It was a lazy start this morning, but I didn’t have that far to go so I thought I’d let it warm up a bit – and it did.  Not sure what the temp was when I left, but I was plenty good with just my chaps & a jacket – no electrics.

That picture for my brother Lester.  It’s his favorite kinda road, straight and flat.  The speed limit here is 65 but it’s difficult to keep it below 90 on roads like this, especially out in the middle of nowhere.  As the road started up over the mountains the speed limit sign said 55 mph.  I gave that the big PFFFT.  Three seconds later I was introduced to a new speed limit enforcement device.  I’m going to call it a speed dip.  At 55 probably no big deal, but at 80 – it will take your breath away and send you looking for an “adjustment.”  I don’t really believe in chiropractors, so I adjusted my speed, and hoped my back would recover.  I don’t know the story, but I believe this guy failed to make the proper adjustments.

It is one of the most elaborate road side memorials I have seen.  There were several memorials over the next 15 or 20 miles.  Fun doesn’t come without some risk. Exceeding your experience level can be, and often is, fatal.  Or – you can be doing the safe & sane thing, at or even below the speed limit and an opposite direction car just crosses over into your lane……  Rest in Peace.

My destination this morning was the Billy the Kid museum in Fort Sumner, New Mexico.  A friend of mine at the golf course told me that it was worth visiting ~ I have to agree. What it looks like to me, is that the museum opened in 1953 to showcase some interesting Billy the Kid stuff.  Then, everyone within a few hundred miles with something to donate to a museum did, and the place started to grow into what it is today.  Some Billy stuff but lots of other very interesting items from times gone by.

For those who might not know, here is a condensed Billy the Kid story:  William H. Bonney was born in New York City.  He moved to Kansas with his family where his father died.  His mother re-married in Santa Fe and they moved to Silver City.  When Billy was fifteen, his mother died of tuberculosis.  That’s when he started his life of crime and was arrested for steeling a bundle of laundry.  Billy was jailed for the crime but escaped and left Silver City.  Billy was a primary figure in the Lincoln County War and continued his criminal career.  He was captured by Sheriff Pat Garret at the age of 21 and sentenced to be hanged for killing Sheriff William Brady.  He escaped from the Lincoln County Jail (killing two deputies in the process) and went to Fort Sumner to marry his girl and flee to Mexico.  Sheriff Garret trailed Billy to Pete Maxwell’s house where he shot and killed Billy the Kid, 11 weeks after his escape.

The Billy the Kid story is full of inconsistencies:  Billy said he killed 21 men, while the actual number was closer to 10.  Did Pat Garret kill Billy in his sleep, or (as Pat Garret said in his book) was he lying in wait in the dark bedroom when Billy came in.  Who was Billy’s girlfriend, and was she pregnant?  The list goes on and on.  I’m confident that anyone with a story to tell either embellished it to make themselves look better or Billy to look badder – or both.  So – the full truth of the life and times of Billy the Kid will likely never be known…….

This is Billy the Kid’s rifle that he gave to one of his friends after he escaped the Lincoln County Jail.  If you’re in the area it’s worth the 30 min walk through.  AND you can get a tour, which would probably be a much better experience.

Back on the road out of New Mexico and into Texas.  Plenty of time to look around here but not much to see.  I was passed on this road by someone going well over 100 mph.  It’s not a good enough road to be pushing it much past 80 with a loaded motorcycle; not to mention the 20 mph crosswind.

This last picture is for my dad.  That cartoon is Wille Wirehand and he is the mascot of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.  My dad used to work for the Sulfur Springs Valley Electric Co-op in Willcox, AZ.  This building is the offices of the Lamb County Electric Co-op in Littlefield, TX.  And just in case you didn’t know,  Littlefield is where Waylon Jennings was born & raised.   See you tomorrow…..