Day 1: Las Cruces to Sante Fe (I-25)

We started our trip to Colorado at noon today.  We pulled out of our house, stopped at the nearest gas station and merged on to I-25 for our 280 mile ride to Santa Fe.  Two years ago, we had made the trip to Santa Fe from Toledo, Ohio.  Certainly this 280 mile trip was much different than the 1500 mile trip from Toledo.  As we left Las Cruces, New Mexico the temperature on my new Road Glide ride 98 degrees.  Little did we know that the weather we left would not be anything close to what we would find further down the road.  The ride up I25 was fast and winding.  Then 100 miles into the ride it began to rain.  We had been watching the clouds gather as we road up I25.  Now we were looking for a safe place to pull off to put on the rain gear.  Thankfully an overpass, few and far between in New Mexico, appeared and we pulled off.  We donned the rain gear and boarded the bikes heading for our first destination.  A friend recommended we stop in San Antonio, New Mexico (not to be confused in any way with San Antonio, Texas).  In San Antonio we would be introduced to the Owl Bar and Grill.  Here we entered a typical bar and grill, but with an Owl theme.  I couldn't resist taking pictures of the owls on the wall and sending them to a friend in Toledo who loved Owls.  Certainly social media makes sharing our rides and adventures much easier.  While we enjoyed an overpriced, greasy, but delicious green chili cheeseburger we launched our radar app to monitor the rain showers.  We quickly realized we had a brief window of time to make it to Santa Fe just ahead of the showers.  We paid, rang the bell indicating we had good service (the tip reflected that also) and quickly mounted up and got on down the road.  The decision was a good one because as we pulled into Socorro to gas up, we could see the showers coming toward us.  With a full tank of gas and a mission we pulled out of Socorro and merged onto I-25 toward Santa Fe.  Riding the Interstate is wonderful when you want to make time.  New Mexico speed limits are wonderful and 75 MPH was welcomed.  With the cruse control set at 75 we were able to stay just ahead of the weather.  Soon, we were exiting the interstate in Santa Fe heading for our wonderful hotel.  We decided to stay down by the plaza.  The plaza is often a "happening" place with shops, restaurants and entertainment.  We stayed at the La Posada de Santa Ana. 

We pulled into the hotel, checked in and headed to our room.  The room was not a typical hotel room, rather it was a stand alone casita.  The quaint casita included an outdoor patio and made for a charming historic reminder of the history of Santa Fe.  After checking in we made our way to my favorite steakhouse in Santa Fe, The Bull Ring.  Here we had a suburb meal.  The Bull Ring is well known for its steak and prime rib.  Tonight was not exception.
While pricey, the steak melted in our mouth and proved to be a wonderful ending to a good first day on the road. By the way, the temperature when we arrived in Santa Fe was 68 degrees - just another wonderful day on the road covering 280 miles and experiencing a 30 degree temperature drop. 

Ready to Ride

In just a day and a half I will be getting on the Iron Pony to begin a week long exploration of southwest Colorado. It has been almost two years since getting on the bike for a long ride. In some ways I am excited. My previous long rides were always enjoyable and taken me to place I would never otherwise go. I am also nervous because I have not been on a long ride in 20 months. My preparation begins by checking the weather channel app on my IPhone. Getting an idea of the weather in Colorado will help me know how to pack. I live in a very warm climate so the weather in Colorado will be different and I need to plan for it. Next, I made sure my bike was ready. I logged around 1000 miles over the past three weeks to make sure I was use to my new motorcycle. The oil is changed, the tires are properly inflated and she is ready to roll including a nice detail.  So, stay tuned beginning on June 13 for updates from the road. The only thing remaining is charging my cameras and GoPro. 

The First Pitch

Are you baseball fan?  If so, have you ever wanted to throw out the first pitch?  There are two things I have always wished for when attending a baseball game.  The first is to have the opportunity to throw out the first pitch.  The second wish is to catch a foul ball.  Lets just say only one of these are left on my bucket list.

I have been fortunate to have thrown out the first pitch twice in my life.  The first opportunity came in Toledo, Ohio when I was asked to represent my community college and throw out the first pitch.  I was thrilled because the Toledo Mud Hens are the triple A team for my favorite MLB team, the Detroit Tigers.  After throwing out the first pitch I was even able to get the ball autographed by Brent Clevlen who caught my pitch.  Muddy, the mascot, even tracked me down for a picture. 

The second opportunity I have had to throw out the first pitch came today in El Paso, Texas.  I was honored to represent New Mexico State University by throwing out the first pitch at the El Paso Chihuahuas game. The Chihuahuas are the triple A affiliate to the San Diego Padres.  The Chihuahuas play at Southwest University Park, a stadium that has similar characteristics to Fifth-Third Field, home of the Toledo Mud Hens. 

So, what is it like to throw out the first pitch?  The experience begins when you first learn that you will have the opportunity.   I would say in both cases I "worried" about whether or not I could throw the ball to the plate.  This might sound "normal" to those of you reading this, but for those who know me, they would be puzzled; after all I played college softball.  However, I was still worried. After all, playing college softball was a long time ago and since then I have torn my rotator cuff and throwing is a bit of a challenge.  So, naturally, you might think that I would practice. I would think that too.  But, I didn't practice.  Time and practical logistics didn't allow time for me to practice. 

So tonight as I'm walking out to the mound to throw the first pitch I begin to feel the nerves.  After a deep breath, I begin to just take in the moment.  While you might think "everyone" is watching you - in reality; very few people are watching you.  So, I stepped on the mound.  Looked to the person catching and I throw the ball.  Straight down the middle to the right and a little short.  Actually, I was pretty pleased given no practice and a bum shoulder. 

I am very happy that I have had the opportunity to throw out the first pitch.  I have always loved playing baseball and watching baseball - both minor and major league teams.  Because of this experience, whenever I attend a game in person I make sure I'm watching the person who is throwing out the first pitch.