Kim And Micah - To The Lightning Field!

[vfar]

July 16, 2013

This summer my wife and I headed west to New Mexico to experience an earth-art installation by Walter de Maria called The Lightning Field. Created in 1977, The Lightning Field is 400 lightning rods organized on a grid 1km x 1mile. It is located about 30 miles outside of Quemado, NM and is funded and maintained

by the Dia Center for the Arts.

Kim and I wanted to go experience this art piece when we got married in 2001 but couldn't swing it. So we did it this summer...on two wheels.

For this ride Kim is once again on her intrepid KL250 Super Sherpa and I'm on my yellow VFR. Our basic philosophy (for pleasure and practical purposes) is to stay off of slab and do as much of the ride as possible on secondary roads. This means that we see some incredible things and really get a feel for the places we're riding through but it also takes a lot longer to get from A to B.

Throughout the ride Kim and I both journaled and tooks lots of photos. My journalling consisted of trying to write short poems/notes while Kim wrote a complete summery of the day. Hope you enjoy traveling with us!

Day 1

June 21, 2013

Akron, OH to Cincinnati, OH (click for route)

235 miles

Summer Has Begun

We left Akron around 1 pm with the intent of making it as far as Cincinnati. The ride was rather uneventful- taking US42 all the way from its intersection with OH162. It is busy at times, but we hit most of the towns at slow times of day. A little way out of town we stopped and selected an inexpensive motel on the North side of Cinci and headed towards it. When it felt as if we had possibly ridden on the cross road too long we pulled over to double check the motels location and found that it was just barely up the road. But, when we meant to go, Micahs bike wouldnt start. In fact when he turned the key his digital dashboard would flash for a moment and then go blank. Many things went through my head in that moment, but mostly that we were so freakin close to our destination and yet we were in the middle of nowhere, a parking lot in an industrial area at 8:15 in the evening, and Micah, at the least, had a dead battery, and at the most, well who knows. Micah was looking up auto parts stores, I had remembered seeing an Auto Zone so I knew they were in the area. I did a simultaneous search for Batteries Plus, but they all closed at 7 pm. He tracked down an Auto Zone that had his battery, was open until 10 and was about 15 minutes from us. He took my bike, at my insistence, to go take his battery and get the new one, which would take a while because motorcycle batteries must be charged once assembled. While I was waiting in the parking lot, at least one train went by, and then a motorcyclist pulled into the lot. Dave saw the seat off on Micahs bike and was checking to see if he could help. I assured him that the battery was on route, and he asked if he could stay until the battery came back, just to make sure that was the only problem. Im not big on company in parking lots when the sun is going down, but I am also a pretty quick judge of character and I decided I was ok with him staying. I texted Micah to let him know I had company. About 40 minutes later Micah came back and installed the battery. It was pitch black at this point, and luckily we had camping gear and flashlights. The bike fired right up, and we headed to our Motel for the night, giving our undying thanks and goodbyes to Dave.

Lilacs, cut grass, diesel smoke,

no, campfire.

Sweet grass, wild flowers, mulch,

no, manure.

Were rumbling through flatland,

plowing through valleys,

baking in sunshine and

breezing in crosswind.

Our journey is out there.

Our journey is right here.

Seeking out adventure.

Stopping to smell the flowers.

Day 2

June 22, 2013

Cincinnati, OH - Bowling Green, KY (click to see route)

280 miles

Rehearsal Day

We had a small panic attack in the morning when Micah thought he had misplaced his wallet. He had thrown it on the bed in the middle of all my stuff that I had out on the bed and I had accidentally packed it in my gear. He was actually back over at the hotel when I found it. I was at the gas station across the intersection and I was able to flag him down to let him know that it was found. I really hoped our whole trip wasnt going to be full of these types of adventures. We left around 7 or 7:30 in order to make it to Matt and Alisons rehearsal on time. Our non-highway route ended up taking longer than we hoped and we had to hop on I-65 for the last 105 miles, which was faster but exhausting. Following a 7 hr. drive with wedding prep and dinner and socializing was fun and absolutely exhausting. We headed out to Wes and Elisas house, got lost a few times, and then found our bed with the aid of Elisas notes guiding us to our sleeping location.

Pavement has patterns

seen only from

the saddle.

Tar snakes slither and

slip tires, bubbles hiss

when confronted.

Tarmak grooved, pitted, grey,

leads, receeds, obeys.

Churches and

Stripmalls and

Gas stations.

Station to station,

Were churched by

Stripped gassers.

Mauled, stripped, gassy,

In church station.

State this: strip church,

Services at the mall. 10:15am.

All are welcome.

[Veefer800Canuck]

Poetry in a ride report?

That's a new approach. Interesting.

Waiting for the rest........

[Yokel]

Oh, this is good.

Keep it coming!

[vanion2]

Interesting. I live in ABQ and never even heard of this. Did a google maps search and all I saw was a flat desert area with a bunch of cows. Went to the web site and it seems you have to make reservations to share a room with up to six guests with minimal accommodations for the night. You would think such a large "modern work of art" would allow drive up day visits and no camera photography is allowed...Having worked in an antenna field with high powered transmitters back in the day I am curious but all the limitations they have set seems less like art and more like capitalistic venture.

Still, the journey would probably be more than worth the destination so keep it coming. Always like a nice ride report.

[2thdr]

OK, this is a cool one...

[TimC]

Micah - Great to see you and Kim did another amazing tour. Can't wait to read the rest.

And maybe we can get a SE OH ride in soon!

