Colorado

A few posts ago, I was bragging about my good luck, or better yet, my good Kharma.  Well, today I had another great shot of good luck from the Guardian Angels who are looking down on me.  A couple of days ago, I had noticed that my Clearwater lights battery status indicator was not showing consistent green, which is where it should be when rolling.  I was getting some yellow, and I was thinking that one of three issues were unravelling: the install on the Glenda lights in Tucson has gone wrong and the wiring was screwing up the charging; or the battery was packing it in, or, worst case, the alternator was crapping out.

Early this morning, as I was leaving New Mexico, I passed a Honda dealership.  It only took a few blocks past the shop for me to decide to cover my ass, and I bought a new battery to replace the little one that I have been riding with since Peru, when my fancy gel battery just crapped out.  Soon after, I was on the road, and much more  confident that I had anticipated an electrical failure, and solved the problem...more on this later.

I cruised to Silverton, Colorado, a town that I had been in three years ago, when Blondy and I first cruised south.  My goal was to go over the passes, particularly Engineer Pass, to head north towards Denver, where I need to run down a rear sprocket.    I soon found the road to the passes, which heads out of town.  Last time through, I had come from Lake City and gone over Cinnamon Pass.  I remember getting into the ride, and very quickly realizing that I had probably chewed off more than I should have, but I did make the ride without incident, and I recalled the wonderful scenery in the Colorado mountains.    Well, my Guardian angels were flying over me then, and they sure were with me today.  I was travelling in the opposite direction, and up Engineer pass.  The Spring thaw was melting the snow, and consequently the ride uphill was very interesting, as we like to say...

Engineer pass is up there somewhere....

Before I fully explain how lucky I have been today, I had better get caught up with pictures and comments since my ride in Cuba, which was only a few weeks ago....

We landed in the Stahlratte in Isla Mujeres, which is adjacent to Cancun.  Cancun is on the northeastern point of the Yucatan territory.  I spent a couple of frustrating days getting Blondy verified and accredited.  The leaving exercise from the Stahlratte and Cuba was not as well-organized or straight forward as it should have been, and between the Mexican Aduna and Immigration, it took a letter from the boats' Captain reassuring the Mexicans that we had in fact entered from Cuba.  The Cubans, for whatever reason, had retrieved all papers and they did not stamp our passports, so for awhile we were in a bit of a limb state.  The Cancun immigration were over the top in terms of having the paperwork organized and accurate, which is understandable, but I think could have been handled more effectively if the left hand knew what the right hand was doing.  Bottom line, once I was clear of customs and Blondy was allowed into Mexico, I was ready to ride north.  I looked around for Mexican insurance, without anything jumping out at me...more on this later.

It was extremely hot in the Yucatan, and I found that I was riding for 7 or 8 hours each day to try and find some elevation and relief.  There was not much in terms of scenery, and I did not take any side trips at the ruinas which were scattered throughout the province.   As I moved further north, the geography changed, and it was clear that the  petroleum industry of the Mexican Gulf coast was significantly changing the economy of the area.  With the oil industry going full speed, the area from Campeche north to Pueblo was visibly growing and expanding.    It was not until Pueblo, just south of Mexico City that the roads began to twist and provide some challenge as the elevation changed and climbed towards the megalopolis of DF..  The final day before arriving in Mexico City was full of rain and very slippery roads.

As noted, my second day in Mexico City was one where my poor decision to not purchase insurance caught up with me.  I had the GPS co-ordinates for the BMW dealer, where I had made arrangements for work on Blondy.  Mexico City is incredibly complex and vast: I truly had to rely on GPS completely because there was not any recognizable feature to orientate myself.  As I negotiated the streets and eventually got in the correct neighbourhood for the shop, I had to battle one way streets, which Garmin tends to ignore for the most part.  I just happened to be on the correct street, but in the wrong lane, when I saw the BMW logo.  I signalled, but did not do a proper shoulder check, and consequently Blondy got a good whack in the ass, and I was down and under her, yet again.

   I struggled to get out from under the bike, turn her off, and check to see if I was broken, or if Blondy was hurt, more importantly.  Knowing that I did not have insurance, I was very anxious to try and calm down the lady who had hit me, and through the grace of God, I managed to convince her to deal with the problem without bringing in the police.  The irony is that she was an insurance broker, but she and I were able to make arrangements where I paid for the prangs to the front end of her car, without involving any authorities.   I am very grateful that she recognized the kind of trouble I could have been in, and the fact that she wanted to demonstrate that Mexicans can be fair and honest.

 I am very grateful to my friends Pedro and Jacob, with whom I had travelled in Patagonia.  I stayed at Pedros' place for a couple of days while Blondy was having her 125,000 service.


Pedro rolling through Patagonia..

These guys are great friends and wonderful ambassadors for Mexico...

After a couple of days of sorting out this issue, and getting Blondy serviced   and  having a tour of Mexico city, I was ready to hit the road north, but not before visiting the very famous Mexican Museum of Anthropology.

I spent about 4 hours in the Museum, and only covered the first section.  The Museum's exhibits are incredibly well done, and the museum is truly a world-class facility.

As I was leaving the BMW shop, they were showing off the new F800 GS Adventure model.  The owner said that he had already sold 10 of them....

