Last Morning continued

So I ride up to the store / restaurant and I see 2 big neon OPEN signs lit up and I'm thinking "Praise the Lord - I've reached the Promised Land!" I climb off the bike, take off about 2 layers, gloves, helmet, roll everything up, lock up my bike and step to the door and yank on it ..... and it doesn't budge - LOCKED!



Long story longer.... store's open - restaurant / bar is closed - they got well problems!



Rewind 3 hour earlier - I'm sitting at the table in my adobe structure with the sun going down behind me and the lake lit up in front of me watching the mule deer feed lazily by ..... I know it's sickening isn't it..... I can't believe it - I have to pinch myself cause I can't believe I'm doing all this!



Anyways - Park Mgr Ray Drake comes by and I tell him I'm getting ready to get cleaned up and go to the Hideaway for dinner and he asks me if I want to come by the house after dinner.

Well - of course!

So back to the present I go up to the door of the Hideaway and I knock for at least 5 minutes cause I'm not taking No for an answer. Mary the owner comes to the door and says the same thing as above - store's open - restaurant's closed!

So I tuck my tail between my legs and climb back on my bike and pedal down to Ray's house.

You guessed it - I get in the door - Ray asks me how dinner was - and I said light - and Lutrica (yeah I got the spelling wrong the first time - so did her Mom - left out the 2nd "i" - but that's another story!) comes out and asks me do I want chicken noodle soup or chili and beans - OK Sports fans - what's the answer to that one?

I'm talking beef and pinto beans with tons of green chiles in it - and she didn't bring me no cereal bowl of chili - I'm talking Jethro bowl - I mean it must be a 1/2 gal of chili - and you know you gotta have at least 2 beers to a 1/2 gal of chili.... oh and then this is gonna kill you....

Lutrica brings out a platter of fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies! You think I'm kidding? Yeah I'm kidding after about the 7th one went down the old cookie hole!

All the time I'm watching country music videos interspersed w/ home videos of Ray III (yeah not Jr - I got that one wrong too) running the 400 meters.... and this kid has one of those 10' strides that doesn't look like he's running very fast ..... until he crosses the finish line first and the rest of the pack is about 50 yards back eating a cloud of his dust!

Then up pops a video of 7 year old Chance running a sprint - looks like about 60 meters... and he's got a stride like Jesse Owens and Michael Johnson.... you know short stride rapid foot movement and perfect up and down arm motion - this kid smokes everybody else by at least 5 meters in a 60 meter race.

These Drakes are natural athletes!

Ray's Dad played semi-pro baseball and Ray's a natural too - played basketball in high school..... and then there's Ray's great great (I think that's the right number of greats) uncle..... Vicente Silva....

This guy was a bad ass..... the original bad ass!

Ray pulls a book off the shelf written about Vicente Silva - seems he was the leader of the first gang in the New Mexico territory.... his name is used in the same sentence with Billy the Kid, Jesse James and Black Jack..... Ray tells me there are still villages in this area where if you mention the name Vicente Silva, people just cower and go back into their houses and close and lock the door!

Ray's granddad was a pallbearer at Billy the Kid's funeral and Ray's dad was the last person buried in the cemetery where Billy the Kid was buried.

I'm not making this stuff up.

This is a special place with special people.... one part of me says - It's time to go - another part of me says - It's time to stay.... but I've got to ride on!

I just want to express my thanks and appreciation to all the people I met, talked to, who gave me their time and provided me with comfort, food, hospitality and fellowship.

God Bless You!