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14th Annual Smokey Bear Dual Sport Motorcycle Ride

Praying for rain! For many reasons.
In 13 years we haven't had to cancel the ride, came close in 2011 or 2012, stage 3 wasn't rescinded until the Friday before the ride started. The monsoon season started late that year, but did start in time.

Due to the results of bad behavior seen the last couple of years I agree - "I honestly hope it closes at least by Memorial Day if not sooner."
 
Praying for rain! For many reasons.
In 13 years we haven't had to cancel the ride, came close in 2011 or 2012, stage 3 wasn't rescinded until the Friday before the ride started. The monsoon season started late that year, but did start in time.

Due to the results of bad behavior seen the last couple of years I agree - "I honestly hope it closes at least by Memorial Day if not sooner."
A few weeks ago my wife and I were out in the Mule riding with the dogs and enjoying the forest. We were out by the James Fire Tower area. That area has become over used in my opinion. It was Sunday afternoon and we came across two unattended camp fires along with trashed out camp sites. Was talking to a volunteer firefighter and he said last week he stopped at a camp with an active campfire and told the people there that the forest was under stage 2 restrictions which included no fires. The response he got was the campers tried to fight him. Goodness.

I think there is one forest service officer for the entire Sacramento region around CC.
 
Having just checked the weather in Cloudcroft, 71°, I thought I could really use some cool air. Anybody interested in a Saturday / Sunday ride next week the 14th and 15th of May in Cloudcroft?

I'd like to do some scouting for the Smokey Bear ride, and get in a ride in case the forest does close this summer.

I really shouldn't but...
 
I may be able to make it. Would get there late Friday night. Ride Saturday all day and Sunday until 11 or so.
 
I hope I can get lights, horn, and tag for this by then.
D72E6FBD-F6AC-4216-BBAD-649AF76EFA09.jpeg
 
Having just checked the weather in Cloudcroft, 71°, I thought I could really use some cool air. Anybody interested in a Saturday / Sunday ride next week the 14th and 15th of May in Cloudcroft?

I'd like to do some scouting for the Smokey Bear ride, and get in a ride in case the forest does close this summer.

I really shouldn't but...
Id sure like to but i went on that ride last Sunday, about 4 hours. If you make it to Alamogordo, look me up.
That picture is looking down Alamo Canyon, you can see Alamogordo in the bottom.
 
Having just checked the weather in Cloudcroft, 71°, I thought I could really use some cool air.

Anybody interested in a Saturday / Sunday ride next week the 14th and 15th of May in Cloudcroft?

I'd like to do some scouting for the Smokey Bear ride, and get in a ride in case the forest does close this summer.

I really shouldn't but...
The Smokey Bear scouting ride is on for this Sat / Sun.

I did call the forest service office today to confirm that the forest is open to dirt bike riding both on forest service roads and ohv / motorcycle legal trails.

Hope to arrive mid-afternoon on Friday.
 
The Smokey Bear scouting ride is on for this Sat / Sun.

I did call the forest service office today to confirm that the forest is open to dirt bike riding both on forest service roads and ohv / motorcycle legal trails.

Hope to arrive mid-afternoon on Friday.
I should be there Friday night late. I will be out at my place. It is adjacent to one of the access points of the rim trail. I will send you a message with my contact info.
 
Fun weekend. Thanks for letting me join y'all. This morning I got up early and was scouting some dual sport loops. I have had my 950 Adventure 16 years now and she just gets better and better. No fancy screens, no 16 different ride modes (there is one LOL) just pure analog sweetness.

1652660708281.png
 
Y'all better go now then. Stage 2 fire restrictions in place and if it does not rain really soon then Stage 3 is closure. Same issue as the rest of the West. Elevated temperatures, high winds, low humidity and lots of fuel to burn due to extended drought. Plenty of people out disregarding the Stage 2 restrictions and openly having camp fires. I honestly hope it closes at least by Memorial Day if not sooner. Just too big of a chance of fire with people not caring about anything but themselves.

Monsoon season is still over two months away, and in La Nina years like this it is usually not much of a monsoon season.
This! Pay attention folks, this is very serious.
 
We rode some trails I've never ridden.

The hardest two days I've ever ridden.

If you have spent much time in the amazing Sacramento District of the Lincoln National Forest, you see that a majority of landmarks end in "Canyon". I am not exactly sure why the Old Timers did this, other than many of these natural features offered the easiest path to build railroad tracks and logging paths, so they all were named on maps. Canyons in the Sacramento vary in form from relatively broad valleys (Russia Canyon) to narrow passages like Thousand Mile or Corral Canyons. Many of the narrow ones are watersheds when it rains. All of them feature a high elevation end and a lower elevation end. Some are quite steep.

So that background leads us to Saturday with Sander, Craig and I resting at the entrance to a steep, narrow watershed canyon, at 9000 feet elevation. (I don't name anything specifically on line, sorry).

Me: Y'all ever been down that?
Sander: No, but I went part of the way up one time.
Me: Wanna try it?
Sander: Well what if we can't get through since there is probably a bunch of deadfall since it is so early in the season.
Me: It's fine. Wanna go?
Sander: Well......
Me: You will make it.
Craig: Hey what about me? Can I make it?
Me: Yes! It is steep and downhill so we will all get down by gravity if it comes to it.
Sander and Craig: Hmmmm......
Me: Let me check it out and I will holler back up. (I go 50 feet down out of sight and holler back). It looks great!
(We got down to the bottom, dropped close to 2K feet by the time we followed the connector trail down to the east end of the what was now the High Desert. Had a few challenges with hopping over some downed logs, dodging some deadfall, etc but all in all made nice time to the bottom).
Me, Sander, Craig (In Unison): Man that was fun!!!

That is what riding dirt bikes is all about right there.
 
If you have spent much time in the amazing Sacramento District of the Lincoln National Forest, you see that a majority of landmarks end in "Canyon". I am not exactly sure why the Old Timers did this, other than many of these natural features offered the easiest path to build railroad tracks and logging paths, so they all were named on maps. Canyons in the Sacramento vary in form from relatively broad valleys (Russia Canyon) to narrow passages like Thousand Mile or Corral Canyons. Many of the narrow ones are watersheds when it rains. All of them feature a high elevation end and a lower elevation end. Some are quite steep.

So that background leads us to Saturday with Sander, Craig and I resting at the entrance to a steep, narrow watershed canyon, at 9000 feet elevation. (I don't name anything specifically on line, sorry).

Me: Y'all ever been down that?
Sander: No, but I went part of the way up one time.
Me: Wanna try it?
Sander: Well what if we can't get through since there is probably a bunch of deadfall since it is so early in the season.
Me: It's fine. Wanna go?
Sander: Well......
Me: You will make it.
Craig: Hey what about me? Can I make it?
Me: Yes! It is steep and downhill so we will all get down by gravity if it comes to it.
Sander and Craig: Hmmmm......
Me: Let me check it out and I will holler back up. (I go 50 feet down out of sight and holler back). It looks great!
(We got down to the bottom, dropped close to 2K feet by the time we followed the connector trail down to the east end of the what was now the High Desert. Had a few challenges with hopping over some downed logs, dodging some deadfall, etc but all in all made nice time to the bottom).
Me, Sander, Craig (In Unison): Man that was fun!!!

That is what riding dirt bikes is all about right there.
Might have been the most fun I had all trip. Thanks, John.
 
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