J
Jarrett
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Cool video
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Into the Dust - riding the New Mexico BDR
- Thread starter Trail Boss
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- Jan 1, 2005
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- Buda, TX
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- Rich
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- Gibbens
Day 1: Ruidoso to Truth or Consequences via White Sands, 194 miles
The 2nd half of today's route had us riding south for 100 miles or so through the desert next to White Sands missile range. A rider who had come through here a few days earlier noted that the high in the desert was 114 degrees! Thankfully, our forecast for the day was hot but not quite as extreme.
Still, we were all a little concerned about the heat so most groups decided on an early start. My team decided to meet at the local McDonald's for a quick breakfast at 7 am. After that, we were on the road with few stops.
Group photo in the McDonald's parking lot - from left to right, Scott riding a KTM 690, me and Bob both riding KTM 500 EXCx, Edwin on a KTM (I forget which model), Mike on a KTM 1090
Here we go!
The first part of today's route headed north through the mountains around Ruidoso on forest service gravel roads. The riding was easy, the views were nice, the temps were cool, and it was great to finally be riding the NM BDR.
This little one wasn't sure what to make of the motorcycles. He just keep running down the road. After about a mile I realized he was likely to just keep on running down the road so I zoomed up next to him which caused him to finally turn off the road into the bushes.
Great riding in the mountains north of Ruidoso
After leaving the mountains, we headed west on Hwy 380 through Carrizozo and then into the desert on north side of Hwy 380. I really enjoyed this part of the route.
Riding through a working ranch
A few miles later and the route sent us south back to Hwy 380 for about 20 miles. Then it was time to turn south and parallel White Sands Missile Range for 100 miles or so of desert riding. This was my least favorite riding of the entire trip.
It started off easy...
...but it got really sandy in a few areas. Not a problem on the small bikes we were riding though my guess is the big bikes weren't liking this very much. Honestly, this section was not my favorite. It was not particularly scenic, twisty, or interesting, at least to me.
After the run south, the route turns west again, sending us to T or C. Shortly after the turn west is the "buried missile" which makes for a fun photo stop.
The last break before reaching T or C
We arrived in T or C at 1:50 pm, well before the hottest part of the day. Knowing we couldn't check into the hotel this early, we opted to stop for lunch and to kill an hour eating and chilling out.
After hanging out at the Sunset Grill for an hour, we headed over to the Comfort Inn to check-in. Unfortunately, they still weren't ready for us. The were under-staffed and the rooms weren't all clean. I waited 2 hours for my room to be cleaned. Oh well, what do you expect with so much of the country having been shut down from covid-19?
Mike and I made the best of the situation though.
That was it for me. I hung out at the hotel all evening, kicking tires and telling war stories.
The 2nd half of today's route had us riding south for 100 miles or so through the desert next to White Sands missile range. A rider who had come through here a few days earlier noted that the high in the desert was 114 degrees! Thankfully, our forecast for the day was hot but not quite as extreme.
Still, we were all a little concerned about the heat so most groups decided on an early start. My team decided to meet at the local McDonald's for a quick breakfast at 7 am. After that, we were on the road with few stops.
Group photo in the McDonald's parking lot - from left to right, Scott riding a KTM 690, me and Bob both riding KTM 500 EXCx, Edwin on a KTM (I forget which model), Mike on a KTM 1090
Here we go!
The first part of today's route headed north through the mountains around Ruidoso on forest service gravel roads. The riding was easy, the views were nice, the temps were cool, and it was great to finally be riding the NM BDR.
This little one wasn't sure what to make of the motorcycles. He just keep running down the road. After about a mile I realized he was likely to just keep on running down the road so I zoomed up next to him which caused him to finally turn off the road into the bushes.
Great riding in the mountains north of Ruidoso
After leaving the mountains, we headed west on Hwy 380 through Carrizozo and then into the desert on north side of Hwy 380. I really enjoyed this part of the route.
Riding through a working ranch
A few miles later and the route sent us south back to Hwy 380 for about 20 miles. Then it was time to turn south and parallel White Sands Missile Range for 100 miles or so of desert riding. This was my least favorite riding of the entire trip.
It started off easy...
