Blast Off!

As I pulled away from the house I wasn’t thinking about 50 days. I simply was happy to be on the bike. The wheels were turning. All my dreaming and planning resulted in the “rubber meeting the road” literally.

As the miles added up on that first day, I was putting distance between home and traveling fast to something new. I knew that I wanted to travel slowly, but it was like an ignition and launch of a rocket ship that needed to escape earth’s orbit. I blasted off and accepted that I was going to travel far and fast these first few days, to break through and start this new journey.

Most of this week I was traveling fast, too fast by some accounts. I covered about 2700 miles in the 7 days. There were a few reasons why so far so quickly. I felt the pull of the west. New Mexico and Colorado were places I wanted to get to. The natural beauty, the great roads, and longing for something new & different to see. I had it in my mind that Phase 1 was launching this experience and Phase 2 was breaking through to a new way to settle into the journey out west. The environment and surroundings are a big factor and one that I knew would begin to have a profound impact. I also really was excited to put the miles on the bike and get into packing and unpacking daily. Putting distance between my day-to-day back home and finding a new rhythm takes time. Another factor in why I traveled fast, was simply the places I was moving through. There's lots of beauty and history in all areas. However, the motivation to travel slow in certain states/cities/towns was not there. I observed the extreme poverty and towns in disrepair. Additionally, the personality and uniqueness of so many parts of the country had been dismantled and replaced by cookie-cutter fast-food restaurants and Dollar General stores. It's harder to find those small towns and communities that are uniquely their own. So, I traveled fast. Reaching New Mexico and especially Colorado, the energy changed. The riding was exciting, the natural beauty spectacular, and the towns each had their own personality.

Moments in Time - Highlights from Week 1 that are captured in the photos that follow:

Having all these feelings of freedom traveling on the motorcycle, it’s serendipitous that I’d be passing through Montgomery and Selma Alabama. It turned my attention to the history of the civil rights movement and how hard people have fought for basic freedoms and universal rights.
Heading west. Crossing the Mississippi River east to west.
Time for some Mississippi BBQ!
Hot Springs Arkansas
Quachita National Forest in the rain
West through Oklahoma, Texas and on to New Mexico. A straight line for 500+ miles, but time for a diversion on Route 66.
Cinco de Mayo in New Mexico. On the way to Santa Fe. Checking out Pecos National Park.
Leaving Santa Fe to do a loop through Carson Forest, Taos and a few other interesting place with a great stop at Taos Pueblo a UNESCO site.
Taos Pueblo a UNESCO site. Visited and did the tour. Highly recommend it. A very moving and tragic story about the plight of the Native American people that’s all too common a theme for their history. Battles and conquests with European invaders to massacres at the hands of the US cavalry, but the tribes persist to carry their traditions and culture forward. The picture of the graveyard contains only the remaining bell tower of the church that was bombarded by the cavalry. There were 150 women and children inside. None survived. History matters and the story of a people’s perseverance in the face of tragedy is an important lesson. There are families still living in the Pueblo today.
What makes a good ride great, are the people you meet on the road. Thanks Conrad for the great conversation and the top travel tips.
Santa Fe, NM to Pagosa Springs Colorado, but first did the Enchanted Loop with stops in Taos, Taos Pueblo, Red River, Eagles Nest, and Angel Fire, then crossed the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge. What a day! Gratitude!
Impromptu breakfast in Pagosa Springs with a friend of a friend who’s now a friend. See you on the road Peter! Thanks for hangin’ !
Priceless views on the Million Dollar Highway.
Finding my new rhythm and settling into the journey in Telluride.