Big Bend.
The desmo bass brought life to the mute barren lands at 0745AM. The sun's rays painted a picasso of Tamburini's finest silhouette onto the bare tarmac. The vast space and the towering nations of rock formations grasped your attention.
The mind could not compute all the thoughts. This wasn't for the brain process, but for the soul to absorb.
A park entrance sign had not been seen, but already the bar was incredibly high.
A pit stop. Good, my bladder can't hold all this excitement.
Good morning
Once we had a formal greeting with the park's sign, the land started to undress itself for us. The first road to slither down was the famous Santa Elena Canyon Ride. Reported to carry its passengers through an escalator of long, blind sweepers and bare naked valley views, it tickled every human sense.
A park and a Duc.
The excitement was comparable to discovering a new type of food you've developed an affinity for. All those years of eating the same cuisine then shaking it up with something novel. Add in the joy of riding a motorcycle and you're in a different mental dimension.
A quick selfie with some cracked rocks was warranted to show my non-existent entourage that I made it into the park.
It's ya boy
Alright ugly boy, let's go explorin'.
The internet vouched for the Santa Elena Canyon Ride. And so our first task was to traverse those slithering roads.
As the miles were devoured, so was my arsenal of vocabulary to describe the beauty of the views. It was simply meditating to have the tarmac and scenery reserved solely for you. No humane or civilized distractions detracted from the aura. It was, and is, untainted visual ecstasy.
Yes.
One moment please
One canyon at a time
The Santa Elena Canyon Overlook spawned after navigating 31 miles of turns - some blind and some not so blind. Its canyon was barren and dry - a stark contrast to the normally busy Rio Grande River. As a result, the rocky doorstep to Mexico laid plain to all of its audience with the door to Mexico open ajar.
The canyons were never shy in revealing their vast real estate, The sheer size of the area was always on display and one signature of mother nature flexing its muscles.
Santa Elena Canyon Overlook
The arena
Kilroy was here
Nice...I'm satisfied. Mexico and River Road sounds fun now.
With a shakedown run completed, it was opportune to haul ass back through the canyon towards the infamous River Road of Big Bend.
The afternoon news
River Road....
It had the setting of a Greek epic.
Riding it was a biblical tale.
The epic scenery and thrilling roads. It's simply art. An appreciable feat. I can only extol about it. Like a close friend that guided me to a beneficial direction of life - there was an everlasting impact branded into me.
Cut 1 - Towards Presidio, TX
Cut 2 - Towards Presidio, TX
Soon enough the bike and I rolled into Presidio on cloud 9. Still in a drunken haze, we looked at the US/Mexico border wondering what other extraterrestrial sights occupied our neighbors' land.
Meh, what the hell.
$20 and some formal BS jargon and voila we were in Mexico.
Ha, Mexico! This is crazy!
Canyon de Peguis, let's go.
Ojinaga and onwards my friend.
The roads gravitating me towards the canyon were unforgiving and relentless. Cracked, bruised, and utterly abused, the road was as jolting as its physical appearance.
Then again I should have dialed in for softer suspension. But hey, anything to absolve me of blame...
Soaking up the sights.
Subhanallah
With my body taking a beating and a growing fear of flying off a cliff I stopped just short of the canyon's main scenic view point. But the side stop didn't disappoint.
Once again, the silence was uncanny in contrast to the hustle of the DMV. You know, perhaps it precipitated a mental snapshot of those few minutes. The sound vacuum inscribed your thoughts of admiration into memory. And combined with an epic view, man...what more was there to say.
Canyon de Peguis. Or...that should be it.
Sigh. Can't do anything but smile man.
With the evening approaching, I was now on borrowed time. Riding at night in the desert wasn't ideal and so it was time to hustle on the double.
Country roads, take me home
GOD DAMN IT.
I've only got $5.
The border crossing mandated $20 to get across.
Well. We'll see if I'm spending a night in Mexico.
Anxiety grew as I approached the toll attendant who was pimping everyone out of an Andrew Jackson.
Him: "Veinte Dolares"
Me: "Senor, solamente tengo cinco dolares"
Him: "...Veinte. Dolares."
Me: "...Tengo este..."
The irritation in his eyes reminded me of the disappointment I would see in my father's...
Sorry, not sorry bro.
Entering America, the legal way
The border crossing was a joke to say the least. I could have walked nude with 20 kilos of cocaine strapped to my body - and still have been permitted to cross over. Maybe could have squeezed a selfie with one of the guards while I was at it.
Maybe I should have. Shrug.
Ah geez, sun is setting. We gotta roll sal.
Our pace through River Road had more pep this time. The directions to the airbnb shack required a translator in Egyptian hieroglyphics to find the damn place. So it was vital to make haste in anticipation of that.
From Big Bend, with love
How is he so cute
Saw some ass and gave some gas
Ah finally, looks like we're here-ish.
A general store off the side of the road was a 2-mile marker from the shack. Unfortunately, the store was closed which left us without dinner prior to our last leg on rough dirt roads.
Great, now we're starving tonight.
The off-pavement directions to the place were comical. I couldn't help but laugh at how rudimentary they were and the fashion in which my day was concluding
I'm in the middle of the desert by myself and I'm looking for colored rocks to find my abode for tonight...
I'll tell you though. In for a penny, in for a pound. And that minor inconvenience was totally worth it...
Isn't life grand
The joint
The shack was fairly cozy. It had all the basic amenities you'd need complimented with some decent beds. A makeshift kitchen on the shack's side revealed an unopened jar of peanut butter and a plastic spoon sidekick.
Well. Food is food.
As quickly as we arrived and settled down did the arrival of the moon with its luminescence.
A full moon! And that night mother nature was bringing the Broadway performance that was the lunar eclipse. Coordinated? No. Sheer coincidence and fortune? Yes.
Strangers in the night, exchanging glances, wondering in the night...what were the chances...
I remember this moment, this night. My arsenal of reactions was now exhausted to just shaking my head in disbelief.
Could I have ever believed life would bring me here? On my dream bike. Doing my dream trip. In one of the most mesmerizing places I'd ever been to. On this special night, in this special abode.
Even now as I am writing this for you the myriad of emotions are being reenacted. Awestruck, sheer happiness, inspiration, gratitude. But it still truly isn't illustrated with words.
What it was...a humbling reminder of being an organism. A spectator to this beautiful passage of time. It was the order of life... and it brought me here to reveal two things:
One - The opportunities we desire are disguised in offers that we may push away. Rather than dismiss them, perhaps we should consider what better things can gravitate towards us if we embrace them.
Two - Never doubt the power of your own will. Outside and inner voices can cast doubt on your true potential. Confidence is the fuel that'll propel you from the earth to the moon.
And for that night, I had the moon to myself.
________________
Before I set off on this trip, I would have dreams of the Duc standing on the road with the desert background. The mental image was seared into my mind - this is what it'll look like.
This'll be the picture to hang and remember for years.
A picture can speak a thousand words. A picture can capture emotions. A picture could capture my personal triumph likened to Napoleon conquering Spain.
Veni. Vidi. Vici. I was here.
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