...but it got really sandy in a few areas. Not a problem on the small bikes we were riding though my guess is the big bikes weren't liking this very much. Honestly, this section was not my favorite. It was not particularly scenic, twisty, or interesting, at least to me.
After the run south, the route turns west again, sending us to T or C. Shortly after the turn west is the "buried missile" which makes for a fun photo stop.
The last break before reaching T or C
We arrived in T or C at 1:50 pm, well before the hottest part of the day. Knowing we couldn't check into the hotel this early, we opted to stop for lunch and to kill an hour eating and chilling out.
After hanging out at the Sunset Grill for an hour, we headed over to the Comfort Inn to check-in. Unfortunately, they still weren't ready for us. The were under-staffed and the rooms weren't all clean. I waited 2 hours for my room to be cleaned. Oh well, what do you expect with so much of the country having been shut down from covid-19?
Mike and I made the best of the situation though.
That was it for me. I hung out at the hotel all evening, kicking tires and telling war stories.
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Day 1 - Left Dripping Springs for Fort Wort & stayed over night at Ed "dualsportrider" Hines house on 6/5. The next morning Ed Hess came over with his trailer and we all jumped in Ed Hines truck but only got to Ranger when we had problems. So Ed Hines had to go back to FW, while myself and Ed Hess rode some 500+ miles to our lodging in Capitan. The next morning we met Jamie "Jampad" Russell in Carrizozo. The start of our NMBDR trip was one man short.
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JoToPe
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Brave crew before lunch
This is a double bacon BLT (Clog Master)
Someplace I had some super nice green chili chicken soup, amazing
Richard the big boss man
Not sure these tires are up to the task at hand
Nothing says adventure riding like a good parking lot fix. Scott working on a leaking fork seal
Some crazy whole fried fish
More traditional chicken enchiladas
The mighty 1090, she doesn't know she is a big gal, she thinks she is a slightly large 500
Victory Dinner
This is a double bacon BLT (Clog Master)
Someplace I had some super nice green chili chicken soup, amazing
Richard the big boss man
Not sure these tires are up to the task at hand
Nothing says adventure riding like a good parking lot fix. Scott working on a leaking fork seal
Some crazy whole fried fish
More traditional chicken enchiladas
The mighty 1090, she doesn't know she is a big gal, she thinks she is a slightly large 500
Victory Dinner
Awesome stuff JT 
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- Gibbens
Day 2: T or C to Reserve, 165 miles
Day 1 - Ruidoso to T or C - was okay. Not bad. Not great. I told the guys that I believed that of all the days we would be riding the NM BDR that day 1 would be the least fun. Which, at least for me, turned out to be true. Don't get me wrong, I didn't dislike day 1. It just wasn't the most fun day of the four we spent riding the BDR.
Day 2, however, was a lot of fun! Today's route took us due west from T or C, across the Gila Wilderness, to Reserve, NM, nestled against the Arizona border. Two sections of today's route were of particular interest - a) Chloride Canyon and b) a "rocky section" noted on the BDR map a few miles before reaching Reserve. I was really looking forward to Chloride Canyon, since so many ride reports have emphasized how enjoyable it was. As for the rocky section, I didn't really know what to expect but was sure I could handle it on my 500 EXC.
I'm pleased to report that Chloride Canyon lived up to the hype. It's hard to capture with photos and videos due to all the trees but it was a visual treat and a fun ride.
Before you can ride Chloride, you have to get there first. We rode west from T or C on pavement, which got continually better the further west we went. Eventually, the pavement gave way to dirt. Chloride Canyon is a few miles beyond Winston.
A guide to the area
Ten miles after entering Chloride Canyon there is a forest service cabin, presumably available to the public.
Somewhere in this section Edwin had a small mechanical problem. Can you see what the problem is in this photo?
The stock sidestands on the KTM street-legal dirt bikes are not particularly strong and are prone to breaking. As you can see, Edwin's side stand is missing, having fallen off while climbing out of Chloride canyon. Edwin spent the remainder of the trip looking for a tree or pole or something to lean his bike against every time we stopped.
My group arriving at the end of the morning pavement.