[vfar]

Vanion2,

It is a really curious arrangement. All of the parameters were set by the artist with the thought that the process of getting to the artwork is part of the experience. The living accommodations are simply a homesteader shack that has been updated with water and electricity. From what I can tell, the intention of a limit of 6 people per day is meant to create a private and intimate experience while mixing you with a small group of people you don't know. I've got to admit that I really appreciated the quietness and privacy of the experience.

Those are my 2 cents at least.

Interesting. I live in ABQ and never even heard of this. Did a google maps search and all I saw was a flat desert area with a bunch of cows. Went to the web site and it seems you have to make reservations to share a room with up to six guests with minimal accommodations for the night. You would think such a large "modern work of art" would allow drive up day visits and no camera photography is allowed...Having worked in an antenna field with high powered transmitters back in the day I am curious but all the limitations they have set seems less like art and more like capitalistic venture.

Still, the journey would probably be more than worth the destination so keep it coming. Always like a nice ride report.

TimC,

Funny that to get out on a good ride I've got to plan a big trip. Yeah, agreed, I'd love a SE Ohio ride soon. Early August?

Micah - Great to see you and Kim did another amazing tour. Can't wait to read the rest.

And maybe we can get a SE OH ride in soon!

[Guest]

Interesting. I live in ABQ and never even heard of this. Did a google maps search and all I saw was a flat desert area with a bunch of cows. Went to the web site and it seems you have to make reservations to share a room with up to six guests with minimal accommodations for the night. You would think such a large "modern work of art" would allow drive up day visits and no camera photography is allowed...Having worked in an antenna field with high powered transmitters back in the day I am curious but all the limitations they have set seems less like art and more like capitalistic venture.

Still, the journey would probably be more than worth the destination so keep it coming. Always like a nice ride report.

What Micah said, but also the piece is meant to be seen over a 24 hour period. The visual changes in it over the period of a day, having seen it, make that really obvious. Dia completely funded the piece from the beginning and there is a full time caretaker. They had to replace a bunch of the poles this past Spring, which are copper core with a stainless steel exterior and each is a very specific height so that on the varying terrain they all end up exactly the same height. It is a precise work, despite its size. The cost of maintaining a piece like that cannot be inexpensive. I think that they would make much more money letting the piece be open to all to just show up and pay a minimal fee, but the experience would be ruined. I hope that when Micah gets that far in the report it will be more obvious.

[vfar]

Day 3

June, 23 2013

Bowling Green, KY

O miles

Wedding Day

We were greeted in the morning by Wes and Elisa and a delicious breakfast. Micah, Wes, and Elisa had sausage and eggs from the pigs and chickens that they raised. Wes made me a delicious Korean Stew that he made vegan for me, as that has been my diet lately. It was salty and spicy and absolutely yummy. Micah headed in to help with the wedding prep, and I got the farm tour that Micah had already gotten. He got up quite a bit before me. I headed into town a bit later as I couldn’t exactly wear the dress in on the motorcycle. I needed time to cool off and change. The wedding day went by quickly. Matt and Alison had a beautiful simple ceremony and the reception went on for hours that just flew by. Tomorrow our own adventure begins.

Flower at Wes and Elisa's farm

A cat named "Puppy"

The happy groom

Wedding and Reception at Lost River Cave

Day 4

June 24, 2013

Bowling Green, KY - Memphis, TN (click for route)

260 miles

Our vacation begins

I don’t remember what time we left. We headed out a little later- slept in a bit after the festivities last night. Today was HOT- The beginning of the day was overcast, so not so bad, but when the sun came out became both sunny and 93 it was unbearable. We had planned on going past Memphis, but instead decided to stay in Memphis. We got a great deal at the Super 8 right by the river- Air conditioning – Yeah! It was actually so hot that I took my jacket off for the last hour or so of riding which I never do. We decided to walk to dinner and found that was a little more difficult that it looked. There were not a lot of routes on foot across the highway and the restaurant I had picked out turned out to be open only for lunch- Ugh. We headed further into downtown and found an Italian restaurant, and then took a taxi back to the motel. I am hoping not to have to rely on carbs for food so much on the trip, but I realize that this is a possibility.

Our Memphis paradise (we actually stayed across the street)

Women’s dresses 70% off

Stair patterns

Hung over wine fuzz.

Road vibration and wind hum.

Smoldering traffic crawl.

Cool day in Hell, another day in

Brownsville.

Emailing and eating

Hotel there.

We are here.

Hotel there.

Now we’re here.

A shell game on a tilted map.

Hungry stroll through

abandoned suburb.

Deep sleep on the

Big Brown Beauty.

Natural patterns

Day 5

June 25, 2013

Memphis, TN - South Fourche Campground, AR (click for route)

