I've completed the next to last leg of my bike journey from Albuquerque, NM to Springfield, MO.
Albuquerque was quite nice.
I found the landscape very beautiful and the people friendly. Better yet, I got to stay with a kind friend
from my youth and catch up on old times.
I wasn't really expecting Albuquerque to be a possible place to
relocate but now it is definitely on my list.
My friend, Swala and I climbed partially up a mountain on a 2 hour hike and left from
right outside her home. That is
something you can't do in Atlanta.
The whole area had a very friendly feel. I have heard that there might be some problems with crime in Albuquerque but I always felt safe. Much safer than Atlanta for sure.
The area seems to be in a great location overall. Close to alot of beautiful areas in New Mexico, Colorado and Utah.
The next day, I left
Albuquerque
and I started back east.
I ended my day
in
Amarillo, Texas.
The day started warm but once I hit the
Texas border and flatlands, the real cold
set in.
I had to bundle up with all my
warm weather gear including my electric heated vest.
I came across this in Texas. The signed claimed this was the largest cross in the western hemisphere.
In Amarillo,
I saw lots of ads for the famous 72 ounce steak. If you can eat the steak in one hour, you can have
it for free. What I thought was funny
was that there was limousine service to the restaurant and back. Guess they are hardcore about their beef in Texas.
The next night I stayed about 50 miles Northeast of Oklahoma
City. Because of all the electronics
that I was using to keep myself warm, (the vest and grips) I about ran my battery dead. The
maintenance man of the motel I stayed at was nice enough to give me a jump on
my battery. He was a very colorful,
chatty, 65 year old fellow. I found him quite
entertaining until he started "cat calling" a teenager walking into a
restaurant. "I might be old but I am not dead" he said to me. Oh brother, I felt so embarrassed
to be standing next to him when the girl walked by. At that
point, I cut the conversation short and finish getting my bike in order as fast
as I could.
I saw these windmills in Oklahoma along the Interstate. They weren't as pretty as in the hills of California, but still worth stopping for.
The next morning I headed to Springfield, MO,
where my sister and her family lives. On the way there I noticed that my radiator
fluid was low and that I was leaking fluid. I kept filling the radiator and reservoir and kept my eye on it and I made it to Springfield, fine.
Once I examined the radiator in a nice warm garage, I found that a bolt had wedged between the frame and radiator. After taking the bolt out the hole has seemed to seal itself At least for now.
I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
Note to self: Never leave a worklight on your pants leg while working. Jeans can be flamable. Please file this under dumb things guys do please.
I am having a nice visit with family here in Springfield. It is always good to be with
family.
Wish me luck. Hopefully the next two days with be trouble
free mechanically and weather wise.
My adventure is nearing its end.