The roads taking us west across Gila National Forest weren't hard - they were mostly class 1 - but they made up with scenery what they lacked in technical challenge.
Day 1 - Ruidoso to T or C - was okay. Not bad. Not great. I told the guys that I believed that of all the days we would be riding the NM BDR that day 1 would be the least fun. Which, at least for me, turned out to be true. Don't get me wrong, I didn't dislike day 1. It just wasn't the most fun day of the four we spent riding the BDR.
Day 2, however, was a lot of fun! Today's route took us due west from T or C, across the Gila Wilderness, to Reserve, NM, nestled against the Arizona border. Two sections of today's route were of particular interest - a) Chloride Canyon and b) a "rocky section" noted on the BDR map a few miles before reaching Reserve. I was really looking forward to Chloride Canyon, since so many ride reports have emphasized how enjoyable it was. As for the rocky section, I didn't really know what to expect but was sure I could handle it on my 500 EXC.
I'm pleased to report that Chloride Canyon lived up to the hype. It's hard to capture with photos and videos due to all the trees but it was a visual treat and a fun ride.
Before you can ride Chloride, you have to get there first. We rode west from T or C on pavement, which got continually better the further west we went. Eventually, the pavement gave way to dirt. Chloride Canyon is a few miles beyond Winston.
A guide to the area
Ten miles after entering Chloride Canyon there is a forest service cabin, presumably available to the public.
Somewhere in this section Edwin had a small mechanical problem. Can you see what the problem is in this photo?
The stock sidestands on the KTM street-legal dirt bikes are not particularly strong and are prone to breaking. As you can see, Edwin's side stand is missing, having fallen off while climbing out of Chloride canyon. Edwin spent the remainder of the trip looking for a tree or pole or something to lean his bike against every time we stopped.
My group arriving at the end of the morning pavement.
The roads taking us west across Gila National Forest weren't hard - they were mostly class 1 - but they made up with scenery what they lacked in technical challenge.
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- Rich
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- Gibbens
The Rocky Section
The BDR map notes a "difficult rocky section" a few miles east of Reserve. There is a "big bike bypass" for those not wanting to tackle it. Not surprising, my group didn't even hesitate to go for it on the rocky part, which turned out to be several miles of steep climbing on a "this is a road?" completely covered in rocks of all sizes.
Admittedly I haven't spent a lot of time riding rocks so my skill set is not the best. That being said, this section was, in my opinion, the most difficult section of the entire BDR, even tougher than any of the sand we encountered throughout the week. I rate it as a class 3 and was really glad I was riding my 500 and that I had a steering stabilizer.
This section claimed a few victims. Bikes were dropped and pride was bruised. Oliver earned his trail name "The flying Frenchman" when he crashed his Africa Twin three miles after starting the climb. An injured shoulder and ribs persuaded him to abandon the attempt and retreat to the big bike bypass.
Several miles of climbing the rocks leads you to a wonderful view of the mountains at a brisk 9500 feet in elevation.
A few more miles of (easier) rocks beyond the scenic view routed us down in elevation and eventually delivered us to pavement and Reserve, NM.
There are 2 really old (i.e. not modern, not fast) gas options in Reserve which means it takes a long time to fill up everybody's bikes. No sense in getting antsy as it won't speed things up at all.
Might as well make the most of it and enjoy a refreshment as refueling operations are underway.
Once we were all topped off, we took off to ride seven miles west to the Hidden Springs Inn for our overnight stay.
If you look for a sign that says Hidden Springs, you likely won't find it. Instead you will spot the Adobe Cafe & Bakery. That's where you want to be. The inn is located behind/beside/around the cafe.
The only Hidden Springs Inn sign I saw.
The BDR map notes a "difficult rocky section" a few miles east of Reserve. There is a "big bike bypass" for those not wanting to tackle it. Not surprising, my group didn't even hesitate to go for it on the rocky part, which turned out to be several miles of steep climbing on a "this is a road?" completely covered in rocks of all sizes.
Admittedly I haven't spent a lot of time riding rocks so my skill set is not the best. That being said, this section was, in my opinion, the most difficult section of the entire BDR, even tougher than any of the sand we encountered throughout the week. I rate it as a class 3 and was really glad I was riding my 500 and that I had a steering stabilizer.