280 miles

Into the woods

We started off relatively early from Memphis with the intention of riding about and hour before breakfast. We ended up leaving around 8 I think, but I really have no concept of time on these trips, but my clock and tripometer still have the same glitches as the last trip and keep resetting on me. The rest of my electronics are fine so I have left it alone, but I have no idea what time it is, ever. We headed south on 61 out of Memphis and out of Tennessee into Mississippi and crossed the mighty Mississippi River from there in to Arkansas. About 40 minutes into our journey Micah realized he still had the hotel key, one of the electronic ones, whoops! He called later and offered to mail it in, but apparently it was not that big a deal. We pulled into a gas station in Helena and met two dogs named Precious and Indiana and got a recommendation for Breakfast. We had breakfast at Granny Dee’s in Helena Arkansas, where they have an annual Blues Festival right on Cherry Street, where we ate. It is also the home of the King Biscuit Music hour. Downtown Helena was sweet, although mostly closed down, but one of those towns that you can quickly see its former glory, and its potential, simultaneously. My bike was running a little funny before town, but seemed to cough out its hairball and was fine, but we bought some Seafoam to be safe, and put it in both bikes. We were pretty sure it was a batch of bad gas that was causing my problems. From Helena we headed further west towards Hot Springs, actually going northward for a little while. In Hot Springs we ate at Taco Mama’s and I was famished. The only thing I could eat at Granny Dee’s was the hashbrowns, but Taco Mama’s had a huge vegetarian selection, and I had one of the best vegetable Mexican dishes I have ever had. Usually it is just peppers and onions, but they had zucchini and I am not sure what else, but it was much more than just extra onions, and yummy. We had done about 240 miles at that point and we hadn’t camped yet, so we headed 40 miles into the mountains and into National Park territory. South Fourche Park, which unfortunately didn’t have water because of vandalism according to the signs, which knocked down the price of the campsite from $8 to $5. Cheap night. We later found out that the vandalism was locals stealing water form the parks when their own wells were running dry.

King, of King Biscuit Blues,

eats Granny Dee’s

in the next booth.

Helena’s half dead

but gasping for breath.

Encouraging old woman,

spent her life with

Mohawk Tires,

“You don’t have the money to do

what you want until

you’re too old to do it.”

That’s why we’re doing this.

We took a walk on

the outer edge of Memphis.

Old buildings, old industry, old signs.

We strolled down Florida,

Illinois and Alabama

in search of food and new designs.

Akron neighborhoods

copied and pasted.

Same faces in other races.

Cracked windows,

cracked buildings,

cracked fences.

This southern gem, cut by the hands

of a novice jeweler.

[2thdr]

FYI for future reference...it's always a good idea to take the plastic card keys with you and shred them when you get home, especially if you use a credit card.. Your card information is stored on that plastic card key! Great photos and poetry!

[vfar]

Thanks for the tip. Didn't realize that my cc info was stored on the hotel card. Good reason to have the front desk person reset your card in front of you when you return it. Yikes.

FYI for future reference...it's always a good idea to take the plastic card keys with you and shred them when you get home, especially if you use a credit card.. Your card information is stored on that plastic card key! Great photos and poetry!

[vfar]

Day 6

June 26, 2013

South Fourche Campground, AR - Norman, OK (click for route)

310 miles

Dead Armadillo

Slept in just a little (7:30) and it took us a little while to pack up camp. We headed out of Arkansas and into Oklahoma. Amazingly the landscape has been pretty forgettable other than the disgusting smell of chicken farms along the way. It was incredibly hot today, actually ditched my jacket after only 150 miles, 95 degrees? We saw an armadillo but unfortunately it was dead along the road. We made our way over to Norman, which is just outside Oklahoma City.

Hello newtown.

Oklahoma, land of no stoplights.

Zigging and sagging,

sore legs,

we’re lagging behind a

prescribed schedule.

Heat rash on 270.

Heading west, north and south,

I’ve seen every gas station toilet

west of the Mississippi

and an armadillo road kill today.

The smell of chicken processing

is deadly but covered convincingly

by felled pine trees.

Riding behind a semi full of pine chips,

like swimming in

hot floor cleaner.

Day 7

June 27, 2013

Norman, OK - Pampa, TX (click for route)

225 miles

Hot does not begin to describe it

Our day started well. We put in some miles before stopping for a morning break, but at 11 am it was 89 and climbing quickly. I am sure that I noticed many things today and I do remember that the landscape finally changed to resemble more what I expected, lovely grasslands and plains, but it was all trumped by the heat. We stopped at a Walgreens on historic route 66 around 1 pm and the temp was 105. About 10 minutes down the road it read 109 on another board. We stopped just prior to Texas and took a greatly needed rest in an air-conditioned gas station/convenience store. I seriously thought I might pass out. As we entered Texas, Micah’s thermometer read 113 and it felt like it. We took another break after just 20 mi. lying under a shady tree for a while. We gassed up and pushed through the last 40 miles to make it to Pampa TX to let ourselves, and our bikes, rest for the night. Dinner was snacks at the gas station down the street, thanks to our exhaustion and the fact that the restaurant we thought we were going to was closed.

We are riding on

shadows.

Flying headlong into

a blow-dryer.

Suicidal grasshoppers

try to stop us with

yellow-puss-gutted

rebukes.

I think their insides were designed

by Willy S. Burroughs.

Oil field workers, rust

covered and tan

encrusted,

tip their hardhats

and exhale dust.

Red velvet earth, split

open and bragging.

The sun’s efforts are no match

for its rugged handsome individualism.

It lies calm in the

wind and sun thrust.

Cows find relief wading in

shallow ponds, wishing their

knees would bend.

We zip past, noticing;

Too afraid to

stop and chat.

