What happened to July?

In our last installment, you may recall that our hero was planning his escape from Nara Visa, New Mexico: a barren wasteland, yet free rent...

Sorry for the dead silence for the last month. I kinda lost my groove there in New Mexico. And then here in Ecuador (real time), I've had some difficulty having a consistent Internet connection...

As July began, I got the hell out of the charmless little town of Nara Visa.

Bye bye, horsie neighbors!

Bye bye, wildfires from 400 miles away blotting out the sun!

I turned the bike east and north. I told her to seek higher ground, not to stop until the temperature dropped to the 70s.


I ended up in Eagle Nest, New Mexico, named more for its high elevation rather than any capacity for cradling eagle eggs. It rained that first afternoon. I got off the bike, took off my helmet, and turned my face to the sky, raindrops mixing with tears of joy.

No shit.

Hello, cool pines!

I stayed in alpine country for the next few weeks, Eagle Nest, Red Rock, Taos in north central New Mexico, and Pagosa Springs in southern Colorado. I hiked the mountains of the continental divide in Colorado, I soaked in sulfer hot springs, I left my environmental studies and the notes from Phil's book in my saddlebags for most of the month...

Of course, I couldn't get away from environmental degradation. I had to plan carefully to avoid the record-setting New Mexico wildfires, and later, the record-setting Arizona wildfires.

Looking closely at the New Mexico forest, you can see how many trees are dying - this from the western pine beetle. Warmer temperatures have extended its range dramatically. I was told by a forest ranger that New Mexico has lost 85% of its pinon tree in the last two years. Soon they will have to choose a new state tree.

Then up on top of the Continental Divide in Colorado:

There was no escape from the nasty wildfire smoke coming up from New Mexico...








Then Albuquerque, a pretty cool city, to repair my sandals, find a Sprint store, make some adjustments on my motorcycle, get in a game of frisbee, do some laundry, get some Thai food, swim. All the stuff big cities are good for.

The frisbee was at University of New Mexico. Due to the motorcycle injury earlier this year, I couldn't run well enough to play in the game, but I got a good hour of throws in. The students were polite and called me "sir."

Sir. Well, you turn fifty, these things happen. I guess I can start calling younger people "son" and "filly" and "whippersnapper."

Then: Arizona. Time to get off the bike and get serious about South America.

But first I had to drive through the aftermath of the largest fire in Arizona history.


On the way to Tucson to drop off my bike, I stopped in Phoenix to see family and friends. 110 to 115 degrees every day. Lots of swimming, either indoors or at night.

Thank you, Matt, for finally turning on the pool light. Made all the difference.

Tucson was not always in the 100s. Woo-hoo! The monsoons came in and occasionally made things tolerable outside. I even recall one afternoon when it was actually pleasant during the day. Yeah, stunning, I know.

I hung with my friend Judy and the wonder wiener dog Abigail, then stripped the bike of its battery and gasoline, turned in its mirrors, and sadly put the cover on. A great bike...

Except for falling off the damn thing that one time (well, falling under it), the bike trip - all 8000 miles - was one of the best parts of this last year. I can't say enough good things about my undersized Suzuki Burgman 400. I had zero issues out on the open road, through five US states and two countries. I was going to sell it once I got back to Arizona, even bought a "for sale" sign, but... Now I envision coming back to San Francisco the same way I left. Some day...

But first: I'm going to Ecuador! In fact, I'm already here. I'll take some photos of Quito, and get right back at you...

Stay tuned.