Dogwood & New Mexico

I left Prescott on April 16th after getting the speedometer and rear tire replaced on my Triumph Bonneville T100. It was a pleasant ride with overnights in Silver City (camping), Clovis, NM, and Tulsa. The section across the top of Arkansas on highway 62 was the nicest with everything in bloom, and I revisited some of the sites from our ride last year.

 The dogwoods and azaleas came and went several weeks before the festival this year but the roses were in full bloom. the whole family was there and we had 26 people for Saturday dinner at daddy's home. Joe, Jerry and I stayed there. An added highlight this year was a visit to grandma peacocks old home that is being refurbished by Fred for Hannah and Jacob after their fall wedding.

Larry Brazell is always fun at the 6 am breakfast down at Boomland. He has been a really good friend of daddy's for many years and farms out by the levee in Texas Bend.

 Abie was the hit of the crowd, whether on someone's lap or on Ron's new riding mule. Ron and Jeane have a great family going with more on the way.

 Joe on his Honda NT700V and I took off on the 23rd for parts west. It was cool and stayed cool the entire ride with morning temps in the 30's and 40's. We both had our electric jackets and had prepared for cool weather, but it would have been better with warmer temps. We spent a day and two nights with Jim and Judy and extended family in Oklahoma City and helped Jim do some maintenance work on his hot tub. Unfortunately, we didn't get it fixed in time to enjoy it. Their home is quite nice with a great backyard, indoor pool and hot tub and Judy's ever expanding garden and landscaping. Shelly's kids also contribute to the liveliness of the place.

 We spent almost a week riding around northern New Mexico, Taos, Santa Fe, Los Alamos, and our favorite, the Jemez river road, where we hiked along this small creek with high trees and rock walls.

 Fourteen miles in and twenty miles out of Chaco Canyon on this rough and gravelly road was a challenge for both of us. We camped there and made some interesting contacts. It always seems that the most interesting people are at the end of a long gravel road. The ruins are among the largest and best preserved in the Southwest. And the least visited due to the road maintained this way just to keep the crowds down.

I talked Joe into coming to Prescott and staying for a couple of days before he headed back. He helped me pour 45 ninety pound bags of pre-mix for a new sidewalk and rock wall foundation in front of the house. We also did some tree trimming of a large limb that had split during the 21" snowfall we had in March that was dripping pine tar on the redwood steps and handrail. And several parties and get-togethers with friends and of course a session of volleyball. We left on Sunday, May 6th and rode over the the eastern part of the state and enjoyed highway 191, 70 miles of twisties ending up at the large open pit copper mine at Morenci, where we spent the night. Monday morning after breakfast, we toured the old town of Clifton, then Joe turned left for Nashville and I to the right for Prescott.
I really enjoy these rides and the companionship with my brother. And getting a project out of the way was icing on the cake - thanks Joe.