Winds, Dirt, Tumbleweeds & Traffic

What a mess today was. It started off great with some free coffee at the Alamogordo KOA, and I rolled out a little after 08:00. I spent the first part of the morning squiggling up into chilly Ruidoso, which made me remember my friend Lumpy. But once I got down to the flats, the wind was terrible. I was all over the road and riding well under the speed limit with my hazards on. For hours.

I made it through Roswell and the Harley dealership, then it started to get really bad. By the time I made it to the three MCGTTX Stops around the border of NM and TX, the wind was 35 mph with gusts of I don't know how much. I tried to dodge the tumbleweeds as best I could, but every time I stopped I was pulling twigs out of the bike.

The worst part was in the farmland south of Lubbock. The winds stripped the topsoil off the fields and swirled it all around. At times I could barely see. Riding on a slant during a dust storm while smashing tumbleweeds is not a fun day.

The winds finally subsided--well, not completely but at least I wasn't riding sideways anymore--after I passed Abilene, but 30 miles west of Fort Worth, I hit a massive traffic jam. There must have been a fatality because I-20 was closed for about five miles. That mess slowed me down another hour while the sun went down, so the last hour of my ride was in the dark.

After battling the elements and traffic for over 12 hours, I finally made it to my mom's house at 21:30 covered in red dirt 🤣. I'm tired but still on Pacific time, so a little goofing on my phone should put me to sleep soon, I hope.

So long [for now], and thanks for all the fish! ✌️

Day 58 mileage: 651.6 (total 13784.4)
HD Dealerships: 1 (total 146*) When I checked my HOG Dealership Challenge stats last night, I saw that 20 of my photos had been rejected, so this new 146 is the official count 😢.
National Parks: 0 (total 31 in 16 states* Updated: I forgot Lake Mead NRA, Nevada.)
10 Rides for 2022: 0 (total 4 of 10
MCGTTX Stops: 3 (total 10 of 50)Read more