So, even though I didn't sleep in late, I was still thankful that I didn't have to hop on the bike and travel another 500+ miles quite yet. I woke to Kyle and Alan having brought breakfast from a local fast food joint named, "Twisterz." I took one bite out of the breakfast burrito and immediately my mouth was on fire. Green chile for breakfast: it's gonna be an interesting day.
Alan and Beth decided that they would take Kyle and I into Santa Fe and let us see what a neat little town it is. Kyle also decided that we would NOT take the bikes, we would sit in the nice air conditioning and let someone else drive as our ears were still ringing for the hours of exposure to the Harley exhaust. Part of me wanted to take the bike, but in the end...someone else driving was probably a very good thing.
Santa Fe was a lot smaller than I had pictured it. I rode through the area about 10 years ago when I went to Philmont for 2 weeks of camping and hiking, but I didn't get to take in the sights and sounds like I was doing this day. The first thing I noticed was the older construction of the buildings in this part of town and was reminded of Annapolis, but with a southwestern style. The state government buildings were very small and located amongst the old buildings. We first ended up in an artsy outdoor market where people were selling various trinkets and tourists of course were eating it all up. Personally, I'm not much into art, so it was a little boring to me, but thankfully, there were still plenty of other things to keep my inattention fueled...a small paradise for a guy with attention problems.
Turns out, this is also a place for the "free-spirited." Allowing me to stereotype: I figured pot and 'shrooms were rampant as well as song and dance sessions where people like me would immediately think, "What. The. Fuck?!" Oh well...they live a life I can't and I'm sure it's fun. Along with the hippies, I also notice a lot of what appear to be homeless people, complete with the schizophrenics and those just down on their luck. Some ask for money, some just stare with their blank faces while another guy was just chilling with his two dogs and his massive backpack.
After walking around, we find a restaurant with a view of a local park. While sitting on the 2nd floor balcony watching the people below, a Santa Fe Fire Department engine rolls up and Kyle and I immediately say to Alan and Beth that they are there to people watch. Sure enough, they sat there for about 25 minutes just speaking with people and watching women...some things are just universal throughout the fire department everywhere. With that being said, we watched another engine and ladder truck do the same thing, except they just drove the area, they didn't get out and sit. This made for entertainment for those of us who knew what was really going on.
After grabbing lunch at the atomic grill, it was time to head out. Alan decided to take us along the turquoise trail and show us the town of Madrid, NM (the town from the movie, Wild Hogs) where there were actually a ton of motorcycles, cars, and pedestrians. After driving through the town, we ended up at the summit of a mountain that had amazing views of the surrounding area located in the Cibola National Forest. This being Kyle's first experience on a real mountain, he was pretty blown away by how far up he was and the kind of views available. After doing this, we proceeded down what Alan liked to call the "Death Road." It was an unimproved road that consisted of dirt and gravel and twisted and turned down the mountain where views of the mountain sides were plentiful and so were views of many people that stop alongside it for picnics and such. This road also turned out to be one that I had previously started to go up when I was last in Albuquerque and wanted to go venturing, but didn't have the cajones to take my rental car up it. At least I now know where it leads to.
The day went by way too quickly, and we knew that tomorrow was the start of our last leg of the journey: Bullhead City, AZ. Alan and Beth cooked some steaks on the grill and we had a very good meal to get us ready for the next day. The realization was also there that we weren't even close to being half-way done our trip, but with that come more stories. It had been interesting already, makes a guy wonder what more might be in store. For that, we shall see...
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