IRON BUTT

My body hurts; it is tired and sore after riding 1043 kms today to reach Victoria, BC, CANADA!!  We left Missoula, Montana before 7 in the morning and arrived in Victoria about 11:45 pm!!!  Not a bad day’s ride.  Al wanted to attend a friend’s funeral in Nanaimo on Sunday so off we went. 

It was the I-90 from Missoula to Spokane Washington, then Highway 2 thru to Wenachee and then on to Everett.  From there we were on the scary I-5 to Blaine, unfortunately we missed the Duty Free exit and I was NOT going back.   We didn’t check the time but decided to try for a ferry; lucky for us it was 8 pm and we arrived with plenty of time to be on the 9 pm to Victoria.  That was pretty good luck.

We are now definitely conditioned to riding, we are biker atletes, I know that I couldn’t have done that ride two weeks ago.   I will be glad to be home; I can’t wait to sleep in my own bed, see my dog and all the girls and I think I will even have a couple martinis when I get there.

LOSER!

Who cares where we went today?  It doesn’t matter because I experienced an unbelievable dessert Martini; It was sooooooo good!  You have got to try this one;  Aleeta at the Claim Jumper Saloon made it for me!  Al was gambling and I was drinking; don’t worry I walked out of there!  He is such a LOSER!

CHOCOLATE MARTINI

3 oz Kahlua

1 oz White Crème de Cocoa

1 oz Dark Crème de Cocoa

1oz Stali vodka

1 ½ oz Cream

Pour ingredients into a shaker with cracked ice and shake well.  Strain into chilled martini glass.  This incredible martini was garnished with whipping cream, and a maraschino cherry.  The rim of the glass had chocolate sauce drizzled over it.

COSMOPOLITON MARTIN

2 oz Razberri Stoli Vodka

1 oz Triple Sec

Splash of Cherry juice, soda water, 7 Up

Juice of a lemon, limes and orange

Pour ingredients into a shaker with cracked ice and shake well.  Strain into chilled martini glass.  Garnish with a wedge of Lemon, and orange on the side of the glass.  Maraschino cherry floating in the martini.

Oh yeah the road trip, we left Jackson Hole, Wy with our winter gloves and heated jackets on; we could see our breath.  After 11 hours we were in Missoula, Montana having travelled 620 kms through the mountains of Wyoming, the potato fields of Idaho and the ranches of Montana.  We went through dry grasslands and then followed the Salmon River through rich hay fields where the herds of horses and cows were grazing.  Descending  from the National Forest into the Missoula low lands it was HOT, 92 degrees when we got into the City.

MISSOULA, MONTAN

620/6966 kms

JACKSON HOLE, WYOMING

There was a huge thunderstorm last night, lots of lightning and rain but when we got up at 6 am it was a clear blue sky.  We took highway 191, then highway 44 which took us way up into the mountains and skirted most of the Flaming Gorge.  The view was amazing from the 8000 foot elevation, the sky was BIG and the air was crisp and cool.  We saw at least 10 deer feeding beside the highway eating all of the rich green grass. 



Hwy 412 -- Carter, Wyoming - Ghost Town

From the highway 44 we went on the 414, 412, and finally the 189 which took us on the west side of the Grand Tetan Mountain range into Jackson Wyoming.  The ranches are huge with herds of horses and cattle roaming in the scrub grasslands and fields; the ranchers are all busy with the haying.

Jackson is the “Whistler” of Wyoming, everything is double the price of anywhere else; our room is $142.00 and not as nice as the $49.95 rooms we had in New Mexico.  We are on the west side of town a long way from the busy downtown where the Best Western is $300 a night!  No martini tonight, it is too far to walk and we don’t want a DWI on this side of the border!   The temperature was 84 degrees at 4 pm!

JACKSON HOLE, WYOMING

506/6346 KMS

A SCENTED RIDE

It was a relief to wake up this morning to see the sun shining and the puddles drying up from the storm last night.  We were off to Montrose on highway 50 but had to stop in Delta for our caffeine fix.  At the HD shop Al wanted to get his front brake fixed and a set of plugs for my bike; they put his bike in the shop but after 3 hours they had not started on it!  The plan changed and he decided he would fix it himself at a hotel, so we were on the road again.