This section claimed a few victims. Bikes were dropped and pride was bruised. Oliver earned his trail name "The flying Frenchman" when he crashed his Africa Twin three miles after starting the climb. An injured shoulder and ribs persuaded him to abandon the attempt and retreat to the big bike bypass.
Several miles of climbing the rocks leads you to a wonderful view of the mountains at a brisk 9500 feet in elevation.
A few more miles of (easier) rocks beyond the scenic view routed us down in elevation and eventually delivered us to pavement and Reserve, NM.
There are 2 really old (i.e. not modern, not fast) gas options in Reserve which means it takes a long time to fill up everybody's bikes. No sense in getting antsy as it won't speed things up at all.
Might as well make the most of it and enjoy a refreshment as refueling operations are underway.
Once we were all topped off, we took off to ride seven miles west to the Hidden Springs Inn for our overnight stay.
If you look for a sign that says Hidden Springs, you likely won't find it. Instead you will spot the Adobe Cafe & Bakery. That's where you want to be. The inn is located behind/beside/around the cafe.
The only Hidden Springs Inn sign I saw.
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Truly enjoying reliving the experience with your wonderful prose. Feels like I was there with you Funny how the picture of us at the top of the rock road from HE!! doesn't show the 70MPH winds. The reason I was leaning against the 1090 was to keep her from getting blown over by the gusts.
Funny how the picture of us at the top of the rock road from HE!! doesn't show the 70MPH winds. The reason I was leaning against the 1090 was to keep her from getting blown over by the gusts.
- Joined
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- Rich
- Last Name
- Gibbens
The backstory of Hidden Springs
As a group we were very eager to make it to Hidden Springs today to meet Jenn (Jennifer), the owner of Hidden Springs. Why were we so eager to meet Jenn, you ask? Here's the backstory.
In early May several of us got together and did an almost-all-pavement ride of Southern New Mexico. During that trip we stayed one night at the Frisco Lodging Co. in Reserve, a property that is also owned by the aforementioned Jenn. When I was making the reservations for that trip I spoke with Jenn on the phone. After I hung up I thought to myself, "wow, she was really fun to talk to." Later, Stingray talked to her on the phone while making his reservations, a conversation that caused him to decide he was in love with her. He jokingly started referring to her as his new girlfriend. She just had a spark on the phone, that "something" shining through in her voice that made talking to her a joy. However, during our actual stay at the Frisco in May we did not get the opportunity to meet Jenn - she remained a mysterious, fun voice on the phone.
Then, a few weeks before the NM BDR, Jenn called me with an idea. She suggested that instead of us staying at the Frisco the evening of day 2, that we move the entire group to Hidden Springs. There were more rooms for those staying in a room, there was space available for camping, she would cook a steak dinner for us, and would have lots of cold beer for us on arrival. What a great idea! There was no way we could turn that offer down. And that's how the group came to stay at the Hidden Springs Inn the evening of day 2.
After surviving the "difficult rocky ascent" and finally getting everyone gassed up in Reserve, it was time to meet the elusive Jenn.
Jenn was as delightful in person as she was on the phone. As an added bonus, we got to meet her husband, John, and her two sons, all of whom were helping run the family business.
They were wonderful hosts, bending over backwards to make our stay both fun and memorable. They fed us a fantastic steak dinner that evening and then sent us on our way the next morning with a hot breakfast buffet. They provided lots of cold beer to keep our thirst to a minimum. Note - they make darn good pizza too!
What MADNESS is this!!!
Yes, it is.
Later in the evening Edwin corrupted me with some Gentleman Jack. Dang, that stuff is smooth. I'm a beer drinker but thanks to Edwin I might now have a taste for whiskey.
The last thing Jenn said to me as I was leaving the morning of day 3 was, "Let's make this an annual event."
Those words stuck with me, echoing in my mind throughout the next week, until I acted on them. JT and I discussed it and we decided that Hidden Springs would be a great home base for a rally. Call it the Junction of western New Mexico (or the Galeana of western New Mexico, whichever works best for you). After JT and I reached our understanding, I called Jenn and discussed the idea with her. She was immediately all in.
