Monday, April 30, 2012


Ooooo it was chilly one last night! Just 2C when I shivered over to my thermometer to check. MEC rates my stupid sleeping bag at -7C and they call it “North Face”. Ha! It wouldn’t survive the north face of some mound in Costa Rica! Perhaps I will wear my leathers to bed. During the day they are particularly good for sweltering.

Hwy 64 from Raton, heading SW in the direction of Taos. Passing through the little town of Cimarron around noon I took the advice of the proprietor of a little trinket gallery and went to the St James Hotel for their famous $5 lunch. Apple, cheese and a handful of nuts can only take a man so far. I had a big juicy burger and fries and loved it.

There is some history to this hotel. Built in the mid 1880’s right at the side of the Santa Fe Trail it was the place to go in these parts if you wanted a good meal, a game of poker, or a shot of whiskey and a cigar at the bar. No less than 26 men stopped bullets in that bar during its heyday. It now boasts a wonderful salad bar and the sweet potato fries were delicious.
St James Hotel, Cimarron NM. 50 years ago a guy could get shot here. Evidently the place has ghosts, too.

Cimarron Canyon restored this biker’s faith in good riding roads. I had to stop to first consult my recent treatise on ‘cornering’ because after the endless plains and sagebrush bugger-alls of Texas I had forgotten how to negotiate a corner. Sapphire streams gurgled through cool and magnificent rock canyons. Aspen and pine lined the curvaceous roadways, and Man and Machine were in their glory once again.
Rocks! Trees! Rivers! Winding roads! Aaahhh...!

A few weeks ago we found ourselves at nearly 300 feet below sealevel. Today we crossed a mountain pass at just shy of 10,000 feet. As the elevation went up, up, up, the temperature went down, down, down and it was necessary to stop and don some supplementary clothing. On the way down, it all came off again. Well, not all of it.
Look at those big honking dust devils!

Red River is a ski area just east of Taos with a hill and lift in the centre of town. Thematically the place could be described as “cowboy alpine” with some lederhosen with spurs tossed in for good measure.
Red River NM

Ski New Mexico. Note residual snow, April 30.




Schnitzel!? Them's fightin' words, pardner!

Taos has a flavour all to its own. All the buildings share the same style of round plastered adobe, whether it is a church, fire station, shop, or fast food restaurant, and I’ll admit that it is rather cool. Shoppers love this place although that is not really my thing and it was wasted on me. But I did enjoy walking around and drinking in the architecture just the same.
Somebody's house

Perhaps it was the elevation, maybe dehydration, a lack of sleep on the freezing ground last night, likely exhaustion from many continuous miles full on--but I hit the wall this afternoon. I was feeling a bit confused and it was a struggle to navigate a course out of town. I stopped at a cemetery to photograph particularly ornate and colourfully decorated plots but it triggered an unexpected emotional response and I felt the need to get myself grounded somehow. Several miles of twisty and scenic roadway did the trick and I was fascinated by the quirky little towns like Truchas where artisans hid themselves away to ply their crafts. But by the time I reached Espanola with the western sun cooking my face and no place to camp for another 50 miles, I reckoned it was time for a motel. Hot water, cold beer, a soft mattress… Priceless.

I’m done for the day.

PS Sorry, no correct responses about Bob Wills. The three piece snakeskin formal attire has been returned to the Methodist Church Yard Sale. Click here for the answer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X37xnM3VYH0