Let the record reflect that we intended to depart Silver City at 8AM, and indeed I pressed the starter button at 8:03…but we weren’t on the highway until two hours later thanks to a misdiagnosed starting problem with my bike. What we thought was a flooded carb was actually a lack of fuel delivery. Once it was all sorted, we headed north through piñon/juniper country, past the lava-capped mesas near Apache Creek, and by late afternoon we were among the volcanic necks north of Gallup.

In Shiprock we ate fast and cheap (and surprisingly good) Chinese food, and in the parking lot pulled on our rain gear while reservation dogs watched us with coy eyes.  An hour later we were in pummeling rain, and as darkness fell, lightning and  strong side winds had us turning around a dozen miles south of Hesperus, tucking tail to find cheap accommodations in Farmington. Humble beginnings indeed.

Charging the battery after too much cranking.