We rode I-70 until Fruita and then took highway 139 north to Dinosaur; it was a very scenic ride with lots of twists and turns.  The road climbed to about 8,000 feet thru pasture land, scrub land, and forests.  Today there were so many different scents; the clover hay, alfalfa blooming on the side of the road, sunflowers in bloom, the fresh cut hay on the freight trucks, the cow dung in the middle of the road, the barnyards, the road carnage, the stench in the bar where I got the martinis, it is never ending.  One of the joys of riding a motorcycle; we experience the countryside!



FREE RANGE CATTLE



We ended up in Vernal, Utah about 4 o’clock; the temperature was a nice 80 degrees. We enjoyed the pool and then we had to go on quite a hike to find a bar for my martini.  This town has a population of 40,000, has one liquor store and I was only able to find one bar.

Angie at LITTLE B’S SPORTS BAR was happy to surprise us with two martinis.  The first one was a Vodka Martini, which had Absolute Vodka, Vermouth and olive juice.  The second martini was a Gin Martini, which had Bombay Gin, Vermouth and olive juice.  I enjoyed the Vodka martini but I had a hard time swallowing the Gin martini; I don’t like the taste of the juniper berries!  Debbie from Roswell recommended the Citadel Gin, and Jesse from Seattle preferred the Hendrick gin; I will have to try both to see if they are any better!

 

GIN MARTINI










VODKA MARTINI

VERNAL, UTAH
350/5840 KMS

I HATE WET BOOTS!

Before we left Window Rock we took the dogs some breakfast; one was laying beside the ditch and the other was inside the culvert.  They were both grateful for the meal of toast and sausage patties! After travelling north for 2 hours we were in Ship Rock, nothing but barren dry grass land with a couple of large rock formations.  If we stopped to pick up all of the bottles and cans along the side of the road we could pay for our trip in a day!

A half hour later we were in Colorado, green, green Colorado.  It was so refreshing to see the green grass, mountains and no dust!  We travelled east on highway 160 to Durango, following the Ute mountain range.  At Durango we headed north for Montrose following the “Million Dollar” highway with all of it’s twists and turns, unfortunately for us it started to drizzle.  It wasn’t cold but at the 10,640 foot elevation the mist obscured the view.  I HATE wet boots!  It was pretty scary with all of the switchbacks, sometimes the road had sloughed away down the mountain and there were very few barricades along the edge.   You looked straight down; I couldn’t help but ride the yellow line!

No one knows for sure why it is called the “Million Dollar” highway. Some say it was first used after an early traveler, said, “I wouldn’t go that way again if you paid me a million dollars.” Others stories said that it got the name because of the actual cost of paving the route in the 1930s.  It could have been because when the highway was first constructed, the builders used gravel discarded by nearby gold and silver mines, later on they realized that this dirt was actually rich in ore and worth an estimated “million dollars”.

We stopped at Colby’s Corner Bar and Grill in Ridgway for lunch and to my surprise they had a Martini menu!!!!! The bartender Deneau mixed up a very delicious Pomatini. We told Deneau about our trip, the blog and all of the martinis along the way!

After a great pizza, a bowl of soup and fries we hit the pavement again, off to Montrose where it wasn’t raining!
MONTROSE, COLORADO
478/5490 kms

No Martini Tonight!

Downtown Silver City at the Java Hut, we were there at 7:15 but it was closed!  I hadn’t had a coffee of any kind for 3 days; I refuse to sip the hotel crap!  A car pulled up behind us and out hopped a woman who said she would open early, before 8 am, and make us a coffee!  You gotta love good customer service; the vanilla latte was so tasty to a caffeine starved biker!

The coffee propelled us up and over the mountains on highway 180 into Arizona where we viewed the fire charred trees and grass in Luna and Alpine.  The unfortunate town of Alpine suffered after the thunder showers last night; they had flash flooding which left logs, dirt, and rocks across the main street of town!

We travelled north on Arizona highway #191 thru pastures that have green grass appearing after the recent rains.  Herds of horses with their young, sheep with the dogs guarding them, and cattle roamed free.  On the street in downtown Window Rock were at least six cows wandering freely beside the traffic nibbling on the grass and trees!  There are three or four homeless dogs drinking from the hotel fountain and rummaging around the garbage bins.  I took our dinner rolls and one of my chicken fingers to feed them; they were thankful!

There won’t be a Martini tonight as there are no bars in this Navajo Nation Capital, back to New Mexico tomorrow.

WINDOW ROCK, ARIZONA

531/5012 kms

Sand Dunes forever!

