Ride Report - Durango, CO

[pb641]

So, a few of us old submarine buddies decided to do a mini-reunion. Four of us committed. Two others had to pass for legitimate reasons. We agreed upon Durango, CO. There, the guys could ride mountain bikes, and I could get in some fishing.

Randy, aka Rando, aka Big Man, road up to my house in Amarillo on his trusty 99' Yamaha 650 (a true mustang of a bike). If this thread does nothing else, it will prohibit another "can my 900 get on the highway", thread. That alone should warrant this thread.

The plan was to ride up the following route:
I-40, Amarillo to Tucumcari,
NM 102, Tucumcari to Las Vegas,
NM 56?, Las Vegas, Mora, Taos,
NM 64, Taos, Tres Piedras, Chama,
Can't Remember, Chama, Chromo, CO
Chromo to Vallecito Lake (this would change)

Randy road up from Dallas on Monday, and we got a late start on Tuesday morning, but we were ready:

We left at 9:30 am down I-40 W, and we stopped at Adrian just to check the bikes, gear, etc. I'm looking at my Gran Tour bag, and uh "that don't look right". The top compartment wasn't zippered. Looked inside and ... shock. Where's my glasses? Gone. I call the wife and she goes out immediately and found them at the gas station we filled up at. They never made it out of town. Fact is, they didn't make it. They had been all of 3 weeks old. OK, screw it, let's go.

Made it to Tucumcari w/o incident and filled up. We stopped about 1/2 up 102. I highly recommend this road. It is in fair shape, nice curves, not too many vehicles. The scenery became gorgeous after this shot with a climb out of the valley floor up the caprock:

We made it to Las Vegas at around 1:00 MT, not bad, and we had lunch with a local friend of mine. OK, Mora. Here's the rule. It's a charming enouph looking town, great rasberries, but you drive through Mora. It's a heroin distribution point. We stopped anyway:

 

[pb641]

Day 1, Still Heading Up

Without too many gun shots or direct physical confrontations, we headed on up to Taos. This is where the ride became truly beautiful, winding roads all the way up. Sorry, no place to stop and take pictures. We got to Taos at 4:00, again, not bad considering the road. Had to stop at Eske'd Brew Pub. This use to be a favorite for my wife and I when we lived there. Notice, we're not quite as bright and shiny anymore:

Then the first problem. There was a bad accident on the single lane road out of Taos where 64 heads north. Forty minute delay, not good. We got out of town, and I stopped again around 8 miles north of town. Rando was wondering why. I said to look at this:

That is the Rio Grande Gorge. It runs for 30 or 40 miles just like that. About 900 ft deep.

Everyone should see it. Rando was impressed, and we got back on the bikes.

 

[TexasTri]

So far so good. Seems like a nice ride.

 

[sherob]

Did you see the Earthship homes built in the ground around the corner from there

 

[lonestarrider]

True story about Mora, do not like to stop while riding thru during the day and dang sure will not stop during the night. Last time I was in Taos (late June of this year) the main road through town was ripped up to its base and traffic was ugly.
Ok, I am ready to read some more about the trip.

 

[pb641]

Did you see the Earthship homes built in the ground around the corner from there

Oh yeah, I've been watching the progress there for twenty years when they starting showing up. It is still growing. I would guess a hundred or so are out there now. Some of them are really extravagant. I was impressed.

 

[pb641]

True story about Mora, do not like to stop while riding thru during the day and dang sure will not stop during the night. Last time I was in Taos (late June of this year) the main road through town was ripped up to its base and traffic was ugly.
Ok, I am ready to read some more about the trip.

Here's how it happened. There was a very large influx of lebanese immigrants to northern NM in the late 19th century through the 1920's. They brought the drug with them. Since it was so quiet and remote back then, Mora became a hub for distribution. Naturally, the locals became users, and it has developed into a generational problem.

Lot's of folks get killed in strange/mean ways up there. It's no joke. You want to ride through Mora, not stop. Randy pulled to the side of the road there. He didn't know that. I grabbed a quick picture, and we were gone. I use to be a DA over in NM for over 7 years. Mora is not a nice place, pretty, but deceptively so. Shame.


I'll continue with the report here in a bit.

 

[pb641]

Onward...