 They are wider and heavier.  BMW has added more fuel capacity, and the overall weight is up by 50lbs.

Non-standard seat...

I wonder if BMW has dealt with upper shock bolts, fuel pump issues, as well as the crappy OEM rims??  Probably not....


Heading north...

I headed north from Mexico City, and over the next couple of days covered lots of the Sonoran desert and dealt with increasing heat. I was surprised to see it getting hotter as I moved north.

Riding before sunrise helped with the heat a bit....

The terrain moves from flat desert to very deep canyons...

I was getting into the Canyons of northern Mexico.  I also added some octane boost from Ecuador to the mix, thinking that Blondy needed all the help she could get....

 I have been packing this octane booster since Ecuador, and I decided that maybe Blondy needed a pick me up...

 These guys were not impressed...

I had some great riding through the Burro county, and there had to be at least 350 kilometers of winding roads as I approached Hermosillo, which was my last stop before the US.

It is rather unfortunate that the Americans have to erect these huge barriers and fences to in order to keep their citizens at home and to not have them drifting south to enjoy the fine weather, food, and the wonderful people of Mexico...

I had  arranged to have Blondy visit the BMW dealer in Tuscon.  I wanted a set of Glenda Lights installed, and it was also time for an oil change.  The BMW shop was also a Kawasaki, KTM and Ural dealer.....

There was a KTM in the shop which I found interesting.

Probably just right for Bones...

A special edition KTM model....and other hangers around....

Large and very dusty...

Another version of the three wheeler...

Further north in Arizona, I got talking to the old timer running this ride.  He was in town to bury his brother, and had ridden  over from Alabama.  

Here was another three wheeler with what looked like a VW motor.

I had to visit "Montezuma's Castle", even though Montezuma was nowhere near northern Arizona, and the pueblo was not a castle.

The huge sycamore trees at the bottom of the pueblo were also used in the original construction of the houses over 800 years ago...

And then Blondy rolled north...

To the south rim of the Grand Canyon.   No Condors were sighted...although the California Condor is making a comeback, apparently..

Deep eh?

A few years ago I had stumbled on the north rim of the Grand Canyon.  A much better view of the pinnacles, and a few thousand less touristas, too...

 Anyone for eagles???


I travelled north and east, into Hopi Country, which is squeezed between the much larger Navajo reservation..

This is Old Oraibi, the oldest continually occupied pueblo in North America, going back a thousand years or more.

The Hopi people have a reservation which is between the larger Navajo  reservation, which basically surrounds them...

 Another canyon, and another set of cliff houses...

This is for Anne, who told me a white horse story while we were touring Lima...

Can you see the cliff houses, underneath the overhang??

Beautiful in bloom...

 Coming down from the mountains, and what do I see off in the distance?

Can you see it??

 Shiprock is iconic and represents to me, the four corners area of the Southwest..

I had last saw Shiprock 3 years ago, and it was gratifying to be back in New Mexico.  


After the flats of New Mexico, I moved north into Colorado.  Soon afterwards, I had started over Engineer Pass.  

Most of the time, the route was too steep to bring Blondy to a stop for pictures.   Rest assured that my Guardian Angels were keeping my upright..

Take that, flat Cuba and hot Atacama....

 I climbed and climbed....

 Over 12,000 feet...almost as high as Peru...

puff, puff..where is the cocoa candy when you need it??

 Snow in June...

top of the Colorado world...

 So just about here, I pull over to take a break.  Guess what?  The bike won't start and I am 50 miles from anywhere.  Luckily, I was able to bump start Blondy and just kept rolling.

I managed to keep rolling until I found a small garage.  The young fellow and I tore down Blondy but could not figure out what was the problem, other than I do not appear to be charging.   I am pretty sure the alternator is shot and that it is not charging the brand new battery which I put in this morning.  The young guy got me going with a portable booster, and I rolled into Gunnison, Colorado.

 I managed to buy a trickle  charger at a local bike shop, and I am hoping that the  recharged battery will kick Blondy over tomorrow.  I am about 4 hours out of Denver, and I am hoping that riding on a fully charged battery will get me to the BMW shop.  Who knows how long it will take for a new alternator, but I am very grateful to not be stuck at 12,000 feet!

The trickle charger brought the battery up enough for me to get an early start.  The trick now was to get to Denver, which  was 4 hours away, without stopping or stalling, ....or having to fuel up.   Well, I just about made it.   I got within 30 miles of the Denver BMW shop, and was running on fumes, with no hills to bump start.  I pulled into a gas station and fuelled up.  I had spotted a nearby Home Depot and wandered over there to purchase a jump starter rig.  The girls at the garage were kind enough to let me charge the jump starter for a few hours, enough to jump Blondy and finish off the ride to the BMW dealer.    I arrived there late Sunday, and of course the shop is closed until Tuesday. I secured Blondy to a parking sign in their lot, and removed as much gear as possible.  A short cab ride put me into a somewhat questionable motel.

 Worst case for Blondy is that Germany is the nearest source of the new alternator or generator, or regulator....hopefully Woody's Wheels will have the special KTM sprocket which I need for my adapted hubs.   The bottom line is that I am not stuck at 12,000 feet with a dead bike, and that Blondy is now that much closer to getting a new charging system and a new chain.  My Guardian Angels at work again...