Recuperation
I needed one more day. Thanks to my brother Tank for hooking me up with a sweet room for one extra night. And thanks to his Starwood Preferred Guest status, I didn't have to check out until 4 p.m. I needed it. I was completely exhausted -- mentally and physically.

So when I left you last night... I got back from the laundromat. (I'm still not up for the laundromat story. It's not much of a story. You're not missing much.) At this point I was barely awake. I went upstairs, got my bike cover (thanks Sweetie) and headed back down to tuck Nina in for the night. I start putting the cover on and I realize that the pipes were still hot. In my half-asleep state I never let her cool down. My room is in the far corner of the top floor, so I figure I'll go in to the lounge and have a drink. By the time I'm done Nina will be ready for bed and so will I.

So I sit at the bar and immediately notice that the bartender is having a rough night because of a group of business-types acting like jerks. I order my drink -- a Cuba Libra. As she is sprinkling a drop or two of Coke into my Captain, I check out the bar as I always do. (I like to see what I would change if it were my bar.) And there, before me, I see it. "Thar she blows!" I yelled. "A hump like a snow hill! It is Moby Dick." (By the way, that happens on page 524 of a 550 page book. That Melville sure can build some characters.)

Anyway, what I saw was a bottle of Patrón Anejo. Patrón Anejo is the best tequila ever made. All other tequilas pale by comparison. It is made in very small quantities and it is very hard to find (the silver and respado versions are readily available). Think of a great Irish wiskey. Smooth and delicate. No chaser needed. No harsh burn on its way down. I don't even like tequilla, and I will never turn down Patrón. And I didn't.

I mentioned to the barkeep that I was astonished to see a full bottle of the Anejo collecting dust. And that I hadn't seen a bottle for a few years (granted, the bars I now go to are in Missouri).

"Who are you that is so wise in the ways of tequila?" she asked. (Not really, but I hadn't referenced "The Holy Grail" yet.) Seriously though, appreciating that I was not being a jerk like aforementioned suits, she said something about how they were allowed to test any older bottles and offered me a shot. It's a $12 shot and I wasn't about to say no. Tired or not, I've got a sworn duty.

So I slept very well, thank you very much. And I used every bit of that 4 p.m. check-out time.

With a short day of traveling today, I made it to Tucson under very nice riding conditions. A bit warm for full leathers, but I was on an interstate, so leathers I wore. Tomorrow the birding begins. I feel refreshed and ready to go. It is amazing what a difference a day can make.