Finally....! (Updated)

We are on the road. Finally. A lot has happened. The part that has been missed so far is the big bash at Billy Bob's Honky Tonk (the biggest in the world) the send off on Friday and getting away on Saturday the riding Saturday, Sunday and Monday. I will go straight to the ride (so far) and get everyone up to speed. I write this from the bottom of the Rockies in Colorado in a seedy little motel in a beautiful skiing town called Pelagosa Springs.  As I write this the team are out the back cooking a roast on the BarB and knocking back some beers.  Bo is fishing for trout in the nearby river. We set off on Saturday (after finishing off sometime in the early hours) in temperatures around 40 degrees and headed north on what was by far the biggest one off piece riding we have ever done. This was all about getting out of Texas. We rode long and hard for the best part of 600 miles, that's about a 1000k (I think) and turned around three corners.

There have been some fairly big thunderstorms across this part of the USA and we struck one late in the day. It was like someone opened up a dam and poured it right on top of us.  The roads flooded and I have since heard a number of people died as result of the weather.  The temperatures got down to around 15 degrees, which was a big change from the heat of Texas. We ended up at the end of the first day exhausted in a little town in New Mexico called Clayton (population 12). It was time for bed!

The next day dawned cold but clear and we set of on a 280 mile leg all the way to Santa Fe. Now this was what we came for. Long straight roads through some seriously beautiful countryside. We rode through Texas stopping in Amarillo for lunch at the biggest steakhouse in Texas. You will note that big is a recurring theme in Texas. If it ain't big you ain't in Texas.

From Amarillo we rode hard to Taos weaving through the bottom of the Rockies. Taos (beautiful adobe style town) is a popular tourist destination.

Here is a shot taken outside the famous cowboy and explorer Kit Carson's house in Taos. From here we picked up on old Route 66 and headed through New Mexico to Sante Fe where we would stay.  We rode alongside the famous Rio Grande river for a good part of the first leg. Whilst an historic waterway it is not overly impressive,  the scenery is and white water rafting is a popular activity in this region.

It was hot as hell (45 degrees) and we approached Sante Fe in the middle of the afternoon. Sante Fe is another historic city and played a major role in the early west's development of this part of the USA

Sante Fe is very laid back and I like the vibe here. It is simply beautiful  This is shot taken during the rush hour. Whilst a huge city in it's own right you still see people getting about on horseback. It was Sunday and I can actually say the Kiwis shut down the last bar open in Sante Fe on Sunday night  Again - Time for bed.

Tomorrow we ride into Colorado and stay over at Pelagosa Springs then up and over the Rockies to Crested Butte. I am running about two days late on these blogs as Internet access has not been easy. Please be patient. The next few days will produce some stunning pictures.