Jimmy Byrd and students
This was not to be a fund raiserride, but two things changed that. First, due to drought, we must build a water tower for the school and second, the Richard Mascarello family has offered to match any donations up to the total number miles ridden. So keep the water flowing for the kids and hit the donate button.

Also, instructor Kevin Lee is a auctioning off a 2 week paragliding course in southern Oregon to support the school.

See it here.


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Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Today I moved slowly because last night's low was 28 degrees and I was waiting for it to warm up. At 7 I went next door for a "Gucci" coffee and breakfast. Steve, the chef, came out and said he had to look at Scoot. We went outside and I learned he and his wife Jenny, had scooters and wanted to do a long journey and seeing me made him realize it was possible. She is a local radio personality and immediately called and set a radio interview with me that morning.



I met Jenny at the studio of KZRM 96.1 in Chama for her 9 AM "Magical Mystery Tour" show. I knew it would be fun just from the name of the show. She introduced me to Steve and others who came into the studio. The interview was about 10 minutes and a lot of fun. This is another one of those little jewels of a town and people that I just happen to stumble across on the scooter trips.

We said goodbye and away I went. One advantage of leaving later is that it had warmed up for me to follow US-64 across the mountain to Taos, NM. I had planned a route around the mountain because of the low temperatures. We clawed our way up to the over 10,000 foot peak. Scoot was not designed to drag my fat butt and gear on these inclines and altitudes but we made it and zoomed down the other side.There was still plenty of snow and spring had not come to the trees up at the top yet.

On the way up I found a cow caught in a fence. I stopped at the nearest house and told the owner, but it was not his cow and he did not care. There really was nothing else I could do so we continued on. I am sure that homeowner is not from around here, as everyone else I met up until him, were very caring people.

On the way down we stopped in and met John, a relative of Smoky Bear. He is not looking forward to the upcoming holiday weekend as it brings all kind of situations from fire to "relationship" problems.


When we reached the plateau we came across Cassandra in the middle of nowhere. She had walked to town to the Post Office and was on her way home. What is not seen in the picture is that she was walking on an artificial leg.
Coming into Taos, there were several interesting sites; adobe house, earthship houses that were really, really different and a group of students paying their respects to a friend at the location he was killed on the highway. Too bad the camera battery was dead.
Taos is an artist town and mostly in the Adobe style. I decided to quit early and checked into the Taos Inn that was founded 1935.


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