Highway 70 to the White Sands Monument, 275 square miles of white gypsum sand dunes which move 15 feet per year.  The sand was blinding, it felt like talcum powder and the air was scorching hot!  We watched the documentary movie and drove out into the dunes where Al had to go for a walk to see the yuccas and wild flowers which managed to survive in the harsh environment.  It was quiet, not a sound, just the wind in the sand.

After the monument we continued west to Las Cruces, the highway was a straight line, no turns, no corners just straight ahead for 150 kilometers.  Half way there in the middle of no- where there were cameras set up to take pictures of the cars speeding by, the Border Patrol we assume.  We were 33 miles from the Mexican border and on Highway 10 heading for Arizona and we had to slow down and go thru a border check.  They asked, “What is your citizenship?” and then he flagged us thru.  It is pretty weird to see the border patrol parked below the over passes, tucked into alleys behind buildings waiting to bust the Mexicans who come into the USA illegally!

At Deming we headed north to Silver City which is a mountainous town catering to two copper mines.  We went to the Watering Hole Lounge at the Red Barn where Marita made me a martini.  It was interesting to talk to the locals about the barrel racing and roping events that they participated in at the Luna rodeo.  Marita rides one of 6 horses that she shares with her mom and they did the event in 17.5 seconds.  The other fellow worked as a supervisor at the copper mine and was a roper; he had lost his thumb last week in a roping accident.

Marita shook up CHERRY LIMEADE MARTINI

1 1/2 oz Sour Cherry Pucker Vodka

1/2 oz Sweet n Sour Margarita mix

Splash of Grenadine

Pour the first two ingredients into the shaker filled with crushed ice, shake vigorously.  Using a chilled martini glass wipe the rim with Grenadine and then dip into sugar.  Pour the ingredients into the martini glass and add a splash of grenadine.  Very refreshing!

Marita was the first bartender to give me the shaker with the excess to add to my glass as I sipped the martini!

SILVER CITY, NM
488/4481 kms

ALIENS LANDED IN ROSWELL??

The sun is shining at 6 am drying up the puddles that accumulated during the night’s rain.  This morning the news channel was so excited because they had got ¼ inch of rain overnight.  They need a lot more for the grass to green up and to keep the animals happy; ranchers are reducing their herds by 2/3 because they have no green grass to feed them.  The monsoons have not arrived yet.

It was about 70 degrees when we left just before 7 am heading West on I40; we exited just before Santa Rosa and then took highway 84 to Fort Sumner where we had breakfast. Leaving on highway 20 heading south we only passed 6 other vehicles in 40 miles, the deserted highway went straight thru the plains of dry grass, yuccas, and small cactus. Just like in the cowboy movies the birds were circling overhead of the road kill.

We arrived into Roswell on highway 285 and took a pit stop at the HD dealer; my bike needed a new tire and an oil change. It was 93 degrees, luckily for us there was a Rodeway Inn beside the dealer which had rooms available and a huge outdoor pool!  All for $62.00 a night!  Only thing I am puzzled about is Al checked in and they gave him the handicapped room!  Go figure?!

. 

We went into town for dinner and then to Billy Rays for a couple martinis, Debbie mixed up two of her favourites which were very refreshing!

Lucious Raspberry Martini  

1 oz Vodka
1/2 oz Raspberry Liqueur
1/2 oz Triple Sec

Fill the glass with ice and pour the ingredients over the ice.  Stir and serve with a wedge of lemon.

Debbie told us a little history of the Martini in the USA.  There was a time when the Russians were not liked so the Martini was made with gin; now that they are accepted the vodka Martini is the favourite!

 

Green Apple Iced Martini

1 oz Vodka

1/2 oz Green Apple Liqueur

1/2 oz Triple Sec

Fill the glass with ice and pour the ingredients over the ice.  Stir and serve with a wedge of lemon.

ROSWELL, NM

322/3993 KMS

OMG IT'S HOT!

We got out of Taos early and headed out on Highway 64 which twisted  up into the mountains, climbing higher and higher to then drop down into the desert plains.  We enjoyed our Latte at Eagle Nest which is a tiny little town catering to the RV’ers on a small lake.  The area seemed to have an abundance of deer, buffalo, antelope, chipmunks, gophers, and skunks hanging out close to the highway. Some were not very lucky!