Day 8

June 28, 2013

Pampa, TX - Eagle Nest, NM (click for route)

300 miles

Early Start

We set our alarm for 5:30 but didn’t make it up until about 6. The idea was to beat the heat although it was not supposed to get as hot this day. We headed out on TX 152 and the day started a little ominously. We saw the results of a horse/car collision a little way out of town. But, we quickly made our way to the New Mexico boarder, happy to be out of Texas. We stopped for gas at a station in New Mexico and they had fresh fruit cups! I gobbled one down as it had been days without fruit. A lot of our route today was US 64, which runs along rail tracks. We passed the same train about 3 times and each time we took a break it passed us. We quickly had 200 miles covered and had only 80-90 to go. The New Mexico landscape was so immediately different from Texas. Crossing the border we immediately saw mesas ahead and the first town was visible from 8 miles out. We stopped in Raton for lunch and then on to Eagle Nest to our reserved cabin and we went from a temp of 113 the day before to low 70’s and misty. I had to stop and put my jacket back on which I had taken off just 30 miles from our destination. It was just then starting to get hot and then quickly started to cool again as we headed into the area of Eagle Nest. Dinner at a little diner that actually had a salad bar- so grateful. We were in for the night at about 7 pm. : )

I’m giddy.

Seeing the tabletop formations,

the high desert plains,

the cool winds in valleys,

the miles ahead.

We are riding where

families sought out new land,

cowboys hustled their cache,

and natives evaporated.

Our purpose is appreciation,

invented adventure.

Experience supremely rules

our agenda.

Day 9

June 29, 2013

Eagle Nest, NM - Santa Fe, NM (click for route)

110 miles

Santa Fe

Started the day interestingly, basically taking the twisty roads from Eagle Nest to Angel Fire, and trying really hard not to kill prairie dogs along the way. The cute little boogers like to wait until you’re almost there and then run across your path. I had to actually stop and zip my jacket vents shut because it was so cool out, 60 degrees, and there was a prairie dog hole where I stopped. He kept popping his head out and checking on my progress. We continued to Taos and we got stuck behind a truck with a trailer, who was being very cautious and going very slowly, too slow really, even for me. Micah managed to zip around him in a passing zone and then there were no more passing zones for miles, so I was stuck. About 5 or so miles down the road the truck started to pull off and I saw that Micah was already pulled over too. Generally if he doesn’t signal me to get over, I keep going and so I did, happy to not be behind the truck/camping trailer anymore. Before we entered Taos I pulled over to let him catch up again, since he hadn’t yet, and I found out he had been nearly hit by a truck that was passing in a no-passing zone. On those winding roads the no-passing zones are serious. You cannot see ahead to see if anyone is coming and yet this idiot decided to go ahead anyway. This is the worst kind of offender to me, those who think that their schedule is so much more important that everyone else’s or even other people’s lives. So the Idiot almost couldn’t get back over in time and he was headed straight for my husband, who had no shoulder and a wall of solid rock on his right. So not only did he almost die but, I could not harass him about leaving me behind the truck I was following. After that, we had a great breakfast in Taos, and afterward we got to ride along the Rio Grande River from Taos to Santa Fe. Close to Santa Fe, traffic was crazy or more to the point, traffic patterns. The road would go from 70 mph to stop lights with little or no warning and then back to 70 mph, every 10 miles or so. But, we made it to the Silver Saddle motel, which I found online 2 days ago and we booked our room ahead of time. Heather and Kyle were kind enough to pick us up so we could enjoy an afternoon and evening out of our motorcycle gear. We visited galleries, had a late lunch at the Cowgirl Café and dinner/cookout at Heather’s condo. Good day.

Endless vistas

consumed by jobless cowboys.

Riding a snake’s spine

along the Rio Grande.

Celebration chants, stories

and gulps, origin tales told

by shadows on an

adobe backdrop.

Showdown with a dually.

Our skeleton is made of

silent immigrants.

[TedJake]

Great blog on every level - pictures are gallery-worthy, story and route are fantastic, and poetry beats my boy Kerouac - the Rucksack Revolution continues!!!

[vfar]

Thanks TedJake! That's really nice. I'm a poetry hack but like trying anyhow.

[TimC]

TimC,

Funny that to get out on a good ride I've got to plan a big trip. Yeah, agreed, I'd love a SE Ohio ride soon. Early August?

Micah - Great to see you and Kim did another amazing tour. Can't wait to read the rest.

And maybe we can get a SE OH ride in soon!

Sounds like a plan, Micah. Assuming you still have the same cell #, I'll call you later this month. Thinking about the dates 8/3 or 8/4 at the moment.

BTW, love the photos and poetry. Very artistic.

[vfar]

Day 10

June 30, 2013

Santa Fe, NM - Socorro, NM (click for route)

180 miles

The road to Socorro

We started with checking out of the Silver Saddle (which was a great motel if one is ever in Santa Fe) and met Heather and Kyle for breakfast at the Pantry restaurant then back to Heather’s for some socializing. Micah and I rode to REI from there to look for some new under layers as his were stretching out and mine were looking like punk rock tights with all the holes and runs in them. We headed down 14 out of Santa Fe, which turned out to be a special road referred to as the Turquoise trail, and a great motorcycle road. Basically we were able to make most of our ride today on scenic roads. We didn’t have far to go, as we basically just wanted to get about 100 miles from Quemado so that we would not be late for the Lightning Field. I was struck by number of cattle crossing signs, and also one fire truck crossing sign. The day before I had seen several different Elk crossing signs and a sign warning of mountain goats. We ended up on 55, which was also scenic, but very rural, i.e. no gas for ages, but an amazing curvy road with great carved landscapes. Beautiful riding. Our last 25 miles was on I-25 but as we were already south of Albuquerque it was fine. We are in Socorro with a little over 100 miles to get to Quemado tomorrow before 2.

Serpentine sanctuary.

Canyon carved haven.

My knees are weak

and touching pavement

on this wind worn

warped record.

