Wednesday March 24, 2004
Mary had enough sleeping places that each of us could be behind a closed door, except for Mary who slept on the couch so she could get up and prepare the waffles for breakfast.
Mary and Glenn are building a home on about 13 acres outside Taos. She is renting a home until hers is finished.
After breakfast she drove us to the Rio Grande gorge west of Taos over which we rode in the dark the previous night. This is the same Rio Grande river which further south forms the border between Texas and Mexico.
Then we went out to the house site. Mary and Glenn will have a beautiful home with fantastic views. The property is filled with sage, juniper, and pinion.
We found the basic construction material and techniques interesting. The material for the walls is a combination of concrete and styrofoam. It's actually spongy and can be worked with simple tools. After the walls are up, at least some of the cores are filled with rebar and concrete. It's really light, so Ed's not as strong as this might suggest.
Mary is taking full advantage of the artisans and skills of the area. She has included many unique features in the home, including this handmade front door.
Since Mary was driving to Amarillo, Texas to pick up her mother-in-law and then part way back to Albuquerque to pick up Glenn at the airport there, and we had 300 miles ahead of us with a desire to arrive before dark, we all were eager to be under way. However, Mary's dog Mandy had other plans. She just loves the open space, and may have heard about the drive to Texas, and she was not eager to return to her cage in the back of Mary's vehicle. We tried sneaking up on her. We tried driving down the road with her running along behind. We tried bribing her with food and water. Finally, we went back to the house and went in, leaving the door open. She was soon in and DogMan Ed grabbed her collar.
Back at Mary's rental, she left before we did. We had planned for a 10:30 AM departure, but left after noon. After fueling, we headed east on US64.
The road from Taos to Eagle Nest was perhaps the best riding of the trip. It is part of the Enchanted Circle that surrounds Wheeler Peak which at 13,161 feet is the highest point in New Mexico. We rode past parks, streams, high meadows, and other lovely scenery. The highest elevation here was Palo Flechado Pass at 9107 feet. There was very little other traffic, so we were able to set our own pace. From Eagle Nest east toward Cimarron was more of the same. Here is Ed coming around a bend.
Here is Dave with Wheeler Peak in the background.
Once we were down out of the mountains, we opened the throttles to head up I-25. At the second fuel point, Pueblo, Ed requested that we keep it at 75 or below. Neither he nor Barry had windscreens and his neck was getting tired hold his head in a normal position. The Colorado interstate speed limit is 75 and we had been cruising at about 80 with occasional bursts above that. Snow-covered Pike's Peak was off to our left for the miles approaching and leaving the Colorado Springs area.
We didn't quite make it to Denver before dark, but we were in our room by 7:00 PM. Ed secured a well-lighted parking space near the front door. After parking and locking the machines, we walked up the hill to Three Margaritas for our third and final Mexican dinner of the trip. Even better for Barry and Ed, Dave bought. His charitable mood extended to the sleeping arrangements and we shared a room. He can handle a bad night's sleep now and then, just not in sequence. Ed enjoyed the heated pool.
300 Miles for the day.