Memorial WE 04

Summary:
- Trip   - Plano TX to Las Vegas NM to Ouray CO to
               Dumas TX to Plano TX
- Pack - Runt/X, met by Shadow, then met by B-People, then
   met by Dycus, then shunned by Oldman
- Date   - Fri 08/28 @ 8:00 AM till Mon 08/31 @ 4:00 PM
- Miles - 1978

Fri:
- Plano to Las Vegas NM
- 75 N, 380 W, 287 N, 40 W, 104 W
- 08:00 AM to 06:00 PM (gained 1 hour)
- 613 miles
- Runt whines for breakfast. We make it the whole way to McKinney.
    IHOP is packed with rugrats. Rolling @ 9:00. Sigh.
- This is a 'get to the fun stuff' day. First curve is announced 520 miles
    into the trip.
- Starts to warm nicely near Amarillo. Jacket optional.
- A bit breezy. Left nostril went closed at Amarillo and passed no air
    until we stopped in Las Vegas. Breezy.
- The cop on 104 did good business. Had one pulled over and met 2
    people at the motel who got to contribute to the local government.
- Small problem @ checkin @ The Trails. No loud bikes, must push them
   back into the parking area. I scoffed, fired up Claw with her stock pipes
   and was approved by the manager for passage. The dude on the Harley
   with open pipes was not approved and roared away.
- Hot tub was green, steaks were excellent.
- It is good to be on vacation, good day, fun stuff tomorrow.

Sat:
- Las Vegas NM to Ouray CO
- 518 N, 68 NE, 64 W, 84/64 NW,
    84 N, 160 W, 550 N
- 08:00 AM to 04:30 PM
- 358 miles
- Sun is shining, we start out in a long sleeve shirt.
- 30 miles later, X needs another shirt and (in a comment that
    will haunt him) 'I don't need no stinking chaps'.
- 1.6 miles further up the hill (it would have been 1, I held out as long
    as I could), we pull over and put on full leathers/gear. Wind is blowing a
    bit so Runt gets to make a 50 yard dash chasing the jacket stuff bag. Runt
    questions why we did not put gear on 1 mile back. Correction that it was
    1.6 miles was not well received. Bullet cap tab tears off so we go with the
     beanie and goggles. Good move.
- 64 past Tres Piedras/285 is very pleasing.
- Gas/Lunch in Tierra Amarilla. 5 miles later, one of New Mexico's finest
     wants to have a chat.   No clipboard/he is not already writing, this is good,
    be nice and get a warning (Runt is too bundled up to help.) We chat and things
    go downhill when he refuses to accept that CM on a TX license means I have
    a bike endorsement. Sigh, grumble, sign the paper and move on. Runt
    refuses to wipe the smug smirk off her face so Claw accidentally scrapes in
    the next curve. Bad move number 2 of the day.
- 84 is tasty as always,, some heavy snacking on 160 and we turn north on 550.
    We start to climb. It starts to chill a bit. It is snowing. Real snow, not sticking but
    real snow. Still very pleasing. Had forgotten the endless 25 mile S curves
    north of Silverton. Claw does not like 25 MPH S curves any better than Bagger
    or Predator or Snake (could be X).
- In early, take walk through town, good dinner at Outlaw Saloon and nice soak
    in the natural hot springs.
- Most excellent day.
- Shadow calls. Left Dallas in AM, is somewhere in NM and will be in Ouray
    by 8:00 AM rollout. Given that means he is coming over the mountain @ 7:00
    in the morning, X scoffs silently.
- B-People are in Las Vegas, looping around and then back to Tucumcari. We
    will miss the B-People.

Sun:
- Ouray CO to Dumas TX (Montrose/Alamosa CO on the way)
- 550 N, 50 E, 149 S, 160 E, I25 S, 64/87 SE
- 08:00 AM to 8:30 PM (local time, lost a hour)
- 579 miles
- Up at 6:30, step out, eyelash freezes and falls off. It is cold, it is 40 degrees.
    Decide to lie to Runt and maintain 8:00 rollout.
- Get Runt moving early and meet Shadow @ stop sign @ 7:50. Act confused
when he questions why we were leaving and not waiting for him.
- Roll through Montrose with no stop since it seems to be warming slightly, 30 miles
    is too soon to stop, and there will be another town shortly. Another bad move by X.
- 140 miles from Ouray is Lake City. While 550, 50, and 149 are most excellent roads,
    they failed to warm Runt. She got stuck pulling her 4th sweatshirt on and X was
    too cold to turn/hear/realize what was going on. Gave Shadow a chuckle. We stay
    at the Tic Toc Cafe for 1 hour, partially cause it take forever to get the (very good)
    food and partially to warm up. Ice is still on the step and snow on the cars when we
    leave.
- 149 is the best motorcycle road in the world.
- 4 car pack on 160 approaching N La Veta Pass. X stays conservative (fears a head rap)
    and tootles along behind. The floodgates open and a Jeep goes roaring past @ 90
    in the curve. Beemers go by (which is okay) and then some Harleys pass. Enough.
    X exchanged one head rap for about 20 vehicles (but we never did catch that one
    wrench on the Harley.)
- Shadow displays questionable safety practice by holding the throttle with his LEFT
    hands while the right hand fiddled with one of his 30 wires/plugs/radios/intercomm.
    Demerits.
- B-People are lost and are in Clayton. Meet in Dalhart, hotel in Dumas. Clerk @
7-11 smiles as he says no beer sales on Sunday. Heavy sigh. B-Man talks
little blonde hotel clerk into giving us 3 beers from the hotel fridge. Pleasing.
- Great day (once pack thawed out)

Mon:
- Dumas TX to Plano
- 287 S, 380 E, 75 S
- 08:00 AM to 03:45 PM
- 428 miles
- Full gear to start out, Tshirts as it warmed very very nicely.
- B-Girl decides to drop her new neck gator on 287, X circles pack and rescues it.
- Dycus calls and will meet us somewhere on 287. He passes going north, unfortunately
    pack leader Shadow fails to notice. This leads to a 40 MPH conversation
    between Shadow and B-Man, while X and the angry 18 wheeler driver blow their horns
    at the 2 knuckleheads who are blocking the highway. Pack regroups and proceeds
    safely on.
- Oldman calls at lunch in Wichita Falls. May meet pack. Oldman has not moved
    2 hours later when pack is in Denton. Old is shunned, pack disperses homeward.

Extremely pleasing. I need footy pegs.

Fri - Inn on the Santa FE Trail
         1133 N Grand Ave
         888-448-8438
         518, East/Left on 329, South/Right on Grand
         North of 104
Sat - Best Western Twin Peaks
         125 Third Ave
          800-207-2700
Sun - Days Inn & Suites
         1701 S Dumas Ave
         (806) 935-2222