Day 11

July 1, 2013

Socorro, NM - Quemado, NM (click for route)

105 miles

Ride to Dia and Walter De Maria’s Lightning Field

We left Socorro and headed to Quemado. It only took a couple of hours, as were only 110 miles or so away. We saw some more prairie dogs and a huge male antelope on the side of the road. Actually I had seen some other antelope running off in the distance so I was scanning the horizon for more, and then I turned to the right and there was one staring right at me from about 15-20 feet away. I just kept thinking, after I jumped about a foot in my seat, that I needed him to stay where he was and not run out towards me. He was so close that if he decided to move there would have been no time to react other than brace for impact. The Dia building was so simple that we drove right by it, stopped at a gas station and rested, and then assumed that it was further into town. Towns out here are a blink, a smattering of buildings, maybe 7-10 and then they are done, but as we hadn’t seen it we assumed it was further, until we realized we were leaving the area for the next town. We turned around and went through slowly. Micah was just telling me we should go back again, but I knew now that we hadn’t passed it yet and was carefully scanning the windows for the small sign described in my e-mail, and there it was, a tiny white two story building with the smallest sign possible in the window, “Lightning Field, Dia “. When we pulled in the building was unlocked but no one was there, just a sign-in book and six wooden chairs, not unlike the old mission ones from my parent’s dining room table, but with mismatched cushions, like a room where you could be waiting for anything, or any reality. It was one of the most surreal experiences. You just have to trust that someone will come for you. Eventually two more visitors showed up, Simon and Marie. They left to go get some snacks and another woman came in who was the sister of the caretaker of the lightning field. She warned us that he has been driving the route for 34 years so to buckle up on the way out. : ) Simon and Marie came back and then two more women in a car appeared and parked outside waiting, obviously other visitors. A little after 2pm Robert showed up, asked us if we were ready and loaded us into the SUV. The other two women were named Jin and Janelle. We were all pretty quiet the whole ride out, not knowing each other or what to expect, but that quickly unfolded on our arrival. We selected our rooms, Micah’s and mine was the old storage area, connected to the house, but with an outside entrance. The advantage was its own bathroom, and it felt private, but we did have 2 single beds. Each pairing headed out into the field almost right away, attempting to get a feel for it, but it was in the mid 90’s in the middle of a desert. I was the first to return, as I really hadn’t been hydrating well enough the last few days. I fueled up on water intending to go out later after it cooled down. In the late afternoon heat we exchanged information, how we came to be there, and where we came from. We all had art backgrounds. Marie is a curator in Denmark. Janelle and Jin actually both worked for Dia at one time. Janelle was in the area leading a workshop and turned it into a long trip with Jin. They were both from NYC. Jin actually works as an artists assistant, currently employed by the inflatable rabbit man himself, Jeff Koons, but is training to be a professional tooth artist, someone who makes/sculpts teeth, which will allow her to have health care and some stability. We were all hoping for a storm, but were not really expecting it, and the weather started to turn. It began with a little more wind, and then we could see rain clouds, and rain coming from them, probably 30 miles away, maybe further. The air was so dry and the clouds so high that the rain wasn’t even reaching the ground. Slowly lightning developed to the north as the sun set in the west. The dramatic visual changes on the artwork were amazing. Mid day you can barely see the poles but as the sky turned red and wasn’t so bright, the poles were illuminated and seemed to loom larger than before. I don’t know how much of it was from normal sunset or how much of it was from the storm that was brewing but it was dramatic. There was an amazing lighting storm to the north, so much so that we sat at the back of the house (the side not facing the field) and watched the lightning for about an hour, ignoring our cooling dinner in the kitchen. Then there was lightning to the south and then we were surrounded but it was still so far away. Eventually it moved into our area, coming very close, but not quite low enough to actually hit the poles, but the effect was the same. We were sitting in the middle of the desert with no architecture but our own little cabin surrounded by an amazing natural light show. We watched for hours, each attempting futilely to capture a lighting strike with our cameras, and then we stopped the cameras and just sat and experienced. The storm eventually slowed enough that we headed to bed, about 10:30 or 11 pm as we all wanted to get up early to watch the sunrise. My actual journal notes on this say this,” Hard to describe the shared experience of this- Hot Day- Cool Storm/Night-Crazy Colors+ Electrical Activity, Dinner, + Sleep.”

Robert and his meager office.

Peeling paint and cracked skin.

His cowboy smile and crooked

fingers charm us down dusty

backroads. His life, spent driving

eager observers to the prarie

gallery. We sit silently, consumed

by the passing landscape. A slideshow

of things you’d love to see, one day.

“Everybody all right back there?”

"They needed people with strong backs and weak minds

and I fit the bill."

We are in the middle of somewhere.

Lightning fills our eyes,

retinas bruised,

brain throbbing,

fingers tensed.

Another bolt,

and a clap,

and squeals of excitement,

then silence.

Bombs in the distance,

wind gusting and dusty,

eyes full of white spots

and ghost trails.

Another uppercut.

Dazed,

brain shocked,

eyes ringing.

Thrilled.

Micah and I actually got up at 5 am to walk out into the field before the sun came up. We walked the line closest to the cabin, heading west all the way to the most northwest corner of the field, so that the sun would come up behind it. It was beautiful and once again the stainless steel poles gleamed and seemed to grow in size. When the sun was all the way up we headed in, had some tea/coffee and enjoyed the peace of the morning in such a place in the time we had before Robert would come to fetch us again.

