Day 28 of my 22′ Rocky Mountain tour. I decide, against my better judgement, to ride 750 miles on the last day and just get home.
It rained all night at Bandelier. Hard rain, and a few drops somehow got through my fly and into my tent, but I was still exceptionally dry and comfortable for being in a thunderstorm. I woke up around 5am after most of the rain stopped, and quietly made my coffee and breakfast as the sun was just beginning to rise.
I plan my route for the day, originally hoping to make it to a reserved Motel 6 just past Lubbock, halfway and 6 hours away. I see on the forecast that I’ll be riding into a headwind, and the high temperature is about 103 in West Texas.
As the 300 Spartans at Thermopylae would say, “Fine, then we shall fight in the…sun?”
I load up and head out before it’s even 7am, hoping to beat the heat. The ride goes well, I’m making good time, and….I don’t take any pictures. I’m on a mission today, I can smell home and a bed, and the camera muscles are just TIRED. Sorry readers, you’ll have to enjoy the words again.
The ride is uneventful, besides the fact that it feels like I am riding at 95mph because of the 20mph headwind. It’s also hot. Sunny. BLASTING sun. If I stand up to stretch for a bit and sit back down, the seat is noticeably warm from being in the sun for all of 15 seconds.
I’m getting worn down but I eventually get past Lubbock and pull in to get gas. It’s only about 1pm. A crazy thought strikes, I evaluate it, and say screw it.
I call and cancel my hotel reservation.
Google Maps says another 350 miles and 6 hours to go, no big deal. It’s only the hottest part of the day, into the wind, after having ridden 6 hours. I mean if I can do this I could totally do an Iron Butt someday (an Iron Butt is a certified 1,000 miles ride within 24hrs).
Honestly I was actually feeling much better than I thought I would. I’d save all the money on the hotel, and avoid having to unpack and repack the bike again if I just made it home by sundown.
The hours go by slowly. My water bladder is emptied, I refill gas and water, and repeat. I think I drank about 3 gallons of water that day. At the last two gas fill ups, I bought a large Gatorade and just poured it into the Camelbak to dilute with the water. I stayed hydrated but it was work! I think the week of mountain biking in CO prepared me for this long day in the saddle.
Sunset hits as I roll into Austin and into my garage. Nearly a month away, over half of that in a tent, and after a 3/4 Iron Butt ride, I felt no large emotions or post-trip clarity. Just, content to be home, thankful for a garage, and extra thankful for the extra food my partner had made, not expecting me to be home until the next day.
I don’t know if I’m ready to do a post trip conclusions post, but for the moment it was 100% worth it, and I’d recommend it to anyone. Always take more pictures than you think you need, but try to take at least one picture a day. As my first more than one week motorcycle trip, I felt like I just got my feet wet and am ready for more. I’m hoping to do a Mexico trip this year for 2-3 weeks, and next summer is open to possibilities again. Maybe I’ll even earn one of these:
After being off the bike for a week now, and with great memories of the trip on loop in my brain, my main thought every day now is:
‘…man my tender jewels feel so much better.’