NART Clovis NM to Colorado City TX

Well, I finally am trying to build my own web page.  These are pictures taken of the North American "Reeky" Tour from Clovis, New Mexico to Colorado City, Texas and back on June 4, 2005.  This is a tradition where regular posters on rec.motorcycle have an opportunity to carry the shirts from one rider to another.

T-shirts arrive on my trusty 1971 Honda CB100 at my home, shortly after Turby hands them to me.

Turby about a week prior with the T-shirts from his motel room here in Clovis, after traveling 1,419 miles from San Diego, California

Using Mapquest, http://www.mapquest.com, a great mapping tool if not the best, helped me chart my course over this pleasant 214 mile trek.

I left the house in Clovis, NM about 6:30 AM on my 1987 Suzuki LS650 Savage thumper steed, reliable as a Timex watch (takes a lickin', keeps on tickin').  15 minutes and 9 miles later, I finally enter the open stretch of US-70/84 on the other side of Farwell, Texas, just across state lines.  Per Sunny Williams, "Drive Friendly - The Texas Way" is now obsolete.  In her neck of the woods it reads, "Don't Mess With Texas".   ;-)

Passing through Muleshoe, Lubbock, Post, I finally enter Snyder, Texas, from which I depart 4-lane US-84 for 2-lane US-209 to Colorado City.  US-209 is a relaxed ride with mild bends and 70 MPH speed, with almost no traffic for a Saturday morning.

By the time I arrive at El Ranchito Restaurant in Colorado City at noon, a great metropolis of 4,218 people, both Tim Kreitz traveling from Midland, Texas and Mark Johnson (Bownse) traveling from Fort Worth, Texas are already there.  As you can see, Mark decides to put on a few antics with his helmet.  (Are FJR1300 riders like that?) Prior to my arriving, Mark told the owners of the restaurant that he drove all the way from Fort Worth, just to dine at their restaurant.  It was a good compliment, unfortunately they don't open until 5 PM.  We found Garcia's Restaurant open, a user friendly atmosphere with reasonable prices.  After about an hour and a half of talking story and T-shirt signing, it was time to pack up and head back.  Tim was gracious enough to pick up the tab.  Shirts passed hands from me to Mark, for his trip back to Fort Worth.

Here, Mark and Tim are holding the T-Shirts.  Plastic ziplock bags must be the secret to why the T-shirts have remained clean, having traveled over 16,000 miles.

On the way back I catch an unusual picture in Post, Texas, a small town southeast of Lubbock.  A fast food eatery carries the name of a familiar persona on Reeky.

I arrived back in Clovis around 6:30 PM, a little saddle sore from the 2-1/2 hour comfort Intruder seat.  Distance traveled, 424 miles, 10.8 gallons, 39 MPG and a 12-hour day including stops.  Speed most traveled was 70 MPH, with about a 20 MPH crosswind going and a 20 MPH headwind returning. As far as pictures of myself and more info, see Mark Johnson's corollary trip report at http://www.bikes-n-spikes.org/rides/nart/nart.html

Below are pictures of one of the two T-shirts.  These were taken prior to my ride to Colorado City, they do not include Tim's, Mark's, or my signatures.

As you can see, Sue signed just below the armpit, with a sense of humor over her location.   :)