In our time there we found out that Robert helped build the field originally and then became the caretaker in 1980 and has been the caretaker since then. He claimed that they needed someone with a strong back and a weak mind, in his elusive humor that he uses. He is a very private individual but he is also protective of the field. He joked about driving fast enough that we couldn’t remember landmarks and although he said it in humor I had a sense that he meant it. He lives a few miles from the field and said that he doesn’t really like being in town. A man who likes his solitude, I can completely relate to that.

[TimC]

More amazing pics! This quote from Kim really connects with me: "We watched for hours, each attempting futilely to capture a lighting strike with our cameras, and then we stopped the cameras and just sat and experienced." I have felt this way a few times during my recent tours. I try to get the best photos possible, sometimes taking several to make sure I've got the shot. Then I have to almost force myself to stop and just enjoy the scenery.

BTW, I love the design on Kim's helmet! I've seen that lid in person at a local shop and really admired it.

[vfar]

So hard to put the camera down. But, yeah, you don't want to live through the lens. At the same time, I really find it important to capture as much as I can because I want to be able to relive it years from now. I had the GoPro hooked up for the whole ride, too. It snapped a shot every 10 seconds. So, at some point in the near future I'll have a time lapse video of a lot of our journey.

[rangemaster]

"...at some point in the near future I'll have a time lapse video of a lot of our journey."

Now is that cool or what.

[vfar]

The time lapse is probably going to be about 45+ minutes long. I captured over 14,000 pics on the GoPro and am now in the process of rendering it into a video. Each photo will be 1/5 of a second long. One of my pals has agreed to make music for it. Should end up really cool! I'll definitely post a link to it when it's finished.

Here are two links to time lapse videos I made of sunset and sunrise at the Lightning Field.

Sunset:

Sunrise:

[CasualSwede]

Great thread! The writing, the photos. Especially the photos. I'm curious to know your camera and lens choices!

[vfar]

Thanks FSAE. I use a Panasonic GF1 (which is a micro 4/3 camera) with a 20mm lens. No zoom. That lens is really fast and allows for really shallow depth of field. I also have a 14mm lens that I use for wide angle shots.

The camera is great because it has the quality of a larger DSLR camera but is quite a bit smaller. I keep it in my tank bag so that I can pull it out while riding if something catches my eye. A lot of my landscape shots are taken while in the saddle.

I do a little post processing in Photoshop but its really just to get the photos more color accurate. No crazy stuff.

A lot of the trick of creating a good photo is finding the right angle and the right lighting. Equipment is secondary. Doesn't hurt to be in a location with incredible scenery, too.

Hope that helps!

[vfar]

Day 12

July 2, 2013

Quemado, NM - Flagstaff, AZ (click for route)

240 miles

To the Grand Canyon, well almost

So we had a campsite reserved at the Grand Canyon for tonight, and although it was about 320 miles, and we didn’t leave town until 1 pm, we still thought this was completely within our means, especially because we had another time change in our favor. Don’t ask me how many so far, I have lost track. I only know there was one today that helped. But, when we got about half way we started to see signs of rain. We pulled off and secured our jackets. I had mine on but I shut my vents, and Micah put his jacket on. Just as it looked like we might evade the rain for one more day we hit a downpour and then hail! Big Hail! It hurt like a mother, and I pulled over and we both waited out the hail sitting still in the open, but at least not moving towards it at 55 mph. The hail was over quickly but then we got lightning. I couldn’t stop thinking how ironic it would be to be killed by lightning the day after intentionally hoping for it and facing it at the Lightning Field. In and out of rain we drove on, hitting some horrible gusting winds on top of everything else. We stopped for gas and it seemed to get ahead of us, and then suddenly it slammed us again. We pulled in to a cool old motel that had a massive awning/overhang that we parked under and waited for the storm to move some more. It seemed like we were there forever and that the storm had passed, but we weren’t on I-40, oh yeah, did I mention that we had to take the interstate from where we were to Flagstaff, ick, but anyway we weren’t on it long before we were being blown by the winds again. My bike was being shoved and the rain was making it hard to see. So, we took the next exit and waited again. It wasn’t raining where we were, but we could see the storm continuing to move off and we just had to give it more time. We waited about ½ hour then back on the highway. We had a fairly rain free ride for about 40 miles and we stopped at a rest area, which was one of the most amazing rest areas I have ever been to, Thank you Arizona, and then back on the road. The wind had been strong for a while now, and it continued after the rest area and then about 30 miles from Flagstaff the rain started again. It was not heavy, but the wind was still really strong and we were slowly getting wetter. When we pulled into Flagstaff we were exhausted and cold and cramped and the Grand Canyon was still 79 miles away, so cheap motel and a fresh start tomorrow.

Again, I elaborated on my original notes. They basically sum up the travel with, ”HAIL/RAIN/RAIN/WIND/RAIN/WIND/RAIN”. I was pretty tired.

Some lightning from the night before...

An example of the intensity of closer strikes...

“Wanna try to make it to the end?”

Prairie sounds this morning's

coffee.

Sunrise in the desert.

Walter de Maria holds

vigil throughout the night.

Proud. Stoic. Unmoved by

the new visitors.

The day makes it’s slow crawl,

lights flickering,

rising, horizontally illuminating

this vastness.

“Wanna try to make it to the end?”

she whispers.

Flamboyant sun makes

a spectacular exit and

grand entrance, peeks around the horizon:

“Helllllooooooo!”

Over the horizon with two scoops of raisins.

“Do I move you?”

Yes Nina.

She sings as I brush my

teeth in the primitive

homesteader bathroom.

Looking out the window

while brushing,

I watch a slight wind blow

hot air across a scrub brushed

plain, past a simple shelter,

through a fine-mesh screen,

and onto my face.

