Total KM = 613

Last evening we went for a walk around the Taos plaza. As some of you know we usually have a mascot attached to Raindancer's handlebars. We were going to get a panda at the San Diego zoo but decided to wait until we got further south. As you know the "further south" didn't happen so last evening we purchased "Jake" the New Mexico diamondback rattlesnake - he really does have a rattle in his tail.

Started the day out with a wonderful motorcycle ride out of Taos - curves and hills up Highway 64 over Palo Flechado Pass (~9100 ft) then followed by a ride through Cimarron Canyon. Great views of neat homes, park land, etc. Very nice start to the morning.

Managed to find a post office in Eagle Nest, New Mexico and put the pottery into the mail home. It might just beat us there.

Left New Mexico and got into the Oklahoma panhandle. Prairie fields for as far as you could see. Stopped to take a picture of a really neat old rock homestead that was falling down. May even work as an inspiration for Norma to start painting again. You never know.

"Home home on the range, where the deer and the antelope roam" certainly saw enough - probably over 100 pronghorn antelope but they were not roaming - they were running single file across farmers fields or grazing amongst the cattle. Very regal pretty animals. Amongst other songs Norma tried to sing "Oklahoma" but the words got lost in the wind - yes, strong crosswinds this afternoon.

Crossed over into Kansas. Still could see flat fields forever but now some subtle differences. The fields seemed lusher and greener, there were power generating wind mills, lots of pheasants in the fields but no antelope and many, many cattle stock yards so the smell was very different too!!! We managed to stay off the interstate today so went through numberous small towns - Sublette, Hugoton, Montezuma, Ensign and they are all the same, grain elevators on the left - beside the railway tracks and water tower on the right with the town's name on it.

We tried to test each other on the series "Gunsmoke" as we were riding - discussing Marshall Dillon, Miss Kitty, Chester and the Long Branch Saloon. Any clue as to where we are now? You got it - Dodge City, Kansas. Pretty cold and windy here today. Oh well, the morning will see us getting "out of Dodge" anyway!