Days 16-19, Clovis, NM to Home, NC
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The Rest of the Story
We battled strong winds from Clovis NM to home. There was a huge weather system north of us that dumped snow across most of the northern plains. I think parts of the Dakotas got two feet of snow. That weather system probably influenced the weather even into Tennessee.
I had planned to ride to the highest point in Oklahoma and visit Geronimo's grave on Tuesday but we were both tired and just wanted to get out of the wind. We'll have to hit those on the next trip.
On Wednesday we rode the Talimena Scenic Drive in Arkansas. The wind was still strong but we got a break sometimes when riding through forest. Be sure to watch the video for today. There were a series of "S" curves with 100% visibility. I highly recommend this ride to future 40 to Phoenix riders. We did it on the way home but it could easily be ridden during the Conway, AR to El Reno, OK day.
Thursday was just putting some miles behind us as we were ready to be home.
Friday we got home after lunch. The day started wet and remained wet the whole ride. Nothing too serious. We left Wilmington 18 days ago in the rain and returned home in the rain. I am going to have to get a goat for my grass.
Laurie handled the trip really well. She has some neck issues and we weren't sure she could make the whole ride. We had a scare in Springerville Arizona when she woke up at 3:00AM in agony. I started trying to figure out a way to get her on a plane home from Springerville. There were no good options. But later that morning with some good drugs and a large dose of stubbornness she said let's go. The rest of the trip went ok with twice daily neck rubs with Lidocaine and popping Advil like candy.
What a ride! Rain, five inches of snow, strong winds, temperatures in the teens to mid 80's. She never complained. I love that woman.
Our philosophy is to enjoy the journey not the destination when we vacation. We talked to many people when we stopped for food or gas. Everyone was very interested in what we were doing and always wished us safe travels. Several people noticed my website on the trailer and emailed us on the road noting where they saw us and always wishing us safe travels.
For those that care here are our fuel stats for the trip. The trailer weighted about 270 lbs total. We often rode about 5 MPH above the speed limit. The rear tire is a Bridgestone Driveguard 195/55R/16 run flat car tire. Be sure to check out the videos below for each day.
| Total Miles: | 6197 |
| Average MPG: | 34.02 |
| Total Expense: | $491.54 |
| Total Gallons: | 182.15 |
| Average Price per Gallon: | $2.70 |
Day 16 - April 9 Tue
| Miles: | 393 |
| Start Point: | Clovis, NM |
| Start Weather: | At 6:00 AM MDT the temperature was 47.8 ° with 44% humidity. The conditions were clear with a wind speed of 4.4 MPH and wind gusts of 5.9 MPH. |
| End Point: | Pauls Valley, OK |
| End Weather: | At 6:00 PM CDT the temperature was 84.1 ° with 28% humidity. The conditions were clear with a wind speed of 8.5 MPH and wind gusts of 16.9 MPH. |
| Sun Rise: | 6:30 AM MDT |
| Sun Set: | 7:57 PM CDT |
Video
Laurie
Day 17 - April 10 Wed
| Miles: | 459 |
| Start Point: | Pauls Valley, OK |
| Start Weather: | At 6:00 AM CDT the temperature was 68.4 ° with 50% humidity. The conditions were clear with a wind speed of 8.2 MPH and wind gusts of 16.1 MPH. |
| End Point: | Forrest City, AR |
| End Weather: | At 6:00 PM CDT the temperature was 81.3 ° with 39% humidity. The conditions were partly cloudy with a wind speed of 9.1 MPH and wind gusts of 20 MPH. |
| Sun Rise: | 7:04 AM CDT |
| Sun Set: | 7:32 PM CDT |
Video
Laurie
Day 18 - April 11 Thu
| Miles: | 579 |
| Start Point: | Forrest City, AR |
| Start Weather: | At 6:00 AM CDT the temperature was 66 ° with 73% humidity. The conditions were mostly cloudy with a wind speed of 1.3 MPH and wind gusts of 7.7 MPH. |
| End Point: | Canton, NC |
| End Weather: | At 6:00 PM EDT the temperature was 75.2 ° with 38% humidity. The conditions were mostly cloudy with a wind speed of 6.5 MPH and wind gusts of 18.2 MPH. |
| Sun Rise: | 6:37 AM CDT |
| Sun Set: | 8:01 PM EDT |
Video
Laurie
Day 19 - April 12 Fri
| Miles: | 275 |
| Start Point: | Canton, NC |
| Start Weather: | At 6:00 AM EDT the temperature was 63.3 ° with 78% humidity. The conditions were overcast with a wind speed of 1.8 MPH and wind gusts of 15 MPH. |
| End Point: | Holly Springs, NC |
| End Weather: | At 6:00 PM EDT the temperature was 67.4 ° with 96% humidity. The conditions were overcast with a wind speed of 4.5 MPH and wind gusts of 4.7 MPH. |
| Sun Rise: | 7:03 AM EDT |
| Sun Set: | 7:46 PM EDT |
Video
Laurie