“Is it thrillin’?”

The only sounds in this

New Mexico desert paradise

are the wind and the velvety voice

of Nina Simone.

How do I remember this?

How do I replicate this?

How do I relay this?

“Do I move you?

Are you willin’?”

Jin and Janelle and

Simon and Marie

and Kim lay on the

porch, up dog, down dog,

nap in the sun,

tell stories about last night’s

lightening.

“The answer better be yes.”

I’m brushing my teeth

and feel ecstatic.

This place, this moment.

I want it forever,

but know that it is special

because it is fleeting.

“It pleases me.”

Robert drives.

We’re silent, reflective,

gobstopped.

Robert drives this truck,

a different truck, one of

the many trucks over the years.

Robert drives our group, like

the many different groups over

the years.

Our unique experience his routine.

[vfar]

Day 13

July 3, 2013

Flagstaff, AZ - Farmington, NM (click for route)

365 miles

The Grand Canyon- for real this time

Had to cancel our reservations last night, and that sucked, but we headed up 68 towards the Grand Canyon early this morning. We actually arrived there around 8 am, and had few other people there at that hour. The ranger at the gate was from Cleveland, and we probably pissed off the people behind us as we were chatting with him for a while. It was mostly he, but we didn’t exactly cut him off. So the parking lot was sparse still and we parked easily, and even though you know what the Canyon is going to look like, I mean who hasn’t seen pics, but nothing really prepares you for the vastness of it. We walked the trail just a little, taking some pictures and mostly enjoying the view and then decided to vacate the tourist area before it started to get crazy. Already it was starting to fill in quite a bit. We headed out 64 east and we really lucked out on our chosen route, because now there was hardly anyone on the road yet leading away from the Canyon and this route completely borders the Canyon, so we had glimpses of it and pull over spots for many miles on the way out. In fact my favorite viewing point was Navajo Point Viewing area which as one of the last parking areas, and we got to see a mountain lion crossing sign. We stopped at a tourist trap, but it was literally the only lunch in the area and were trapped at lunch for hours, and of course it was super hot once we got out of there, as it was already getting hot before we stopped. We stopped for the day in Farmington New Mexico, had a late dinner, and got a motel, and slept well. Basically we had a 14-hour day on the bikes.

“No ice, NO ICE!” said the woman with the eye patch.

The Arizona desert looks like

the color of circus peanuts.

Day 14

July 4, 2013

Farmington, NM - Hasty, CO (click for route)

370 miles

Independence Day

So we got up at 6 am after a really long, exhausting day yesterday. We had a rough start. Heading home is always the hardest and we were rubbing each other the wrong way at the start of the day. We went from New Mexico into Colorado. Beautiful, beautiful roads, but a long exhausting ride. Micah actually hit a wall mid afternoon and we had to take a break. I was worried that resting was actually going to make me tired, but Micah had kind of wanted to camp and I started trying to track down spots. He had seen a reservoir (State Park) on the map, but when I first researched it, it was showing no sites available, and it became clear that there were only walk-in sites available. Campsite was nice, but there was no water, and the ranger never said there was a two-mile dirt road. Between the girl on the phone and the other ranger when we got there, they just weren’t giving enough information. Micah actually rode the dirt road back to get water once we got to our site. Now the positives; It was private, quiet, and cool. OK Hasty CO, OK.

Daily goal: 100 miles before noon.

Cranky and cranking

out the miles.

In the mountains and

feeling tense – not tangible,

not predictable, not logical,

not faultable.

Trading tension like a

backpack full of eels.

I’ll carry it, now you,

now me.

Hunchbacked with the silly burden.

[vfar]

Day 14

July 5, 2013

Hasty, CO - McPherson, KS (click for route)

311 miles

Kansas

I have this, and pretty much only this to say for today, 300 miles with a steady 27mph cross wind = 300 miles of driving at a constant lean, and it is not fun. We stopped in McPherson KS after a long painful day.

Add to the list of things that aren’t cool:

Discovering a big hairy spider hiding in my clothes bag.

Battered and sun soaked,

we roll through Kansas.

Haymakers hurled from

the south all day.

Grain silos stand stoic

and emotionless, like ice-locked

steamships.

Kim and I each glance

right periodically, annoyed,

to see if we can catch the hand

that keeps shoving our

heads and tires.

God, Guns, Guts

Day 15

July 6, 2013

McPherson, KS - Jefferson City, MO (click for route)

335 miles

Out of Kansas

That was the focus of my day, getting the hell out of Kansas. There was a light rain in the morning but we managed to get ahead of it quickly. We still had a lot of Kansas to cover today. Eastern Kansas was better but it was still really gusty for a lot of it, but more trees to cut the wind a little, or just to make it really unpredictable in some areas. When we hit Missouri it reminded me of how great New Mexico was after Texas. Missouri was rolling hills and loads of trees, with small simple and very clearly marked roads. We made it over half way across Missouri to Jefferson Park and got another motel for the night (where we think there were many semi-permanent residents).