 We took the exit to join I25 going south to Springer where it was 90 degrees at 11:30 in the morning.  OMG it was hot!  Riding south on highway 39 we stopped at ROY for lunch; the local cowboys had the same idea!  They had been working out on the range and had all the riding gear on; dusty wrangler jeans, cowboy hats, boots and spurs and the long sleeve shirts.  Their horses were squished in the horse trailer saddled up and ready to go. 

We pushed on thru in the heat to stop at our planned destination LOGAN, only to find that the 3 hotels had no vacancy, apparently there was a reunion in town.   A cold beer was consumed at the local hangout before we headed back on the hot pavement; thunder clouds were building up ahead and I was hoping for a rain shower to cool us off.  Just before the entrance to I40 we turned onto Route 66 and saw the pool at the Rodeway Inn.  We had found our bed for the night but we had to order in Chinese food as there were no restaurants or bars within walking distance.  No martini tonight!

TUCUMCARI, NM

GOTTA LIKE THE PRICES!

422/3671 KMS

JESSE FROM SEATTLE SLINGS THE SAUCE!

You guessed it, last night we didn't find a martini in the dusty town of Bloomfield, it is a gas and oil service town and they cater to the beer guzzling workers.  This morning when we got on the road at 6:45 am the Shell station was lined up with the field trucks heading out to the oil fields.  They followed us for at least a half hour out of town on the twisty mountain highway.

We followed the road as it climbed up high into the mountains probably reaching the 10,000 ft elevation where the cattle were roaming on the free range.  Glad that we didn't meet any on the road!  Only one thunder storm dropped huge raindrops down upon us, the sun was back right away and we were dry again within 15 minutes.

Highway 64 winds its way up into the mountains and across the sage brush plains, eventually crossing the Rio Grande River Gorge (the bridge) where you can see the river a long way down below.  Taos is at about the 7000 ft elevation and at noon it was 84 degrees.  The town is very old with lots of restored adobe buildings which house the business' and residents.

We went to the Gorge Bar and Grill where Jesse mixed us three very delicous martinis.  We had to make up for last night when we didn't get one!  Jesse was a professional who eagerly mixed up the drinks for us!

Djin Gin Martini
1 1/2 oz Hendrix Gin
1/2 oz Canton  (not sure what that is)
1/4 oz Chambord (not sure of this one either)

Pour into shaker with shaved ice and shake vigourously.  Pour into a chilled glass and garnish with a lemon peel strip.

OLD SCHOOL

1 1/2 oz Patron/Espalon

Silver Tequila

1/2 oz Quantro

Pour ingredients into a shaker and shake vigorously.  Use a chilled glass and coat the rim with lime and salt.  Garnish with a lime!

They had some great sayings on the employee t-shirts!

JESSE'S SUMMER COCKTAIL SPRITZER  

This was definitely a work of art!  Very yummy!

• the juice of one fresh orange, lemon, lime
• 3-5 blackberries, raspberries, and strawberries
• vodka 1 1/2 oz
• St. Germzin 1/2 oz (cactus nectar)
• Blenderize all the ingredients and pour thru a fine metal strainer
• Pour into a chilled glass, add a splash of Champagne and garnish with a ribbon of orange peel. ta daaaaaa  enjoy!

TAOS, NEW MEXICO

370/3249 KMS

We made it!

We made it to New Mexico; all within 15 minutes of riding we had travelled through Utah, Colorado, Arizona and into New Mexico!!  We went to the Four Corners Monument; it is the only place in the USA that four states touch.  It only took 5 martinis!

We left the Monument in sweltering heat travelling on Highway 64 until we reached Bloomfield, New Mexico.  It was a short day which gave us plenty of time to swig back a couple of Corona, try out the pool and sun tan!    Now to find a new Martini................

Bloomfield, New Mexico
353/2879

TWO IS WAY TOO MANY!

We were on the road early trying to beat the traffic between Ogden and Salt Lake City; no such luck!  I was sooooo scared it was 6 lanes of traffic going over 80 miles per hour; veering in and out of lanes of traffic at 7:30 in the morning.

I had found a route that avoided most of it and lucky for us we didn't get lost!  The pavement wasn't sizzling until late afternoon when we were riding beside the Colorado river on the East side of Moab.  It was like a cowboy movie with the red rocks rising up from the river and us riding along side it.

It was 11 years ago that we had done the same Highway 128; it was as we remembered it.  Incredibly beautiful!

Tonight we had two Martinis,

"one martini is alright, two is too many, three is not enough." 
 James Thurber

The first was created by Russ at the Slick Rock Cafe in Moab.