Take this as a warning order - we are planning a rally for early summer 2021, based out of Hidden Springs. Something along the lines of trailer or ride to Hidden Springs on Sat/Sun. Ride Mon - Fri. Trailer/ride back to Texas. I will confirm dates and details later.
As a group we were very eager to make it to Hidden Springs today to meet Jenn (Jennifer), the owner of Hidden Springs. Why were we so eager to meet Jenn, you ask? Here's the backstory.
In early May several of us got together and did an almost-all-pavement ride of Southern New Mexico. During that trip we stayed one night at the Frisco Lodging Co. in Reserve, a property that is also owned by the aforementioned Jenn. When I was making the reservations for that trip I spoke with Jenn on the phone. After I hung up I thought to myself, "wow, she was really fun to talk to." Later, Stingray talked to her on the phone while making his reservations, a conversation that caused him to decide he was in love with her. He jokingly started referring to her as his new girlfriend. She just had a spark on the phone, that "something" shining through in her voice that made talking to her a joy. However, during our actual stay at the Frisco in May we did not get the opportunity to meet Jenn - she remained a mysterious, fun voice on the phone.
Then, a few weeks before the NM BDR, Jenn called me with an idea. She suggested that instead of us staying at the Frisco the evening of day 2, that we move the entire group to Hidden Springs. There were more rooms for those staying in a room, there was space available for camping, she would cook a steak dinner for us, and would have lots of cold beer for us on arrival. What a great idea! There was no way we could turn that offer down. And that's how the group came to stay at the Hidden Springs Inn the evening of day 2.
After surviving the "difficult rocky ascent" and finally getting everyone gassed up in Reserve, it was time to meet the elusive Jenn.
Jenn was as delightful in person as she was on the phone. As an added bonus, we got to meet her husband, John, and her two sons, all of whom were helping run the family business.
They were wonderful hosts, bending over backwards to make our stay both fun and memorable. They fed us a fantastic steak dinner that evening and then sent us on our way the next morning with a hot breakfast buffet. They provided lots of cold beer to keep our thirst to a minimum. Note - they make darn good pizza too!
What MADNESS is this!!!
Yes, it is.
Later in the evening Edwin corrupted me with some Gentleman Jack. Dang, that stuff is smooth. I'm a beer drinker but thanks to Edwin I might now have a taste for whiskey.
The last thing Jenn said to me as I was leaving the morning of day 3 was, "Let's make this an annual event."
Those words stuck with me, echoing in my mind throughout the next week, until I acted on them. JT and I discussed it and we decided that Hidden Springs would be a great home base for a rally. Call it the Junction of western New Mexico (or the Galeana of western New Mexico, whichever works best for you). After JT and I reached our understanding, I called Jenn and discussed the idea with her. She was immediately all in.
Take this as a warning order - we are planning a rally for early summer 2021, based out of Hidden Springs. Something along the lines of trailer or ride to Hidden Springs on Sat/Sun. Ride Mon - Fri. Trailer/ride back to Texas. I will confirm dates and details later.
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Here is a quick video of the New Mexico BDR trip with our group. It was an awesome trip and made me realize why I do not do this often. so the next trip is August to Colorado. Life is short make the best out of it. Please excuse my video editing skills as I am a beginner and still learning how to combine videos together
Also, I wanted to say big thanks to Richard for organizing this wonderful trip and providing an opportunity for some of us to join. We really appreciate it.
Also, I wanted to say big thanks to Richard for organizing this wonderful trip and providing an opportunity for some of us to join. We really appreciate it.
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Hidden springs was really a great place and a big relief after this unfortunate crash in the rocky trail.
Big thanks to Bart team for the rescue!!!
What an awesome week but maybe next time I’ll go on a lighter bike...
Short video of this rocky trail waiting for the rescue while dead trees were falling down around us (not joking).
Big thanks to Bart team for the rescue!!!
What an awesome week but maybe next time I’ll go on a lighter bike...
Short video of this rocky trail waiting for the rescue while dead trees were falling down around us (not joking).
jhansen
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awesome stuff guys!