If you want to head out Northwest from Taos, you have to take Tres Piedras over to Chama. Of all my visits, camping trips, even living there, I had never taken this road, which is why I picked this route. About forty minutes down this road, I ran across a fairly decent straightaway to stop. We were around 8000 ft. The sun was starting to get behind the high peaks. It was getting cold. Changed the mesh jacket out for leather, put on the leather lined neck warmer, went for the full gauntlet gloves. I was ready. Rando was still wearing his cotton "ZZ Top" emblemed aviation suit. Where does he get this stuff? Known him for thirty years, and you just don't know what he'll come up with. Anyway after ten minutes of arguing like a married couple, he agreed to put on a leather jacket. Randy, where are your leather gloves? "Don't need em', I'm good." Well BS, I said. Pulled out my backup leather lined gloves and reminded him "this ain't ******* Dallas!" *****in' about it, he put them on. We got one last decent shot:

About ten minutes after that shot we made to mountain range pass, and I truly apologize for not taking a pic. It was a glorious vista of lower mountains to the west. But, the sun was going down real fast and we were in the worst set of curves I've ridden, ever. How bad? Rando took the lead and was about 2-300 hundred yards ahead of me, and at times, we would ride for 5-7 minutes without seeing each other. Now, those are tight curves. We may have pushed it a little fast, but we had to move. By 8:00 it was pitch dark. I took the lead with my highway lights and headlight on bright. We started seeing deer.

If you can set your time for afternoon travel, then I highly recommend Tres Piedras to Chama. It will work you hard, but the scenery is pristine.

 

[Michelle]

Oooh I love the whole area you guys are riding. Northern NM and CO are two of my favorite places.

Did you see the Earthship homes built in the ground around the corner from there

We stayed in one a few years back. It was neat!

 

[sherob]

It's kinda late now, but next time your in the Durango area... run over to Mancos (160 west out of Durango).

There is a little taco place there called Ted's Tacos... featured on Feasting On Asphalt (first season). OMG.... worth the 760 mile trip for me!!!!!

I had a Navajo Taco... basically a huge fry bread chalupa

 

[The Bruce]

Good choice of routes.

 

[pb641]

Road Trip cont'd

OK, the last few miles into Chama, we ran into lot's of inversion layers with warm air coming up from mountain sides and the cold air down from the peaks. It was a strange sensation. If anyone has ridden the "layered" fog in the hills of North Carolina and West VA, you get the idea.

It was now about 9:15, in Chama. I can't see for nothing, because my sunglasses could almost do service for a welder. With my regular glasses gone, I'm looking at the lightest cheap sunglasses I can find in the convenience store rack. I would swear Rando said "forget it, wear my shades, I'm gonna go to goggles." So, I thought cool they're light yellow shades, that'll work.

We fill up with gas, and a NM Trooper pulls up. I ask him about the highway and where to turn in Chromo. He smiles, not good. And says, "there is no turn at Chromo, you have to go on up to Pegosa Springs." My heart sinks, it's getting pretty cold. He then adds that he rides a cruiser, recommends 30-35 mph, and "watch for the deer, they're everywhere." Thanks. He probably thought I was a fool wearing the yellow glasses. Off to Pegosa Springs.

He was right, and the road was full of deer. They were standing on the edge of the road, sprinting across in pairs, everywhere. We went 30 mph as instructed. After 60 miles we make it to Pegosa Springs and take turns going to the store to get water etc. On the last trip out, Rando says, "uh, the lady told me to be careful. there's an open range Elk farm that starts about ten miles outside of town. Oh, great. Then, "she also says that we gotta go to Bloomfield then head north to the lake. "Well, this is just getting better, isn't it."

We call the guys at the cabin to check in. It's about 11:00. Calvin ends the conversation with, "hey uh, when you make that last turn to come up," Yes, "uh its a pretty steep gravel road." "Well, it would have to be, right?

After a miserable ride thinking that every wooden mailbox post was the forelegs of an Elk, we reach bloomfield, ride 18 miles up and along the lake to the turn at the "tanker truck." To the left sure enough, is the gravel road, and it is in fact steep, way steep.

So, I take a deep breath give the big 1600 some gas and head up. Of course I turn into the wrong place, realize it, slow to turn back left. I find myself on a slope of a driveway, no momentum. Then, I knew. My big trusty steed was headed down, and it did. I was essentially stopped, but with the slope, I could not find a footlhold. She went left, and I launched off the right floorboard to get clear. I landed farther than the bike on my chest and palms of my hand. Hurt my right wrist and left side of the chest.

It took us forever to get that big machine up and to a place where I could get on. We were absolutely exhausted. The next morning revealed the bike was unscathed, nothing wrong except a loosened left mirror. In just a few more minutes, we made it:

15 hrs, 510 miles, deer Elk, cold, but we made it to Dirty Martini Time.

The guys at the cabin had waited up for us.