We left Silver City after breakfast this morning. The streets were almost empty. A few people were getting things ready for the parade.

Our route took us over some mountains on the Geronimo Highway. We were able to pull off at a point where a stream crossed under the road and take a couple of pictures.

I struggled with the curves the first part of the morning. I just couldn’t read the curve and get the right gear. After awhile I discovered that I could stay in 2nd gear and just use a little trailing brake before the curve. After that I was able to ride smoothly.

It didn’t take us long to get to I-25. We opened the throttles and headed north. Before we got to Albuquerque we exited I-25 and headed east on a two-lane road. There were dwellings along the road, but no services for 50 miles. The dwellings were among the eclectic we’ve seen in all our travels. There were shacks, mobile homes, double-wides, RVs, old busses, and lean-tos. Old, broken stuff was strewn around the yards.

We got some lunch at a gas station. Three or four riders out for a holiday ride stopped at the station while we were there. We talked for a bit with a couple from Albuquerque who were on a Road Glide.

We arrived in Santa Fe in the early afternoon. We parked in the hotel basement, had a quick shower, and walked to the main convention hotel for registration and dinner. Our hotel is across from a cathedral and a park adjacent to the cathedral.

When Beth went to register, she couldn’t find her membership card, so she had to go in the long, slow line to get her membership verified. Then she went to the Florida District meeting. After that we were finally able to have dinner and a glass of wine. Throughout the afternoon we met friends we’d met at earlier conventions and spent time catching up on our activities. We went to the hotel roof to watch fireworks, but the one we saw were too far away to experience.

Tomorrow the Motor Maids have their welcome meeting and the guys are going on a ride.