Friday

With Shark Week over, we loaded the bikes once again and started out on the next leg of our journey. Our first stop was a coffee shop in downtown Loveland.

From the coffee shop we rode just 60 miles to Aurora, CO to visit friends, Dave and Jan. Dave and I have known each other since 6th grade. We went to dinner at a nearby diner.

Saturday

We left Dave and Jan’s early, hoping to take advantage of the cooler morning temperatures. Our route was straight south on I-25 to Placitas, NM. In southern Colorado we descended from Raton Pass to the flat land of northern New Mexico. The distant mountains were obscured by the smoky haze.

Our morning stop was at a Love’s. There was nothing notable about this stop.

We stopped for lunch at Russell’s Truck and Travel Center in Springer, NM. I’ve stopped here before. The classic cars they had on display are gone and the restrooms were awful. The food in the restaurant was OK.

The big surprise at Russell’s was the three trucks transporting turbine blades. They are enormous beyond imagination.

The afternoon ride was hot as we passed through lots of nothing. We wore our wet vests to keep cool.

We ended the day at our friends, Lisa and Jeannie’s home in Placitas, NM.

This video has a few views from the day, including passing a turbine blade.

Sunday

We just hung out with Lisa and Jeannie and Rosie, the dog they are sitting. One highlight was sitting on the back porch watching the birds and hummingbirds visiting the feeders.

Monday

I had my morning coffee on the back porch and watched the birds. I took a couple of photos as the sun came up over the ridge.

We had brunch in downtown Bernalillo. After lunch we noticed a couple of police cars lined up on the side of the road as if they were waiting to escort a parade. We parked and walked over to Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church. Sure enough, the parishioners were gathering for a procession honoring San Lorenzo. This is an event in the annual (331st) Las Fiestas de San Lorenzo. You can read more about the festival at https://seesandoval.org/events/las-fiestas-de-san-lorenzo/

And this is a video of the procession.

Tomorrow we head for home.