Two things:

1. I’ve seen a lot of caterpillars crawling across this road.
2. There was a dog riding on the back of that 4-wheeler.

Day 16

July 7, 2013

Jefferson City, MO - Indianapolis, IN (click for route)

400 miles

Many states day

Today we headed out of Jefferson Park Missouri and into St. Louis, which was about 120 miles away, for breakfast. The route there amazingly had so much road kill it was disturbing. I counted a handful of dead armadillo, but Micah saw at least 10 of them, and two dead deer. I already did some online snooping and found Rooster’s a vegan/vegetarian friendly but still normal (for my honey) breakfast spot, just a few blocks from the arch. We were hoping to avoid the interstate as we left St. Louis but the non-interstate bridge we picked was closed and we were quickly pushed onto I-70. We exited as soon as we saw US40, and got put on I-70 one more time before we realized we could have avoided it by taking the marked historical highways. US40 shares I-70 but where it used to run is still used but renamed. We went clean through Illinois into Indiana, which we entered about 6:30 or 7 pm thanks to a time change not in our favor (again). We kept going to Indianapolis, intending to stop near it, and we both decided that going into Indianapolis on a Monday morning was not desirable, so we drove through it and got a motel on the other side. Nice motel too. A Best Western with huge rooms, and thanks to our late arrival and its impossible entrance the price was right. The attendant even gave us a King bed for the price of double beds. We rode 400 miles today, but that means a shorter ride home tomorrow.

Dead armadillo on the side of the highway.

Nah, strike that.

Sounds too much like a Doors song.

In Missouri, road kill looks like

stuffed animals.

Day 17

July 8, 2013

Indianapolis, IN - Akron, OH (click for route)

300 miles

Home

I am actually writing this several days later as I couldn’t face journaling after just reaching the comforts of home. Ohio seemed to last forever but we were able to take US 36 to US 42 mostly up to 162 to home. And the contrast of flooded areas in Ohio as compared to the dryness of the Southwest was remarkable. Despite the fact that this was Akron’s 15^th straight day of rain, we only got sprinkled on. We were prepared for much more, and that came later with a downpour after we had been home for a few hours.

My fickle, conditional relationship

with Mother Nature.

Riding through Texas, asking for

a cool breeze in relief of the heat.

In northern New Mexico, just a

bit warmer, please, to cut the mountain chill.

In Quemado I prayed for thunder storms.

on rt 40 I asked for relief

from the hail and rain.

Riding through Kansas I

cursed the crosswind and

in Indiana I enjoyed the

simplicity of the sun...

but wished for a more idyllic setting.

Reflection

This trip was amazing and is always a bonding experience, although I am amazed constantly at how quickly it seems like it never happened once one arrives home. My bike did well, although it developed even further issues. I already had a tripometer issue and clock issue, but before we even reached the Lightning Field the speedometer started to freak out. It probably didn’t help that I got up to 80 mph in 100 degree temps, although only for a short while. So the problem started with the speedo flickering to different speeds, but still mostly staying on the right one, which was always the lowest. That started to happen more and then the right speed was somewhere in the middle. I loved (insert sarcastic tone) looking at my speedometer when I was going 30-35 and having it read 94. Although I think when it started going blank was worse. By the last day it was completely blank the entire ride. I had absolutely no idea what speed I was going except by feel, and what gear I was in. I also lost oil at high speeds, well high speeds and really hot days. We actually stopped at an Auto Zone on the way to Flagstaff and I changed the oil in the parking lot, which I desperately needed to do anyway, but I also switched to the heaviest oil that was recommended for my bike, which was a 20/50. If you don’t know: lighter oil in the winter when your oil thickens from the cold anyway and heavier oil in the summer, that is if your bike/car has a range of oils that it uses. My bike is a small one. It is a Super Sherpa, a Kawasaki KL250. It is also a thumper (1 cylinder), which means it is going to run really hot at high speeds anyway, and when you throw in a week of 100+ days that makes things even harsher. My bike is actually known for having a glowing red exhaust in the right conditions. It is also really light, being one of the, if not the lightest street legal motorcycle, weighing something like 235 lbs., putting me and the bike and gear at under 440 lbs., which is less than a lot of motorcycles by themselves, which always make wind an issue although the tires that I had put on, which were more street oriented than the knobbies I rode out to Montana, were much better, allowing greater control in high winds, and much better responsiveness on grooved pavement, which I still abhor. I rode a lot without a jacket, which I don’t like to do, but the temps gave me no option. If I had brought my mesh jacket I would have frozen in some of the low temps. I always kept my pants on. They actually protect for the heat of the engine. Micah ended up with some pretty severe tan lines from short sleeves and riding gloves. I wore some crazy spf sunscreen but ended up with what I thought was a bruise on my left ankle and soon realized it was a tan line from where my short socks ended and my pants began, just a sliver. The heat on the trip, but even more than that the dryness was amazing. We went through some really drought-ridden areas, where wildfires were in progress and campfires and fireworks and even smoking were forbidden. We even passed a National Forest that had a sign stating, “Forrest Closed”. There was a plethora of animal crossing signs, including many different Elk signs, and of course there were the animals themselves. There were many disgusting animal farms, dirty chicken farms and one of the foulest cow plants/factories (I just can’t call it a farm. I grew up in farmland and this was simply animal production). The smell cannot be described and actually put Micah completely off meat for days. And then there were farms in New Mexico and Arizona where the animals had acres to each of them, and I kept thinking, now that truly is a happy cow. We stayed off the interstate highways as much as possible, only going on when it would require a huge mileage addition to do otherwise, which did happen in some areas. This is partly because of my smaller/lighter bike, but also a trip like this is meant for one to experience the journey not just the destination. People often don’t get why we don’t stay at our destination for more that a handful of days, if a day at all. Some of those people will never get it, that the ride is the vacation, that the US highways and what they reveal of our past and our present can be just as interesting as the end of the route, and that so much is missed when you are napping in that passenger seat on whatever fast route you have chosen. Enough of my side notes, until next time.