CLASSIC MARTINI (aka pantie remover!)
Fill the glasses (Al is having one too) with ice and sodawater to chill.
In a Martini shaker, fill it with ice, two parts Smirnoff Gin and one part vodka.  Shake vigorously.
Empty the ice and water from the glasses and pour one part Martini and Rossi into each glass.  Swirl the glasses to spread the alcohol around the glass and quickly pour off the excess.  Empty the martini shaker into the glasses and add a olive to garnish.
Russ told us that the olive is used to absorb the Juniper oil that is in the Gin.  It is not for eating but you can if you want to.

The second martini was created by Haylene at EDDIE MCSTIFFS on Main Street, Moab, Utah

MANGO MARTINI
2 parts Mango Rum
1 part Vodka
1 part sugar water
a splash of Mango puree
Pour ingredients in to a shaker filled with cracked ice and shake well.  Strain into chilled martini glasses and garnish with a lime wedge.

Moab, Utah
603/2526

STRUCK OUT

The temperature soars, it was 100 degrees in southern Idaho in the early afternoon.  When we crossed the border into Utah it was smokin hot; Al was excited that he could finally ride without his coat!

We stopped in Tremonton, Utah but the hotels didn't have an outdoor pool so we jumped back on and sweated all the way to Brigham City.  Great place to stay, our Mexican supper was delicious but we struck out while looking for a Martini!

Utah has strange liquor laws compared to all of the other states, there are very few bars.  Too bad that I will have to have two Martinis in Moab.  That place is very "hip" so I think they might even have a Martini Bar.  Wish me luck!

Briham City, Utah
525/1925

DREAM ANGEL

We have found summer!!! We were sipping our Lattes at 9 am this morning and it was 77 degrees F.  Gotta love it!

We started our day along the Wenatchee River and ended up at the Oregon, Idaho border in Ontario, Oregon.  It was 88 degrees at 9:30 pm!!

Tonight we had a difficult time locating a bar that had the ingredients and the skills to make me a Martini.  Surprisingly the bars are NOT open on Sunday, they don't know how to make one or they don't have the ingredients!  Go figure? 

After we had walked a least a mile we found Rusty's, aka Sully's Sports Pub and Heather made us the Dream Angel.



Dream Angel

2 Parts Hypnotiq

1 Part Malibu

2 Parts pineapple juice

a splash of Blue coraco

This was served in a Margarita glass because the bar tender didn't have any Martini glasses.  Mix ingredients in shaker with crushed ice and shake vigorously.  I think it would be better in a chilled glass.  This is not my favourite but I did enjoy the new flavour!

SULLY'S SPORTS PUB

Ontario, Oregon

606/1398 KM

HUCKTINI

It rained and rained and rained!  We left for the ferry in the rain and sat at the border in the rain.  I sang all of the nursery rhymes hoping for a miracle but MR SUN didn't come out to play until 4 pm!  By that time we had changed our destination hoping to catch the sunny weather and a dry road.  Our new route involved Highway 20 thru Winthrop into the Okanagan of Washington State.  The gamble paid off and we rode for 3 hours on a dry road with the sun on our back, ending our day in Wenatchee, Washington.



HUCKTINI
2 shots Huckleberry vodka
equal parts cranberry/lemonade/simple sugar and Triplesec
Rim chilled martini glasses with lime and dip into sugar.  Pour ingredients into a shaker with cracked ice, shake well.  Strain into prepared glasses. Garnish with lime wedge.  Yummy!

WILDCARD SPORTS BAR AND GRILL
WENATCHEE, WASHINGTON

528/792 Kms

SWEDISH BERRY

1 1/2 oz Absolute Raspberry Vodka
1/2 oz Raspberry Sour Puss
1/2 oz Banana Liqueur
a splash of soda, a splash of Cranberry juice
Pour ingredients into a shaker with cracked ice and shake well. 
Strain into chilled martini glasses! 

mmmm so good!

KNOCKAN BACK PUB
VICTORIA, B.C.

264/264 Kms

This is not your typical BIKER road trip.....It is a 21 day journey to the sun and I am attempting to drink 21 different Martinis while travelling 6000 kms on our motorcycles from Campbell River to New Mexico and back.  We have our GPS, laptop, cell phone and "Martini Recipe Book", definitely not your typical bikers!  Two more sleeps and we are off......vroom, vroom, vrooooooooom!