When I took off, it was 104 degrees and by the time I reached Tucson and I-10 (15 miles) it was 109. The temp didn't drop below 100, until I was in New Mexico. My first Stop was in Lordsburg where I filled up with gas then went inside the Flying J and dunked my shirt into the sink filled with cool water. When I put that back on it really made a difference so off I went again. The Goldwing was running really nice and I really didn't have any complaints. I was running 75-80 mph most of the time, so I was making good time. I turned at Deming and took Hwy 26 to I-25 and stopped in T or C to fill up one more time and grab I bite to eat. I called my wife and said I would be home around 20:30-21:00. After I grabbed a sandwich, off I went again shooting straight up I-25. The ride was really uneventful and I arrived home 21:00 my time. So overall it took me 8 hours to travel the 533 miles averaging 66 mph. The bike ran perfect no real issues and I'm really happy with how it performed. I was surprised how easy it was to maneuver even though it weighs 200 more than my old FJR.
As I pulled it into the Garage, the first thing the wife said was it's purple. So now she has nicknamed it the "Purple People Eater".
That weekend we took a nice ride to Jemez Springs and one our favorite stops the Los Ojo's for lunch. We sat at the bar had lunch and a beer then headed for the house. The road to Los Ojo's is a winding road through a pueblo and the mountains. As we took off you could see the rain in the distance, so I ask my wife if she would like to stop at the Poderosa Winery on the way home and try to dodge the rain. The answer was immediate and clear so I stopped. We hung out had a glass of wine and purchased five bottles. we always have fun when we stop at the winery, great place to kick back and you never know who's going to stop in. I was sitting on the patio watching the clouds roll through and decided we had a chance of getting home dry, so we said our goodbyes and off we went. We were so close about 15 miles from the house our luck ran out and the rain started, we rode the last part in the rain but it wasn't that bad since the temps were in the mid 90's. The rain cooled us down and we really need the rain.
I have set up a meet with some friends for breakfast this week, they all know I picked up the Goldwing but noone has seen it yet. Since they have never seen me on anything but a Sport Touring bike this should be fun.
Well I hooked up with several friends they met me at the Range Cafe for breakfast. It was fun sitting around shooting the shit we had not been together for quite a while. Everyone had a lot going on and little time to hook up. After breakfast I went to Rick's house, (he has a Wing too) he loaned me his shops manual to look at. He also walked me through a couple of things on my wing I wasn't sure about. Once I worked my way back home and parked to Wing I noticed my rear tire was sliced. I must have hit something coming back from Tucson or the last couple of days. The next day I ran to the shop and purchased a rear tire and set up an appointment to get it changed this week. I'm heading out o town next week and want to get the tire fixed before I leave.
Well until next time ride safe.