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Day 3 - The backway to Grants
One of the things I wanted to avoid during this trip was long sections of boring class 1 gravel roads (think easy, long, straight, and not particularly scenic - in other words, uninspiring riding). Though I had not previously ridden it, other's ride reports had given me the impression that today's BDR section from Reserve to Grants included too many miles of that, as highlighted on the photo below.
This is what I wanted to avoid.
Lucky for me, I have a Benchmark Atlas of New Mexico (and it's beautiful) that includes public dirt roads. Even better - it makes a distinction between unpaved roads and four-wheel drive roads. Using the atlas as a guide I created an alternative route for my group that included several four-wheel drive roads. Here is what the modified route looked like.
We rode the southern section of the BDR and then looped back to Reserve to try an alternate road noted on the Benchmark Atlas as a four-wheel drive road going up and over Black Peak. I can faithfully report that a) it is most definitely a four-wheel drive road and b) it was fantastic!
First, I'm positive the road was not made by a road grader. I don't believe a road grader has ever been down this road. Instead, I believe the road was created by some guys in four-wheel drive vehicles just driving through the forest. They drove though here often enough that eventually it became a "road" in the loosest of terms. In any case, I absolutely loved it. Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures of it. What the heck was I thinking??? Now I have to go back and get pictures. Oh, darn!
I did, however, get pictures before and after which will have to suffice for this report. This is early on, before the road got super fun.
The intersection of the BDR and the "road" over Black Peak.
The road to Black Peak. It's easy here - and gets a lot more fun just over that hill.
Once back on the BDR proper, we headed north toward Fence Lake, encountering forest, open plains, a white water lake, great views, and some sand along the way.
At Fence Lake we detoured east to the southern end of El Malpais National Monument. From there we rode north and west on some incredibly fun dirt. After that it was pavement into Grants where food and cold drink were waiting for us. Tim ran out of gas twice on the last stretch of pavement into Grants but his reserve fuel bottles (seen in the photo above) gave him just enough fuel to make it to a gas station in Grants.
In summary, day 3 turned out to be a heck of a day. At 250 miles and with the slow riding on the four-wheel drive roads included, it was a long day. If I were doing it again I would skip the southern loop of today's route and, instead, go straight from Reserve to Black Peak road.
One of the things I wanted to avoid during this trip was long sections of boring class 1 gravel roads (think easy, long, straight, and not particularly scenic - in other words, uninspiring riding). Though I had not previously ridden it, other's ride reports had given me the impression that today's BDR section from Reserve to Grants included too many miles of that, as highlighted on the photo below.
This is what I wanted to avoid.
Lucky for me, I have a Benchmark Atlas of New Mexico (and it's beautiful) that includes public dirt roads. Even better - it makes a distinction between unpaved roads and four-wheel drive roads. Using the atlas as a guide I created an alternative route for my group that included several four-wheel drive roads. Here is what the modified route looked like.
We rode the southern section of the BDR and then looped back to Reserve to try an alternate road noted on the Benchmark Atlas as a four-wheel drive road going up and over Black Peak. I can faithfully report that a) it is most definitely a four-wheel drive road and b) it was fantastic!
First, I'm positive the road was not made by a road grader. I don't believe a road grader has ever been down this road. Instead, I believe the road was created by some guys in four-wheel drive vehicles just driving through the forest. They drove though here often enough that eventually it became a "road" in the loosest of terms. In any case, I absolutely loved it. Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures of it. What the heck was I thinking??? Now I have to go back and get pictures. Oh, darn!
I did, however, get pictures before and after which will have to suffice for this report. This is early on, before the road got super fun.
The intersection of the BDR and the "road" over Black Peak.
The road to Black Peak. It's easy here - and gets a lot more fun just over that hill.
Once back on the BDR proper, we headed north toward Fence Lake, encountering forest, open plains, a white water lake, great views, and some sand along the way.
At Fence Lake we detoured east to the southern end of El Malpais National Monument. From there we rode north and west on some incredibly fun dirt. After that it was pavement into Grants where food and cold drink were waiting for us. Tim ran out of gas twice on the last stretch of pavement into Grants but his reserve fuel bottles (seen in the photo above) gave him just enough fuel to make it to a gas station in Grants.
