this blog while on the road. 

Once the event starts, you will be able to track me live throughout the trip using the link to my personal US Fleet tracking device. Below is an general overview of my planned route. 

  

Day Eleven- The Final Push Home

The final day of my adventure was blessed with thick cloud cover this morning which kept temperatures down for my ride from Liberal to just before reaching the Hutchinson area. I celebrated crossing the 5,000-mile mark with lunch and a slice of homemade banana cream pie at the Carriage Crossing Amish restaurant in Yoder, KS. (definitely worth the drive), just south of Hutchinson. I guess it was a good thing I was on my motorcycle or I would have been tempted to load up some of their giant cinnamon rolls and a couple of pies.

After spending most of the previous days riding on winding mountain roads it almost seemed strange to ride in straight lines for mile upon mile.  I did break up the straight roads by routing through Alta Vista to Alma on the Skyline Mill scenic byway, which is the old K-10 Highway.  That stretch of roadway is always a great ride along the valleys and rolling hills. A pleasant reminder that taking the road less traveled can be rewarding. I made it safely home just after 4:00 PM and officially logged 5,213 miles through 11 states for the 2020 challenge. 

It is said the journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step. Leaving home last Wednesday morning was exciting, but also rewarding was the feeling of rolling back into the driveway today to complete the challenge. I saw the handiwork of God first hand in the beautiful scenery and had a great adventure- all for a good cause. 

Now that the challenge ride is over, there is still time to pledge toward the Starfish fund, just note "2020 Challenge Ride" on the memo section of your check payable to Wanamaker Woods Church.

Thank you to everyone for the donations in support of the Starfish fund and for the many thoughts and prayers for a safe journey.  Farewell, until the next great adventure in 2021.   

 

Day Ten

Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas

After the previous day of riding through what felt at times like a blast furnace, today’s temperatures in the 90's felt almost like a cold front   

The roads into the southern Rocky Mountains in New Mexico and into southwestern Kansas had relatively light traffic .The ride through Santa Fe and the Cimarron Valley on Highway 64 was beautiful. I even stopped for a rest along the brook that flowed down the Cimarron valley.

The thunderstorms around be created some welcoming shade as I kissed the corner of Texas and into Oklahoma on Highway 56.  I only encountered one brief rainstorm for about three miles, which was just enough to wash the few bug splats off my windshield. I made it safely to my hotel and secured dinner before the thunderstorms rolled through Liberal.

Tomorrow looks like an easy ride home.  Still deciding if the homemade lemon pie at the Carriage Crossing restaurant in Yoder is enough to divert me from a straight shot home.   

Mileage through today is 4813.

Day Nine

Arizona and New Mexico

Day nine started out very pleasant with a pre-sunrise departure to take advantage of the cooler temperatures, knowing today was going to be the hottest day of my journey. 

I rode through the red sandstone cliffs of Sedona, under the many hot air balloons floating above the majestic castle-like rock formations and then I made my way up the narrow mountain roads through Jerome and Prescott before dropping down to the floor of the desert to experience the brutal heat plaguing the Phoenix area. 

By the time I got to Phoenix, the radiating heat from the asphalt pegged the thermometer on my motorcycle. The photo, taken in the shade, registered 110!  I know you are thinking, it’s a dry heat, but then again so is a convection oven. Actually, in the shade, it was not bad. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to ride in the shade until I got into the mountains of western New Mexico where scattered thunderstorms created shade and a brief sprinkle to wash off some of the bugs and dust accumulated over the last few days.

Enduring the heat in Phoenix was worth it to visit and have lunch with good CMA friends, Jeanne and Frank Hidalgo, and meet their staff at Azteca Glass. Pictures with Jeanne and Frank is Gilbert, a 15+ year employee. 

The predominately red sandstone of Arizona gave way to more tan-colored rocks and the black lava flow rocks just East of Grants, NM. 

Mileage through today is 4,326

Day Eight

Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Arizona 

Day eight started out brisk with temperatures dipping into the lower 40s as I rode the winding roads and summits in the San Juan mountains, through the red cliff canyons past Telluride into the farming and ranch meadows, through Cortez on my way to Four Corners Monument. 

The numbness of my fingers from the Colorado mountains quickly faded as the temperatures elevated well into the upper 90s as I made my way into Utah and Monument Valley for the famous road to eternity photo.

No deer or elk sightings today however, I did see several wild mustang horses and a few wild burros.  I was also briefly blockaded by suspected BLM protesters (Bovine Lives Matter)--- a herd of cows in the open range.

It took eight days, but Covid-19 shut me down with two of my planned stops closed off.  Four Corners Monument was closed and the highway 64 route into the Grand Canyon National Park was also gated. Guess you will have to wait for a future adventure to see a photo of me standing in four states at one time, as well as photos to see if the Grand Canyon has changed since my last visit five years ago (something tells me probably not).  Just to cover my bases with Wally Fisher, I did take pictures to prove I was indeed at those spots.

With mileage today at 3,680, thanks to backtracking for gas, (new rule: don’t assume your Garmin is correct), I am well on track to surpass my 5,000 mile target.

Tomorrow's ride will include scenic mountain roads in Arizona and lunch with CMA (Christian Motorcycle Association) friends in Phoenix before making my way to Albuquerque. Needless to say, I won’t have to worry about cold fingers on the rest of this trip!