Day 5: Jemez Mountain Trail National Scenic Byway
Day four marked the end of our BDR riding. It was time to turn south and begin the journey back to Ruidoso. If we took the most direct pavement route it was only 215 miles to Ruidoso. However, no one wanted to ride 215 miles of straight, boring highway. And with it being Thursday, there was no reason to hurry back today. We couldn't get back to Texas before the weekend so let's have another fun day and then head back tomorrow.
When I was putting the route together for this ride I deliberately made today a short day at just 103 miles. My thinking was that a) most of us would be tired after four long days of dirt riding and b) a short day would give us time to do some sightseeing off the bike. The
Jemez Mountain Trail National Scenic Byway seemed the perfect route for today to accomplish both a and b. It was all pavement (i.e. easy riding) and there were lots of things to stop and see along the way, including Bandelier National Monument, Los Alamos, and the Gilman Tunnels. After all, we are dual sport adventure riders - which means we like riding both dirt and pavement (as long as it is scenic, twisty, or both).
Of course when I planned the route last year there was no pandemic throwing a wild card at us and shutting down most parks/monuments/etc. So much for sightseeing off the bike. Instead, I came up with an alternate dirt route for my group that was noted on the Butler New Mexico map as a particularly scenic dirt road.
I'm happy to report the Butler map did not lead us astray. The dirt road turned out to be fantastic! It went west across the mountains, taking us up to 11,000 feet in elevation, and included a steep rocky downhill section that was incredibly fun.
In fact, for anyone reading this in the future that wants to re-create this ride, my suggestion is to take the dirt route out of Espanola instead of the pavement route. The dirt route is not to be missed, in my opinion.
Here's the all-pavement route I had originally planned for us to ride.
This is the route we actually rode.
Climbing the mountains with Espanola in the distant background.
The rocky downhill section. Pictures never tell the full story - it always looks less steep in a photo that it was in real life.
You never get too old to pop-a-wheelie!
Yes, very true.
Unfortunately, we could not ride all of the planned route due to some of the dirt sections being closed due to corona. We rode what we could and took pavement bypasses as required.
Once in Bernallilo, it was time for a celebratory beverage, a group photo, and then dinner and drinks.
This ends my ride report. The next day was a 200 mile jaunt back to Ruidoso. We rode a lot of highway, a little dirt, visited a really cool Pueblo mission (Gran Quivira) - thank you Edwin for suggesting it - and got rained on.
Summary
Would I do it again? Yes, in a heartbeat. It was a wonderful trip, worthy of repeating.
However, I would modify the route a bit. First, I would find a potentially fun route between Albuquerque and Truth or Consequences (T or C)and make my staring point T or C, skipping the section between Ruidoso and T or C. Second, I would modify the section from Reserve to Grants, skip the southern loop in the morning, take the road over Black Peak and route through El Malpais. Third, I would make sure to include the BDR section through Abiqui Lake. Lastly, I would take the dirt out of Espanola, rather than the scenic pavement I had originally planned.
Of course, that's just my opinion. As they say, your mileage may vary.
In any case, thanks for letting us share our pics and stories with you.