Bettie in new Kevlar riding suit

At Brazoria County Park on the Brazos River

Christmas News Letter, 2010

If you can’t read this in email, see the full newsletter with photos online at
http://tayaratravels.blogspot.com/2010/12/christmas-news-letter-2010.html

Season's Greetings to you on this last day of 2010. We hope this finds you well and happy.Our year has revolved around two passions: music and motorcycles.

Allen's Landing Band is going strong, with frequent performances at Hickory Hollow and a show at a higher profile venue, McGonigel's Mucky Duck.

 

Bettie is now writing songs as well as performing, and the band hopes to make an all-original CD next year.

Motorcycles are taking a growing part of our lives. I've ridden nearly 30,000 miles in the two years since I began. When people ask why I like motorcycles so much, I answer that if you have to ask, you'll never understand. If you enjoy dance, think of that; or downhill skiing; or horseback riding. It combines adventure, challenge, excitement, pleasure, discomfort, and fear in constantly varying proportions.

Amazingly most of those 30K miles have been in day-trips within a hundred miles of Houston. (Want to know about back roads? Ask me.) My one big step-out from Houston was a ride to Colorado (see trip blog) in August with a fellow fanatic. We rode 3200 miles in 8 days, and it wasn't enough.

 

But the big news is that Bettie saw all the fun I'm having and jumped in herself. She took the motorcycle rider school in October and bought a learner bike, a Honda Nighthawk 250.

Only a month later she felt she was ready to move up, and traded for a new BMW G650GS. This is an "enduro" bike similar to my own, but a bit lower, lighter, and more manageable. 

We are in the steps now of adding this and that to make it capable of long trips. We recently did our first overnight to Rockport

and we plan go west (New Mexico and beyond) sometime in the spring.

Together, we've bought/traded five bikes in two years. Some people might feel that to be excessive; they would be wrong. A true motorcyclist would only ask "why didn't you keep the other three?" All of this takes the place of the international trips typical of our previous years. In a way we feel quite smug: we are not troubled by "enhanced pat downs", x-ray strip-searches , crowded tourist class cabins, cancelled flights, etc so common to air travel these days. There is wisdom in the old Firesign Theater (remember them?) line about "getting high on the real things: a clean windshield and a full tank of gas."

Other activities continue as before, things we've described in our letters from 2009 and 2008, so I won't repeat.

And may 2011 be happy for you all.

Leigh and Bettie Anderson

Home and summary

(Note: to view the entire trip, begin with Tuesday, Aug 3)

Weds 11th. We rode from Amarillo to Houston with only a couple of remarks. It was a long day, and the temp was 106F at one point. And I saw a "Miss Me Yet" billboard (not the Minnesota original) somewhere between Amarillo and Fort Worth.

Here is a mileage summary for the trip:

Here is the actual route traveled (in yellow; ignore the magenta). Click the map for a larger image.

and a blow up of the 100K foot ride (again in yellow):

And finally, here are some photos from my camera (not cell phone) that I was unable to upload until now.

Going green. And red. And home.

Tuesday 10th. Leaving Chama we headed straight to Santa Fe and Tomasita's, my favorite eatery in SF. They do a mean green and red chile, made daily, for soaking hot fresh sopapillas.

Then it was time to start for home, and we headed for Amarillo. Tomorrow we hope to be in Houston.
Leigh Anderson Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Suite Rest

Monday 9th. We continued riding through Ouray to Silverton to Durango to Chama. The mountain road defies description. I can say that negotiating 10 mph switchbacks with a precipitous drop and no guard rails places a premium on motorcycle proficiency.

We arrived in Chama expecting another Hotchkiss Motel experience. Instead we are enjoying a pleasant suite with fireplace, big screen TV, couch, etc. And outside each door hangs a decorative string of chili peppers. I HEART NEW MEXICO!

Total mileage: 2176

Leigh Anderson Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Gorgeous Gorge

Today 9th we rode around the rim of the Black Canyon. A few photos make commentary superfluous.
Leigh Anderson Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

The Bates Motel

Sunday 8th continued from Aspen down the enchanted canyon of the White River, ending the day at the Hotchkiss Motel. Greeted by a seedy Russian proprietor and his Olga-from-the-Volga wife, who seemed surprised that anybody would want to stay there. We can honestly say that it is the best (only) motel in Hotchkiss.
Milage so far: 1868

Leigh Anderson Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Aspen in Mole

Sunday 8th we stopped for lunch at a recommended Aspen Mexican restaurant. Their chicken in mole poses no threat to Hugo's in Houston.
Leigh Anderson Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Independence Day

(Monday 9th In Chama NM catching up)

Sunday 8th we left Denver, passing through Leadville en route to Aspen. The route led up to Independence Pass at 12095 feet, a road with enough precipitous hair pen turns to make women tremble and strong men faint. The effect is augmented when experienced on a motorcycle.
Leigh Anderson Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

No update tonight

Sunday. In Hotchkiss w bad connection
Leigh Anderson Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

More ride photos

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Lovely Loveland

The big ride today, the 100000 Foot Ride. Good weather (mostly), enough curves to satisfy the most jaded rider, and scenery to match. We took few pictures since this trip is all about the bike. So here is just a sample, Loveland pass on the continental divide.
Leigh Anderson Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Cliff & Sandy Siegel

Good to see old friends.
Leigh Anderson Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Leigh Anderson Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Leigh Anderson Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Brothers and Friends

In Denver today (fri). Ride from Pueblo was pleasant and lovely. Spent some time @ BMW getting a problem w Kammy's bike fixed.
Then visited K's gracious brother Darius at his home near Red Rocks. Photo of house and views from his veranda attached. We're not in Houston anymore.
Tonight plan to visit Cliff & Sandy then prep for tomorrow's big ride.

