Earache

Okay, up the next day and headed further west, to the Rand Canyon Onal Park...

Great place to spend a hot afternoon...

No - Mark isn't an off roader at all (not on purpose anyway). That'd be my bud from Chicago; Neil.

Stumbled into Mark Miller's Coyote Cafe Rooftop for a aperitif... But wisely stayed away from the rum, brown sugar mixture that's made by burying it in the desert for a week. Stuff is just plain nasty... Can't remember if Casper or ShittyGsxr tried this vile concoction when we were at this bar a few years back. I tasted it once - never again.

Mark made a new friend...

With all of this culture and loads of museums, art galleries and history to absorb, where do ya think we went? Right again... After all, Mark is Irish.

Zamfir was rockin' the Square...

Back to the oldest city in the USA, checking out some of the older than dirt buildings here... and old scooters as well...

Glad I wasn't on the crew that had to hand cut these things back in the day...

And a cruise through the Gillman Tunnels. Way off the beaten path and not many go there, but worth the effort to see. ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Mexico_State_Road_485 )

We stop for a couple of days in Santa Fe, New Mexico. I always find it beneficial to take a rest day after doing 1,200 miles or so in a couple of days. No sense in making a death march out of it. Besides, loads of great restaurants and things to do in Santa Fe. Great place. Took a quick cruise to Los Alamos... And past the Valles Caldera (see: http://wikitravel.org/en/Valles_Caldera_National_Preserve ), it's a rather large volcanic hole - a blowout like Mt. St. Helens only larger.

At a fuel stop, I noticed soemthign hanging off of the BMW's engine.... If anyone needs a lightly used BMW skidplate, it's in the trash can at Love's Truck Stop in Tucumcari, New Mexico.

Next, we're in the Land of Enchantment... and a few more Route 66 stops... And the obligatory Sweat Check... Mark was just marking his territory with sweat puddles.

Like I said, "We're tourists, damn it".... Hungover bastard was lucky he didn't kill himself.

Up at the crack of noon with heavy heads the next day and we're continuing westward. No trip through Amarillo is complete without a stop at The Cadillac Ranch...

Burgers 'n' Beer... After about 6 beers, it was safe to say that Mark was liking Texas... a lot. And fried jalapenos as well. Another first for him.

After stowing our gear away in thew room, we call for the free limo ride to The Big Texan Steak Ranch (see: http://bigtexan.com/ ). Yeah, it's touristy as Hell, but we're tourists, damn it. And teh free limo ride was hard to pass up. Cold beers and good food... [url=http://s307.photobucket.com/user/EaracheBikeTrips/media/Mark%20Grant%20USA%20Trip/IMG_4164_zps11376265.jpg.html][/url I opted for the Whiskey Barrel Stout while Mark supped on the Wup Yer Donkey IPA. Fine beers indeed.

We ride on to Amarillo and find our hotel for the night. All the good, shady parking spots are taken already ... I'm guessing that they won't get a ticket for parking in a fire lane, either.

It's become a new ritual for us now at all stops - a Sweat Check on poor Mark... And now he's dripping out off his pant legs... While I, the older and fatter guy, remain dry... Funny how we become accustomed to heat after living in it for our entire lives. But I still don't like it.

Like most of the towns along old 66, this place has seen better days and is largely deserted now...

Another stop a few miles later at another old filling station; the first Philips 66 in Texas.... Not much chance of getting run over while taking pics in the road here...

Still sweatin' to the oldies...

We weren't really doing a Route 66 tour, but Mark wanted to see a few of the stops along the way.... Just like a proud Texan...

Overnighted in Joplin, Missouri the first night. Not a lot there and no pics taken. Hammered across Oklahoma the next day in even higher heat and into Texas... We chose to ignore the sign and rode like scalded dogs - the Earache and Mark way.