Today I ride from Thompson Grove Campground near Dalhart, TX to Aspen Basin Campground in the mountains near Santa Fe, NM. The day started out with with wire holding my shifter together coming apart a few hundred yards after I started. Thanks to Chris who came to my rescue on Day 2, who gave me extra wire and better pliers than what I had and I was able to wire up the shifter quickly.

Then just a little bit later was the Google adventure of “Bob’s Road” that was a 1.5 mile link between the dirt road I was on and the paved highway. This “Road” was nothing more than a couple of worn tire ruts in the Texas Prairie. Riding this with Dexter, my 2005 Ultra Classic, with it’s natural heavy weight, my heavy trip load, my fat butt, and low clearance made for a very challenging ride. To add insult to injury, my off pavement riding experience is very light, been many decades since I had ridden a dirt bike lol. I think with a more adventure orientated bike, this rutted sandy road would not have been too much of a challenge. Truth be told, this bit of the ride was exciting for me, and quite the memory builder. 🙂

The remainder of the ride to Santa Fe was uneventful and pleasant. Not much to look at scenery wise in this part of the high desert. However, the mountains new Santa Fe provided exceptional scenery. Aspen Basin Campground is at an elevation of 10,300 feet. After setting up camp, I did some mild altitude sickness but after resting, drinking some water and a bit of food, I was fine. It sure did get chilly that night down to the low 40’s.