Leigh Anderson Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Pueblo CO

Tonight we are in Pueblo. We've ridden over 900 miles in one and a half days, in spite of rain and time spent replacing a lost cell phone. I think I've proved the feasibility of long distance motorcycle travel. The damp and soggy photo I am attaching is our redemption after several hours riding in the rain, taken from Trinidad on the CO side of Raton Pass. The rain caught us in NM and dropped temperature from mid 80s to 53 in 2 minutes.
Leigh Anderson Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Big times at the Walmart

In picturesque downtown Vernon. Hey, who needs Sedona?
Leigh Anderson Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Hot enough for you?

105 degrees. It separates the Texans from the Californians.
Leigh Anderson Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

My riding partner Kamy

Outside the haute cuisine Wendy's in College Station
Leigh Anderson Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Departure

I really do wear ATGATT. Helmet & jacket off for sake of photo.
Leigh Anderson Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Beginning trip to Colorado via Motorcycle, August 2010,

This is the beginning of a trip to Colorado and New Mexico via my BMW F650GS motorcycle. I will be sending photos and brief messages from my Blackberry during the trip.

Here is a map of the route.

View Colorado 3 in a larger map

I'll be riding the 100,000 foot ride in Denver. 

Christmas Newsletter, 2009

If you can’t read this in email, see the full newsletter with photos online at
http://tayara.com/travels/archives/491

 

Dear Friends,

Bettie and I enjoyed the last year of the “ought's” making music, riding motorcycles, and sailing before the mast.

Music

For Bettie, the year was all about bluegrass music and Allen’s Landing Band (www.allenslandingband.com).

The band changed staff, now with Bettie, Renna, and Bobby; the harmonies are a bit different with two female voices, but just as engaging. They are in the process of acquiring a fancy Bose portable sound system so they can perform at larger venues. An unusual   upcoming gig features them in a wedding ceremony; you would be surprised how few bluegrass songs don’t center on dead mothers or murdered lovers. Below is a (poor quality) photo of a recent performance at Hickory Hollow here in Houston. (The fourth person is Kelly Lancaster on mandolin.) 

You can follow the band on Facebook.

Motorcycles

In describing my motorcycle spiritual evolution, I am (sadly) aware that most normal human beings are unaccountably not obsessed with the sport, so I will keep this brief. Last year I started with a small “dual-sport” Yamaha 250XT and headed for the national forest. Encounters with several trees with bad attitudes persuaded me that the open road is more attractive than trail riding, so early this year the Yamaha was traded for a small “cruiser”, a Honda Shadow 600cc, sort of a Harley-wannabee. It was a good bike, and I learned a lot riding it. In particular I learned I preferred the ruggedness of a dual-sport: a bike that turns pot-holes and speed-bumps into personal ski jumps. But I needed one with highway power, so after agonizing for months (Bettie can provide heart-rending details), I finally settled on a BMW F650GS, an 800cc parallel-twin in the BMW “enduro” line. Theoretically, it is a bike one could ride from here to Tierra del Fuego. Here it is shortly after taking delivery.

So far I am resisting the urge to strike off for Tierra del Fuego and am satisfying myself with delights closer to home such as Texas road food restaurants in the Houston hinterland

and beauties of the Texas Hill Country.

 

Sailing

Our long-time friend Janusz recently retired to pursue his dream of sailing. After preparing his sloop Wereda, he headed south to the ABC’s (Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao). His passage down was more arduous than expected, and while he was taking rest in Curacao, we joined him for two weeks.

We shipped aboard Wereda, intending to try our land-lubberly mettle against blue water and tropical heat. In life, learning what you are not is as important as learning what you are, and we discovered we are not sailors. After a week we abandoned ship for an air-conditioned and reassuringly stationary hotel in Willemstad, lucking into a fabulous situation on Curacao’s equivalent of the Grand Canal.

Curacao is a large island of Dutch, African, Spanish, Latin American, Portuguese, and Jewish influence, with much of historical and geographic interest beyond the obligatory sand and sea. We enjoyed touring it thoroughly by car. Here are photo albums of our trip, created by Janusz: part one, part two.

Et Cetera

Other stuff continues as in previous years. We are still involved with Houston Early Music (on the board and running the web site); Bettie is president of our homeowners’ association; I am active in Houston Investors Association (web site and a SIG on investing fundamentals) and another Houston investors club; and I also do the website for the ROMEO Rice University alumni group (don’t ask what the acronym stands for).

And here are online photo albums with a few views of our year. (Click to open).

XmasLetter2009

 

We hope this Christmas season finds you in good health and spirits.