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the operations “took.” As I looked around for the first
time in many years, the town defi- nitely seems to be picking up. Lots of new stores, posters for festivals and services for the retired people who are settling in the area were in evi- dence. One new development - as you drop off the interstate onto Main Street, you are greeted by a two-story building painted bright green that is selling medicinal and recreational marijuana. Actually, many of the little towns I rode through had a small marijuana shop on the outskirts. Apparently, the various towns have banned them, but the counties aren’t terribly bothered by them. After leav- ing Trinidad, I took off down Colo- rado Highway 12, which would take me into the San Luis Valley - lots of old coal mines and empty buildings. I spotted a few scruffy characters with pistols strapped to their hips; guess this is really the “Old West.” I got over La Veta pass after sundown, so I spent the first night in a motel in Fort Gar- land, another interesting historical site.
I have a nursing buddy from the
psychiatric inpatient days who has essentially dropped off the grid in a far corner of the San Luis Valley. She and her husband have built a house that is solar heated and powered, served by a well and far from the nearest neighbor. Surprisingly, they do have phone and internet service, so they are far from total isolation. It took a few miles on not-too-bad dirt roads to get there for a lunchtime visit, recalling old adventures and friends, staring out over the Valley and visiting the “girls” (five chickens). From there, I headed for the Great
Sand Dune Monument. At the gate, I picked up my lifetime Senior Pass. It paid for itself on the spot ($10)! That included camping for the night, so I set up in the half-full campground overlooking the dunes. This is one of
52 BMW OWNERS NEWS December 2015
My bed for the night in the Great Sand Dunes Monument. This is about the best time of year to be here.
my favorite and closest National Parks. The Pass is a good idea for all elder bikers (62 or more), because the National Parks charge entry fees by the vehicle, not by the carload or by the person. A couple on two bikes will pay twice what is charged a couple in a car. The Pass, once purchased, will get a senior into all the Parks. The third day saw me running across the
Valley to the town of Crestone. It is sort of a spiritual nexus, with many Buddhist tem- ples and centers. I spotted a couple of stupas (painted/ gold-plated spires) as I rode along paved and then dirt roads. I was hoping to find an old friend from my high school days. I arrived at the Buddhist center to find she had returned to San Francisco a couple of years ago. I had a
pleasant visit with the one fellow I found in the complex of several buildings. After buying some sustenance at the Happy Ele- phant market in Crestone, I dropped back onto the valley floor and decided to head for home. The weather had been perfect, but was just cool enough to affect me as I tore along (it’s a R 100 S, remember) the straight, flat roads. All in all, a very good trip and 500 miles later, I now feel that I have really exercised the bike.
Back home and addressing the blocked fuel flow on the left side. It is a good idea to do this every year or two anyway, just to make sure there is no water lurking in the tank. (Left) The black rubber disc inside the petcock is swollen, which had been restricting the flow of fuel. The replacement is below it. Rebuilding the unit with a new disc ($9.50) and a new o-ring ($4) certainly beats buying a new petcock ($60).
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