Day Sixteen of the CCC trip

Dano says:
Bucket likes to get up early, it was good to have someone to roust our asses outta bed in the morning. We geared up and loaded the bikes. As we were doing so we noticed a chap working on a GPS power hook up on a Beemer. I did a few checks and told him that the connection was bad at the fuse holder. He walked across the street to a Radio Shack and picked up some parts and had the problem fixed. We ate some breakfast in the lobby and then rolled out through town bright and early after the chains were lubed. Out the 64 we headed. We stopped for gas and proceeded to the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge. And this is where the fun begins.

Just outside Taos, New Mexico is the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge. I had been through this area before and I knew that there was parking/viewing spaces on both sides of the bridge. As we crested the hill and saw the bridge, I spotted two cop cars on the near side of the bridge and they were sternly talking to one or two dudes on the bridge. With that kind of commotion going on there, I decided to go to the other side where the parking lot was vacant to park and do our sightseeing from there. As we parked, one of the two cops drove past us and went up the highway. We three got off the bikes, grabbed our cameras and walked down some well worn paths to get some pics of the bridge. After the pics we walked out onto the bridge to get some pics there too.
It was a nice morning and we weren't in a huge rush, we took our time enjoying the scenery. As we started back to the bikes, I noticed one of the cops parked next to our bikes. When we approached he got out and motioned us over with his finger and said, "Come over here" . We walked over and he says, "Where are you guys from?", Bucket and Chewie answer, "Australia", I say, "California". The next sentence out of his mouth was, "Do we all speak English here?". "Yes" we all politely answered. The officer barks, "Ok, I just want to make sure we all understand one another and are on the same page." He asked what we were doing, we replied, "Taking some pictures". He says, "Do you see that Posted sign? You went into a private property and I have to give you a ticket".
I said, "We just walked out to take some pics on the other side of that fallen down barbwire fence and didn't go into the restricted behind the chain link fence". He replied "Its all Posted, all of this area next to the Gorge", ok there would be no winning this battle. He says, "I need your License's". I handed over mine and Bucket and Chewie handed over their out of country Australian ID's to the rude cop. He walked back to the squad car and sat there writing tickets for twenty minutes at least. Or so we thought. After the long wait sitting there beside the bikes, he got out of the car and strolled up to us and says, "Watch where you are going", and hands us back our ID's with no tickets or warnings. HA HA HA.....I guess that he called his commander and asked how to write up a ticket on two Australians and his boss would have laughed and asked if they would ever see the money from those tickets and that he would be wasting time and ink to write those tickets. Because I was traveling with my two Oz bruddas, I got off scott free too. Wooooo HOOOOO!!!

So we turned out of the parking lot and headed west down the 64, where we stopped to check out a few weird houses that I wanted to investigate after seeing them in 2007.






These houses were part of a small community that shares knowledge and help to other like minded people that then build in my words, "recycled" houses. The homes are built to utilize the sun and the surrounding terrain to help heat and cool the homes. They used old tires, bottles and such to form the walls. It was neat to see up close and to watch the various stages of construction going on at one house. Back on the road we set out to make some sweet miles down Hwy 64 going west. The roads were covered in taranchulas as I bet I saw 20 of them in a 10 mile stretch. After a few miles we came to a stop that I knew had a good over look.
Since we were gaining elevation too I took the opportunity have the fellas install extra layers to keep warm. Bucket was getting cold so he decided to change into his Frank Thomas weather proof pants from the blue jeans that he was wearing. I can tell that Bucket likes to get naked because the next thing that I see is a white ass glowing in the sun, with a black set of grundies on. Next thing you know a group of Harley guys pulls up and Bucket is spread eagle flashing me and Chewie (as we are crying laughing trying to take a picture of him) and the Harley dudes are like WTF? After everyone busted out laughing, we all said hello and small talk began. Someone asked where we/they were headed and we replied, "Mexican Hat, Utah". They said us too. I told them about the restaurant and the atmosphere there and that maybe we would see them there for a beer. We tore ass outta that spot and fell in sync with the Hwy 64 curves and undulations that it consists of. What a beauty of a road. We pulled into Chama, NM to gas up and have lunch. I suggested the little restaurant that I ate at in 2007. The fellas had the lunch special that was a the loose meat sandwich. They loved the lunch and with tanks and bellies full we headed out. I took us down the 64 and stayed on it versus going north to Pagosa Springs. The reason was the weather forecast for that area, it looked gloomy and dark to the north in the mtns around Durango. The 64 from where it splits with the 84 is a fantastic road that winds in and out of rocky outcroppings with some grazing pastures mixed in. I used to live in Durango in the early 90's and I never took this road, what a surprise. Somewhere along the route someone motioned that they had to take a rest break. So we pulled over next to a cattle guard entrance. Next to the cattle guard was a sign that denoted the land beyond the sign was of a certain Indian heritage. Well I was in the bushes taking a leak when Bucket yells, "Stop pissing on my ancestors you Damn Honkie, these are my peoples lands". Hahaha, its funny to try to hold a steady stream while laughing, I'm glad I wasn't aiming for a commode, as I wouldn't have made it. Damn you Bucket, you funny bastard. We stopped for gas in Farmington and took a nap/ice cream sandwich break. From there we cruised out towards Shiprock and the weird/strange erie rock formation that it is known for. The Shiprock is famous in the area and sticks out like a sore thumb and always comes across as ominous/sinister to me. It gives off a creepy feel that makes you look at it, it stands in total contrast to what is around it in size and color. From there we took the 64 to the 160 to 191 north to 163 west into Mexican Hat. You might call me crazy, but there is something magical about riding a bike in the desert in late summer, the weather was fantastic and the sun displays amazing colors as it strikes the desert dirt/rocks/canyons.!!!



We got into a little dust storm when we stopped for gas at trading post in the town of Teec Nos Pos. The Native American peoples in the trading post were very traditional and the main language being spoken wasnt English. It was neat to see old traditions and ways being preserved. Time seemed to run slower at that gas stop and I didn't mind. Outside the wind was picking up and a major wind/dust storm was on a collision course with us. Thankfully we only hit a few minutes of it and then out ran it. We were safe to make it to Mexican Hat on this tank of gas, off we go. I hadn't taken this road before so I had no idea of what to expect, as I said before, I love the wide open desert environments. We had a perfect setting to ride in, the setting afternoon sun to dazzle us with lighting and stunning rock formations. The roads were empty and we cruised at a sane speed so that we could make time, then all of the sudden as we would round a corner and get floored by a stunning vista. It goes on and on like this for miles. At one point we topped a hill and BAM there off in the distance was Monument Valley and its recognizable formations.
The sun was just about to set, so we stayed there to watch it work its magic as we stood there in awe of the grandeur before us, stunning. We rolled into Mexican Hat a few miles later where we picked up a cheap room across from the famous Swinging Steak Hotel. I would have liked to stay there but they were full, no worries, we saved a few bucks and promptly spent it on dinner there later. We cleaned up and walked across the street to grub out on a steak that I had been thinking about for a long time. See I have researched this area for a while and read reports on the famous "swinging steak", so needless to say after a long day in the saddle, I was HUNGRY. As we were sitting there with our beers, who proceeds to walk in....the Harley riders that Bucket mooned earlier in the day. They pointed and laughed and we said come on over and join us. They ate dinner with us and then went down to the river edge to set up tents to camp. After dinner we walked back to the hotel and made a pit stop to grab a few beers, me and Bucket killed the most of them sitting on the front porch and Chewie retired after a few of them. I slept like a log. What a day, only +/- 350 miles, but wow what a visual experience, at least for me.

miles traveled for the day=333

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