In summary, day 3 turned out to be a heck of a day. At 250 miles and with the slow riding on the four-wheel drive roads included, it was a long day. If I were doing it again I would skip the southern loop of today's route and, instead, go straight from Reserve to Black Peak road.
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Day 4: deja vu all over again
Three years ago I organized a ride of the New Mexico and Colorado sections of the Continental Divide Ride (CDR). Candidly, I only enjoyed the riding on one day of the five it took to travel from Silver City, NM to Steamboat Springs, CO. Eighty percent of our riding time on that trip was spent on easy, class 1 gravel roads that were surprisingly not very scenic. But there was one glorious day when the riding was superb!
As it turns out, there is a little overlap between the NM BDR and the CDR where they both follow almost exactly the same route from Grants to Espanola. Luckily, it also happened to be the one great riding day on the CDR. So, while I had already ridden our day 4 of the BDR back in 2017 I was looking forward to riding it again because it had been so much fun back then.
From Grants you are routed across the desert for hours of great riding until reaching Cuba, NM. From there the road takes you across the mountains of the Santa Fe National Forest, eventually leading you to Hwy 84 at Abiquiu, NM.
What really marks today's route versus all the other riding days is the sheer volume of sustained great riding it includes. Don't get me wrong, the previous three days of riding were great fun, especially days 2 and 3. However, each of those previous days consisted of a mix of "this is why I'm here!" fun and interesting riding interspersed with sections that were, shall we say, less than inspiring. Don't take this the wrong way - I'm not complaining. It's just the reality of the situation.
Today's route included more sustained great riding than any other day, by far. Hence the reason I was looking forward to riding it again.
Shortly after leaving Grants and venturing into the desert, Mike attempted a U-turn. His KTM 1090 wasn't happy about that and threw itself to the ground in a fit of anger.
With a little persuasion we managed to get the KTM upright and back on track. It wouldn't be the only time that a bike decided to take a nap today.
The desert riding here is superb! It's primitive, remote, sandy, varied, scenic, and just generally awe inspiring.
The Kid (aka Arthur) joined our group today because his father - the Flying Frenchman (aka Oliver) - was mostly avoiding dirt due to residual pain and soreness from his crash on the difficult rocky section back on day 2. The Kid rode with us on the dirt sections while the Flying Frenchman would take pavement, meeting up with us later in the day. Unfortunately, on one particularly sandy turn The Kid's KTM got away from him.
There were a number of sandy sections on today's route. Our small KTMs did great in the soft stuff but I imagine those on big bikes might not have had the same experience. I probably wouldn't have enjoyed this section nearly as much if I had been riding my ginormous Honda Africa Twin.
After several hours of riding, we arrived in Cuba. The Kid and the Flying Frenchman reunited and The Kid decided to ride pavement with his dad to Espanola. Residual fatigue was accumulating for both Tricepilot Bob and myself so we elected to take pavement also. The remainder of the group gassed up and then blazed east across the mountains on the planned dirt route.
Bob and I enjoyed a very scenic ride on Hwy 96 past Abuquiu Lake.
At Abiquiu Lake I was checking out the map and realized there was a section of the BDR that would take is to our next destination, the town of Abiquiu. This part of the BDR was not on our planned route but since we were here, why not ride it? That's what we did and it turned out to be the most enjoyable section of dirt of the entire trip. It was only a few miles long but it made up in scenery what it lacked in distance. Don't miss this section if you ever ride the NM BDR.
In Abuquiu I spotted a lone rider on a loaded KTM 790 parked at a gas station. I wondered if a) he was riding the NM BDR with us and, if so, b) where was the rest of his group? I immediately pulled into the gas station to see if he needed help. It turned out to be Hazmat (Matt) here on TWT. He was touring NM solo on his nearly new 790. We visited for a while, enjoyed some ice cream and then headed our different ways.
At the hotel in Espanola, bikes were unpacked, alcohol was consumed, stories were told, field expedient repairs were made, and dinner was sought out.
A casualty of war. Removed in the parking lot from an Africa Twin.
If for some crazy reason I could only ride one section of the NM BDR, this would be the section I would choose.
