Dave's Cross-Country Trip 2003

Day Nineteen

by Dave Schultheis


Friday, June 6, 2003 - Villanueva, New Mexico

I slept okay, was awake around 7:00 a.m. and was up around 8:00 a.m. I washed my face and combed my hair, in deference to the other guests, who were beginning to get up and around. We started the day with bright sunshine, although it was a little chilly overnight.

In the mid-morning Amanda led a group walk to the Pecos River at the back of the property. I would guess that it's about a quarter-mile walk to the river, perhaps less. We walked through the plowed field, then through a wooded area, and Amanda showed us a car, believed to be an old Buick, that was buried in the river bank, with just a little bit of a fender and the roofline visible. It may have washed down the river some years ago, and then got buried with the silt that flowed downstream.

Rich Johns arrived around 11:00 a.m., followed by Stroker Ray about 15 minutes later. He'd been on a long tour. Darcy Hager (from Edmonton, Alberta) arrived about noon on Frosty.

The cafeteria crew prepared shredded pork sandwiches for about a dozen folks. It was good.

The lounging area near the beer tub became popular; Don had set up a tent with sound equipment. Not many appreciated it when I snuck in a polka cassette, so it was withdrawn and saved for another time.

Just down the road is a state park, so I walked down there to look around. They had what can best be described as primitive camping. Although they had bath houses with lavatory and shower facilities, they were few and far between. There was plenty of room for tents, trailers and motor homes. I don't know if there were full hookups, partial hookups, or none.

It was a warm and breezy walk down to the park, and hot and breezy on the way back. There was lots of litter along both sides of the road, making me wish I had brought along a garbage bag.

While I was gone, Red arrived from Texas, and Redbeard Emeritus arrived from ... well, from everywhere. Later, we were joined by Jake and Curly from the pacific northwest, who had stopped in Salt Lake City and picked up Tom Cram. What an amazing bike Tom had. Then Dale Reitz from KS arrived.

From time to time I would check the garbage cans, and when one was full, I would remove the bag, replace it with another, and then take the garbage to Amanda's trailer for later handling. There may be pictures of me walking around with garbage bags in my pockets.

Darcy found a problem with his exhaust system, so he removed the parts and Gary took him "into town" for welding and then into Santa Fé for hardware.

Amanda's friend Jerry arrived, then Terry ("TW") from TX and his wife Pam, then Kurt B. from Wisconsin.

Dinner was enchildas ala Liz and elk burgers brought by Don T. Paul and others helped with preparations. Liz had heated some non-chile enchiladas for me. Nice!

Dp got a phone message that his mother had died, not an entirely unexpected thing, but still painful.

daPrez (Ira) and Ronnie from OK arrived, then Liz' friend Lisa, and later Rick & Gloria and their dog Frank arrived from Texas. Dave Nichols and I brought some firewood from a pile to the burn barrel and we had another barrel fire.

I took a "kind of a" bath and went to bed around 9:30 p.m.

Miles for the day = 0. Miles for the trip = still 5801.

Tomorrow: more net scum arrive, and a fine Saturday evening barbeque.


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Created on January 8, 2004. Updated on January 29, 2004.
David W. Schultheis, San José, Silicon Valley, Santa Clara County, California, USA