Back in the States
After a last night in Mexico in the small town of Sabinas, we crossed the border at Piedras Negras/Eagle’s Pass easily and concluded our three-week expedition in Mexico. It was a little sad to cross the Rio Grande and know that we would not be seeing Mexico for at least a year.
We drove up the US side of the border to the town of Del Rio, then began heading north. Southwestern Texas seemed as remote (if not more so) than most of Mexico, and Kristin came very close to running out of gas as there was one stretch where we did not see a gas station for 117 miles. We met up with I-10 at Ft. Stockton, and stayed the night at an Econolodge for $70. We lamented the fact that hotels only cost us about $20 a night during our stay in Mexico.
The next morning, we needed to complete our drive to El Paso to pick up Dr. Chewning’s truck and the trailer. We loaded up the bikes, only to discover that Kristin’s bike would not start. We tried and tried until we wore the battery down. We tried for a while to jump the bike off the battery of the hotel clerk’s Suburban, but realized that while we wasted time trying to get the bike started, one of us could be 1/3 of the way to El Paso. Ultimately, we decided that Kristin would stay with her bike in Ft. Stockton while I went for the truck. This worked out smoothly, as we needed to pass through the town on our way to San Antonio anyway.
We felt very fortunate that the one day that we really had problems getting the bike started was the one day it really didn’t matter. I think we could’ve fiddled with the bike for a while and gotten it to go, but western I-10 did not seem like a stretch Kristin would truly regret not getting to ride.
Once we had the bikes loaded into the trailer, we set off to complete their voyage to North Carolina. Riding in the comfort of the truck seemed easy after all the hours of intense focus on the motorcycles. You didn’t need your right hand on the throttle constantly. You could adjust your sitting position without affecting the balance of the vehicle. THERE WAS MUSIC! AND BOOKS ON TAPE!
This was an incredible trip, made possible by Dr. Chewning, Rob Gould, Motodiscovery, the Boise High Key Club, and other sponsors. We have definitely fallen in love with Mexico, and look forward enthusiastically to the day that we will take students there to share its wonders.