Three years ago I organized a ride of the New Mexico and Colorado sections of the Continental Divide Ride (CDR). Candidly, I only enjoyed the riding on one day of the five it took to travel from Silver City, NM to Steamboat Springs, CO. Eighty percent of our riding time on that trip was spent on easy, class 1 gravel roads that were surprisingly not very scenic. But there was one glorious day when the riding was superb!
As it turns out, there is a little overlap between the NM BDR and the CDR where they both follow almost exactly the same route from Grants to Espanola. Luckily, it also happened to be the one great riding day on the CDR. So, while I had already ridden our day 4 of the BDR back in 2017 I was looking forward to riding it again because it had been so much fun back then.
From Grants you are routed across the desert for hours of great riding until reaching Cuba, NM. From there the road takes you across the mountains of the Santa Fe National Forest, eventually leading you to Hwy 84 at Abiquiu, NM.
What really marks today's route versus all the other riding days is the sheer volume of sustained great riding it includes. Don't get me wrong, the previous three days of riding were great fun, especially days 2 and 3. However, each of those previous days consisted of a mix of "this is why I'm here!" fun and interesting riding interspersed with sections that were, shall we say, less than inspiring. Don't take this the wrong way - I'm not complaining. It's just the reality of the situation.
Today's route included more sustained great riding than any other day, by far. Hence the reason I was looking forward to riding it again.
Shortly after leaving Grants and venturing into the desert, Mike attempted a U-turn. His KTM 1090 wasn't happy about that and threw itself to the ground in a fit of anger.
With a little persuasion we managed to get the KTM upright and back on track. It wouldn't be the only time that a bike decided to take a nap today.
The desert riding here is superb! It's primitive, remote, sandy, varied, scenic, and just generally awe inspiring.
The Kid (aka Arthur) joined our group today because his father - the Flying Frenchman (aka Oliver) - was mostly avoiding dirt due to residual pain and soreness from his crash on the difficult rocky section back on day 2. The Kid rode with us on the dirt sections while the Flying Frenchman would take pavement, meeting up with us later in the day. Unfortunately, on one particularly sandy turn The Kid's KTM got away from him.
There were a number of sandy sections on today's route. Our small KTMs did great in the soft stuff but I imagine those on big bikes might not have had the same experience. I probably wouldn't have enjoyed this section nearly as much if I had been riding my ginormous Honda Africa Twin.
After several hours of riding, we arrived in Cuba. The Kid and the Flying Frenchman reunited and The Kid decided to ride pavement with his dad to Espanola. Residual fatigue was accumulating for both Tricepilot Bob and myself so we elected to take pavement also. The remainder of the group gassed up and then blazed east across the mountains on the planned dirt route.
Bob and I enjoyed a very scenic ride on Hwy 96 past Abuquiu Lake.
At Abiquiu Lake I was checking out the map and realized there was a section of the BDR that would take is to our next destination, the town of Abiquiu. This part of the BDR was not on our planned route but since we were here, why not ride it? That's what we did and it turned out to be the most enjoyable section of dirt of the entire trip. It was only a few miles long but it made up in scenery what it lacked in distance. Don't miss this section if you ever ride the NM BDR.
In Abuquiu I spotted a lone rider on a loaded KTM 790 parked at a gas station. I wondered if a) he was riding the NM BDR with us and, if so, b) where was the rest of his group? I immediately pulled into the gas station to see if he needed help. It turned out to be Hazmat (Matt) here on TWT. He was touring NM solo on his nearly new 790. We visited for a while, enjoyed some ice cream and then headed our different ways.
At the hotel in Espanola, bikes were unpacked, alcohol was consumed, stories were told, field expedient repairs were made, and dinner was sought out.
A casualty of war. Removed in the parking lot from an Africa Twin.
If for some crazy reason I could only ride one section of the NM BDR, this would be the section I would choose.
managed to get snaps of 2 of the 3 riders who went by as we lunched in the shade of a big mushroom rock
sandman
0
Looks like an awesome ride keep the pictures and the story coming.
San1k
0
Really appreciate the pictures, stories, and inspiration.
I'm looking forward to this ride even more now.
I'm looking forward to this ride even more now.
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Your video doesn't do that rocky trail justice. Was mush steeper and looser that it appears.
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