Day 2: Albuquerque to Farmington

I got a late start to Farmington, but it was a short ride. I tried to upload video from my ride, but the internet in motels won't have any of it. We will have to get along with pics.

I stopped in Cuba for a Subway sandwich and was able to park Trigger under a tree for some much needed rest. He has been performing admirably.

I will be seeing this sign a lot on the way north. I will be crossing and re-crossing the Continental Divide several times. HEY MA! LOOK AT ME! I'M ON TOP OF THE WORLD!

When I got to Farmington there was a cold brew and hot ribs waiting for me. I wish my cousin Susie ran the B&B at the end of every day.

Tomorrow will be tougher. I'll be trying to tackle some gravel.

Day 1: Andrews to Albuquerque

I was hoping to get on the road at sun up to avoid the worst of the daytime heat. But I was not ready as fast as I thought I could. It was 8:30 a.m. before I got on the road, then half way around Mustang Drive I realized I had not closed the garage door. Whoops! Turn around, close the door, lock up the house. Wound not want to come home and find my wide screen HD TV gone.

Trigger is all loaded and anxious to get on the road. It is amazing that I could load that much gear on the back of the bike.

I came up on a couple of BMW GS adventure tourers (Michigan plates) while waiting for traffic to clear in road construction between Plains and Roswell. I thought we would hit it off since we both were riding adventure tourers. But these guys had knobbies on and could not keep up with Trigger. I imagine the vibration would shed a few pounds off them. They caught up with me in Roswell traffic, but do not seem interested in riding together. Oh well, they are only Beemers.

Stopped at the rest stop between Roswell and Vaughn to give my butt and Trigger's a rest.

Cline"s Corner!

Got into Albuquerque in good time. Beat the rush hour traffic. Don't stay at at the Nativo. Coke machines are empty and a 12-oz coke at the bar is $3. I'm meeting my cousin Rick for the first time in thirty years. When I was moving from SoCal to Kansas I blew a tire near Albuquerque. He helped me get back on the road. It is terrible that I've let so much time lapse without seeing him.

Tomorrow I head out for Farmington to see Suzie and Doug. Look out Farmington!

Setting the Stage

A week away and I'm getting anxious about getting on the road. I got a new Ducati Multistrada 1200S Touring last winter intending to ride it to Canada. This will be my fourth motorcycle tour to Canada, but the first to take me off paved roads.

Trigger, the beautiful steed taking me to the Great White North on roads less traveled.

I have been adapting Trigger for the trip for several months. First I added stone guards to the radiator and oil cooler. The header guard was a headache. Although it only involved removing one screw, that screw was Excalibur. Shout out to Vampliers for making a fine product for removing stripped screws. I then moved on to adapting my older Garmin car GPS for the motorcycle. It was easy to find GPS mounts for the handlebars, but getting power to it was tricky. But quickly solved by tapping into the power outlets intended for heated clothing. Given the triple-digit temperatures we are suffering of late, I doubt I'll need them to keep warm. I had one waterproof bag and got another from Aerostich (http://www.aerostich.com/), along with straps to keep them secured to the back of Trigger, and a new pair of elkskin ropers to keep my hands safe and dry. My final purchase for this adventure is the way I will document it. I got a ContourROAM video camera that mounts to my helmet. I'll be posting my videos as I progress on my sojourn.

One July 10, 2013, I will leave Andrews, TX. My first stop is Albuquerque to spend the night. It also affords me to catch up with my cousin Ricky. I am limiting my daily rides to about 350 miles to afford for pictures and recirculating the blood pooling in my butt. Don't get me wrong. Trigger has a great saddle, but it does not allow for moving around. Besides, he's a vain mount that wants to be in nearly every picture. And I will attempt to accommodate.