Roswell to Amarillo(May 28) - We woke, went over to the restaurant next to our motel in Roswell, sat down and ordered breakfast. Next to us was a bunch of old local boys visiting and having coffee. We had eaten most of our breakfast when I heard these fellows start talking about guns and shooting. I turned around and slid my chair over to their table.
Handcrafted - Fairly Priced
A Denny Stinson original holster...

I introduced myself and we chatted all around. I explained that I would enjoy visiting a good gun shop and that I had hoped to buy a nice holster on this trip. They told me about Larry’s Gun Shop and tried to give me directions to it, but they all had a different opinion of how far it was. This brought about a good round of them kidding each other about how long they had lived there and how many stoplights had been put in since then. I talked with Ron and Jim and we decided that I would go to visit Larry’s while they went to the Harley shop.

I found Larry's Gun Shop with little trouble and enjoyed looking around. Over on the wall was a display of holsters and I found a beautiful handmade holster for $50! On the back it says “Handmade by Danny Stinson”.
The UFO Museum

If Aliens rode bikes what would they look like?

We met back at the International UFO Museum & Research Center. I don’t know just what I expected but it was very well done. They had all of the old newspaper articles and the investigations into the UFO crash back in 1947. It is very well documented, and also the inconsistencies in the “explanation” and what has been discovered since then. They also talk about “Area 51”, a top-secret research base in New Mexico. This place is so serious that lethal force is authorized for trespassers. I bought a shirt and a pass badge for “Area 51”.

We headed up I-70 toward Amarillo. Leaving town I noticed that the Roswell Police Dept uses BMW motorcycles. I gave them a wave. A few miles out of town we crossed the Pecos River. As it was beginning to get hot, it looked inviting. When we came to Elida, we decided to take a break from the heat. We pulled up to a stop under the only shade tree that bordered the road, and parked our bikes. We sat down and open up our water bottles.

Next to us were a parked a few old classic cars from the 60’s. I wandered over and checked out the prices. Shortly a pickup pulled up and a gentleman got out and asked if he could help me. Bobby Connell was his name and he sells these classic cars and also works for the city. We visited a while then he remarked that Elida is the best place in the world to live. I said "Really?" as I looked around at the desert and sagebrush. "Sure", He said. Seems he bought four lots, with utilities, for $2,000 a while back. He said if you came here with $75 in your pocket and a change of clothes, you could make it. I looked around and noticed several "fix-er-uppers" and a few buildings that were boarded up.

Bobby asked if I liked to fish. I said, "Yes", and he said the fishing was great. I slowly looked around once more. Again, desert and sage brush as far as you could see. "Where?" I asked. He said there was a reservoir about 150 miles north and that he and the Mayor went fishing often. He then asked if I liked Walleye and remarked that you could catch them year around. "Course, they don’t bite so good in the hot months," he said. I silently wondered what the “hot months” were as it was now in the 90s and only the end of May! I thanked him as I thoroughly enjoyed the visit and excused myself. As I walked back over to Ron and Jim, I wondered just how I was going to tell my wife that I had found the perfect place to retire!

We rode on to Amarillo, loaded the bikes in the trailer and prepped for departure. We had another excellent meal and a good nights rest. Up at dawn and on the road for home. Made a stop at the Route 66 Museum at Clinton, Oklahoma.
Route 66 Bikerfood!
Root beer and MoonPie. One last chance for Ron to be short changed! We all thoroughly enjoyed that stop. The history of the road is very fascinating. Hey, another idea for a bike trip! (Editors Note: Lou and Ron DID return to Route 66 in 2004....story comes soon)

We also had the honor of being some of the first customers in a restored diner they had just opened. We had a Route 66 Rootbeer, and a MoonPie. When was the last time you did that? There was also a TV crew there from the Travel Channel filming things along "tornado alley." They asked us if we minded being filmed while we were in the diner. They said it would be more "interesting" with us in it. (Honey! I’m going to be on TV!)

Back in the truck and more miles to Oklahoma City where we had another wonderful steak dinner while we let the five o’clock traffic subside. Have you noticed we really enjoy a good meal? Our trips seem to be centered around great food and great destinations! Back in the truck! We were now in "it’s time to go home mode" and we rolled the miles down quickly.

We arrived home tired, but with lifelong memories of good friends, great roads, wonderful scenery, and a feeling of accomplishment. All of us had wanted to do something like this for ages! This was the trip of a lifetime, and it was shared with my son and great friends! Next time we will wrap it up with what we learned, and what we would do the same, and what we would change.

Ride Safe!

- Lou Crawford