Road Trip #1 - Day 6 - Colorado here we come

June 1, 2010
Fort Collins, CO

Wichita Falls, TX -- Much as we hate it - it is time to ride back in the direction we came from a few days ago. Mom snapped this pic as we were getting ready to ride out this morning. It has been fun and memorable both getting here and being here. We've had a good visit with family and friends. We got to see Stormy and Rob and meet Rob's boys and the in-laws. We got to see Lil' Brother and have him ride a short ways with us. We got to ride with Dad and friends. We wanted to ride where we could sweat - mission accomplished. We got to visit with Mom and Grandma. We didn't see everyone we would have liked to see, but that's always a tall order anytime we are in Texas.

Before 8 am , we were riding west on Hwy 287 out of Wichita Falls turning north on Hwy 183 into Oklahoma. We ran through a rain shower in Snyder, OK that followed us to our friend's house in Mountain Park, OK. No matter, we got off and visited with Nancy on the patio of her lovely home. Coffee and muffins got us down the road a good ways a short while later.

Me and My Friend, Nancy

We continued north on Hwy 183 to Clinton, OK where we picked up I-40 west. Along the way, we watched combine crews harvesting wheat. As usual, the winds were high as we travelled along I-40. We've never travelled I-40 without enduring the howling winds. It's almost like travelling in Wyoming. And before long the heat of the day set in. At 10:50 am somewhere along I-40, Tim reported we had logged 3300 miles on the new ride. The ambient temp around the bike was over 90 degrees already. No clouds in sight. It was going to be a HOT ride. Shortly after crossing the Texas border we got off the interstate and turned northwest, crossing the Texas Panhandle on Hwy 152.

We stopped to cool off, stretch our legs and have a late lunch in Dumas, TX. Once again McDonald's did the trick. Burgers, fries and ice cream and several refills on the soft drinks had us in shape for the next segment of our ride.

We had thought earlier we might take a couple of different roads into New Mexico. Originally we thought we'd carry I-40 all the way across but got tired of battling the winds. We thought we might carry Hwy 56 out of Clayton, NM to Springer, NM, maybe on over to Cimarron, NM and north on scenic Hwy 64 or I-25, but once again the wind along with the time of day played a factor in that decision. Plus, we had a few clouds hovering darkly in the distance. In the end, we decided to travel the route we know best. Hwy 87 between Clayton, NM and Raton, NM would offer some protection from the winds and get us to Raton at a reasonable hour. We would stop for the night in Raton and ride the rest of the way home tomorrow. Hwy 87 is scenic around the Capulin Volcano area and like I said, we know the route well. We knew there would be some road construction but it was minimal this time through.

We rolled into Raton at dusk and checked into the same old Motel 6 we've been staying at for years. After cleaning up and covering The Ride, we took a short stroll to the Arby's nearby for a bite to eat... tomorrow - we have all day to get home... and I bet it takes us the whole day.

Slide show of the day's ride follows: