Southern AZ...Big Cactus and Rocks.

[TNC]

Decided to take the CRF450RL to Arizona in November, but I also wanted to check out that area around Deming, NM in the Florida Mountains near Rockhound State Park. I’d stayed at that park just driving through a couple of times in the past for the night. A bit of Google aerial search indicated some interesting dirt routes there. I spent one full day poking around the area, and it was worth it. You can climb up a good ways toward the microwave towers on Pampas Road on the smaller Florida mountain, but it’s no joke due to a steep rocky approach. The descent was about as bad as the climb...steep...loose...eroded...LOL!

From there you can go to the east side of the larger Florida mountains for quite a way to the south. This terrain was much like River Road west in BBNP. Not terribly challenging but not just a dirt road. Scenery and weather were awesome. I saw only one vehicle the whole 4-5 hours of riding. This was definitely worth the ride and breaks up a long trip out west. I’m not much of one to call out eating establishments, but I had breakfast at the Sunrise Kitchen on Columbus Road/Highway 11 in Deming. I was heading out and didn’t want to have to do breakfast in the RV. I noticed nothing but NM vehicle tags, so I stopped there. Man, that was an awesome breakfast. It’s a small place, and it was packed. It’s just a strip mall site, but it’s obviously very popular. No, I didn’t photo the meal. Nearly all items are Mexican influenced...Yum!

Heading out again, my tire monitor system for the RV went off indicating a low tire...40 psi that should have been 60. Just down the street I’d seen a tire placed called Big Sky Tire & Repair. I pulled in, and for $20 a puncture was clearly located and fixed, and I was on my way in 30-40 minutes. What a deal. More to follow as the big Saguaros are calling. BTW, this trip was inspired by part of Tourmeister’s and gotdurt’s trip that involved some of the area I was headed to. As it turned out, thank you gentlemen.

 

[TNC]

 

[TNC]

 

[Tourmeister]

 

[TNC]

I moved over to the area that was my main goal, the “big cactus” area south of Superior and east of Florence. I’m usually a boondock camper in my RV, but it was still a little warm so my lust for AC when coming back in the afternoon caused me to go to an RV campground. This turned out to be a very pleasant experience as I made some good friends there with fun visits every evening. Arizona in November in this area can still have some heat. Days were pleasant for riding but a hot RV was the norm when returning to camp, so the AC was welcome. I never had to wear a jacket or warm clothes on the ride.

I rode 4 days in this area. I was on my ‘24 Honda CRF450RL. As indicated by Tourmeister’s and gotdurt report, this area has some pretty gnarly terrain. I’d like to have a riding partner in places like this, but I refuse to miss good trips and riding. I’m sure Tourmeister and gotdurt will recognize some of these location names. I did numerous routes in the area...Mineral Mountain, Reymert, Telegraph Canyon, Box Canyon, Martinez Spring, Cochran, Cottonwood Canyon, and a myriad of alternate routes. In fact even with my GPS and my Gazetteer map, there are so many secondary routes in the area that looks like spider webs. I don’t use other’s tracks or any of those high tech map programs, and this isn’t usually a problem, but that area east of Florence is riddled with routes. You could spend a lot of time trying to cover them all. It’s kind of a free-for-all OHV area. You can camp all over this area which is basically BLM.

The terrain within this area ranges from mild to wild. There’s a lot of erosion in the rocky climbs and descents. I turned around on one section of Martinez Spring as it got too gnarly for me. Also I talked to occasional off roaders in UTV’s, and they said those heavy rains a short while ago had changed quite a bit of the terrain. It was fun riding for the most part with the occasional pucker in some of the rocky areas. I like that a good bit of those rocky sections at least involved imbedded rock instead of a bunch of bowling balls. There was a fair amount of sand and loose, fine gravel in the washes and such, but I had installed one of those Goldentyre “Fatty” front tires that a lot of hard enduro riders use. This really yielded some floatation in the loose stuff and easier impact and rollover in the rocks due to being taller. I’m sold on this tire for the front. I used just the good ol’ standby Kenda K760 Trakmaster II on the rear in a 120/100-18. I think my favorite route among them all was Box Canyon. A little water was still flowing in the canyon, and the shear, narrow walls were impressive.

I even poked around a little on the north side of Highway 60 one day...I think Happy Camp Road and a bunch of side roads. I also followed a power line trail for awhile and wondered if this was the one you guys had followed that was steep. It was north of 60 and well west of Superior and east of that Queen area. One can spend a lot of time in just this area alone if you’re intent on trying to cover it all.

An interesting thing dirt bike related came to light back at camp with those friends I had gotten acquainted with. One of them was a 62 year old lady who is now a heavy equipment operator and full time RV’er who follows her company’s contracts. They’re working on a huge solar farm north of Florence. She was from California and raced women’s MX during its dawn with Mercedes Gonzales. She was apparently pretty competent herself and had some sponsorship. Attached is a promotional picture of her circa 1982 or such...and she’s still super attractive and a very nice lady. Funny the people you meet on the road.

Next I was moving on to the Patagonia area of AZ.

 

[TNC]

Ooops...almost forgot that promotional pic of the lady who raced MX in the 80's.

 

[KsTeveM]

Your ride reporting has gone next level!

 

[TNC]

I moved over to Patagonia State Park and rode for a couple of days. I’ve stayed here before with my wife years ago. It’s a really pretty small lake with beautiful terrain. Unless you take a few of the more obscure, small diversions off the main routes, the overall terrain available to ride on isn’t difficult. However, it’s more than worth the trip to experience the local scenery.

Harshaw Road is a main dirt route to the south that can take you all the way to the border. The border wall is not complete here, but heavy construction is taking place. My map and GPS showed a through route on a great dirt route on Flux Canyon to intersect Harshaw Road. However, at some point a very huge...I mean huge...mining operation has blocked that connection. Still, I’d highly recommend taking Flux Canyon to its end to do and out-and-back as it’s steep and winding with beautiful scenery.

I worked my way down south to Duquesne Road to make a loop back to camp. Though no difficult terrain was on the main route, the vistas and scenery were awesome. The next day I made my way down to Parker Canyon Lake and Montezuma Canyon. There were fun offshoots in the whole area. In fact if you want more challenge, there are some nasty, steep routes off of lots of these main, easier routes. I went down a few, but some of them got too gnarly for me riding alone. Again, I will state that there is awesome scenery all over these routes. I never got to check out some of the continuing routes north of highway 82 which held many other neat looking routes. The camping at Patagonia State Park was nice and highly recommended if you can get a spot.

Next I was headed to Tombstone...yeah...the one in AZ...LOL!

 

[TNC]

I wasn’t expecting much out of the Tombstone area, but I was very pleasantly surprised. Again, I stayed at an RV park...don’t do that much, but it was great...good camp hosts and fellow campers...except one...LOL! I was working my way back home at this point, and there isn’t any straight shot except interstate...NO! I stayed 4 days at Tombstone, and I was determined to do one day that was the totally, tourist experience...which I almost never do. The riding, however, turned out way better than I would have counted on.

Heading out on Middle March Road, I ran into a guy that maybe Eakins on ADV knows from the BDR program. He stated he is involved in videoing some of the issues involving BDR’s. I ran into him at an intersection I was not expecting. He was driving one of those converted van/4WD vehicles. It had a decal that had “Global” something or other in the window. Anyone know who this guy may be? Anyway, he suggested following a route that took off at this intersection from Middle March Road. It deadends about 10 miles or so from that intersection, but it was awesome. It took me on the SW side of the Cochise Stronghold area. It was well worth it. There was some sand, but with the Goldentyre Fatty, it was no issue. I went all the way to the end of Middle March and turned around and came back the same way...beautiful.

The next day I did something I never do...the full blown, tourist delve into a tourist location. I did the OK Corral and even did one of those corny old school photos with a Dead-or-Alive theme...LOL! As a result I actually had fun and really enjoyed the experience. The RV camp I stayed at had a Trump Store across the highway. They had too much really funny and creative product, and I spent a few bucks obtaining some of it...LOL! Interesting story...there was a great Canadian guy camped across from me, and we visited quite a bit. He was a Harley rider and had a big Harley he was riding that he towed in a big trailer behind his motorhome. At one point he warned me not to mention Trump to the older, fellow Harley rider camped next to me. He told me the camper said he’d like to “blow up that Trump Store across the highway”. Of course we didn’t believe that this elderly fellow actually intended on doing anything like that, but that was his take on Trump. Well, the morning my disgruntled neighbor and his wife were leaving, I stepped over next door and asked how things were going. I was carrying this coffee cup from the Trump Store, and I got the coldest shoulder you could imagine...LOL! Nothing was said, and no issues occurred...LOL!

OK...disgruntled individuals aside, the next day I went NE from Tombstone toward Gleeson. It didn’t look promising. However, this turned out to be a great route. At Gleeson you can turn up into the mountains toward Pearce and find all kinds of side trails and old mining infrastructure. Old mining roads are fairly common in this area, and this is what provides some interesting options. So after 3 days, it was time to head towards home.

At this point I will comment on equipment. My RV works and has always worked whether hooked up to electric or using the solar...no issues. The motorcycle...the CRF450RL was awesome. The real benefits were the Goldentyre Fatty front tire, the GET ECU, and softer front fork springs. Now the bike isn’t an issue in itself whatsoever. In fact the bike saved my bacon on numerous occasions. That front tire can’t be praised enough. The rollover and floatation qualities it provides were spectacular. This trip was great with no hardships, crashes, bad weather, or notable issues. What can I say...it’s almost too easy...LOL! Again I thank Tourmeister and gotdurt for their ride report of some years ago that enabled a fair amount of this trip not to be a blind pursuit. I've done a few places in AZ, but I really like the "big cactus" parts of the state best.

 

[bmw111]

I haven't read the original ride report you based this trip on but am wondering if most/some of it could be done staying in hotels/motels. I'm moving away from the big ADV bikes I've been riding for years and planning to get a KLX300/CRF300 and a hitch carrier, something like that to just putt around exploring stuff that I never did on the big bikes. I moved to Houston this year from the NE and am loving it but **** it's a long haul on the Mad Max highways to any decent off-highway.

 

[TNC]

I haven't read the original ride report you based this trip on but am wondering if most/some of it could be done staying in hotels/motels. I'm moving away from the big ADV bikes I've been riding for years and planning to get a KLX300/CRF300 and a hitch carrier, something like that to just putt around exploring stuff that I never did on the big bikes. I moved to Houston this year from the NE and am loving it but **** it's a long haul on the Mad Max highways to any decent off-highway.

Without doubt all of the locations I visited and rode could easily be accessed by staying in motels in close proximity. If you consider each of the locations I rode, I can name a city/town that would have motel/hotel accommodations...Deming, NM--Florence, AZ--Superior, AZ--Tombstone, AZ--Patagonia, AZ. All of these had accommodations that could support the method of travel, food, and a bed that you're considering. I'll also mention that I hate interstates and was able to spend almost no time on I-20 or I-10 both coming and going. I like the concept of "getting there" as much as I like "being there". On the other hand if time is critical, interstates were available to speed up the process if necessary. I'm fully retired so a slower, less daily mileage pace is what I desire now.

 

[lddave]

Heading out on Middle March Road, I ran into a guy that maybe Eakins on ADV knows from the BDR program. He stated he is involved in videoing some of the issues involving BDR’s.

Might have been Sterling Noren from Bisbee . He got a 4 wd van and was filming BDR videos. He got a YouTube channel called motorcycle travel channel.

 

[TNC]

Heading out on Middle March Road, I ran into a guy that maybe Eakins on ADV knows from the BDR program. He stated he is involved in videoing some of the issues involving BDR’s.

Might have been Sterling Noren from Bisbee . He got a 4 wd van and was filming BDR videos. He got a YouTube channel called motorcycle travel channel.

Yep, that was the guy. Eakins over on ADV confirmed it to me. Man, I looked at his site, and you can tell he really gets around. Nice fellow.

 

[Tourmeister]

I haven't read the original ride report you based this trip on but...

Gnats, Knobbies, Bolts, Bullets and Boulders... The Thrashing of Best Laid Plans... by Gotdurt, Tx Rider, and Tourmeister

And,

Arizona revisited 2014 - The better late than never ride report by Tourmeister

 

[bmw111]

Thank you. I have some great reading to do.

 

[Tourmeister]

There are tons of other great ride reports from the last 22 years!

 

[Tx Rider]

Those were some fun times, I've had 4 stents and stroke since then with no insurance, but I wouldn't mind doing it again if I can hit the gym and get in better shape. A half century of cigarettes finally took it's toll. Otherwise it'll be an antique 4x4 adventure for me from now on. I've been building up old trucks so it seems to fit. Currently I have a 71yr old 1 ton dodge truck, A 43 yr old 3/4 ton chevy squarebody 4x4 currently being rebuilt, and my daily is a 29yr old Toyota 4runner I bought new and is next on my restore list. My poor bikes re both in need of intensive carb rebuilds from sitting too long, gotta change that...

 

[Tourmeister]

Those were some fun times, I've had 4 stents and stroke since then with no insurance, but I wouldn't mind doing it again if I can hit the gym and get in better shape. A half century of cigarettes finally took it's toll. Otherwise it'll be an antique 4x4 adventure for me from now on. I've been building up old trucks so it seems to fit. Currently I have a 71yr old 1 ton dodge truck, A 43 yr old 3/4 ton chevy squarebody 4x4 currently being rebuilt, and my daily is a 29yr old Toyota 4runner I bought new and is next on my restore list. My poor bikes re both in need of intensive carb rebuilds from sitting too long, gotta change that...

Can't believe you still have that 4 Runner! That is the one you let us borrow in NC to take Beth and Sarah out exploring one day during our trip back in 2005.

Good to know the stroke and heart issues haven't taken you out!

 

[ET_Rider]

Nice report... just picked up a new-to-me '19 CFR450L and have been catching up on the mega thread in the AdvRider forum and appreciate your input there.

 

[JT]

Thad, thanks for this ride report. Now I've got some planning to do...

 

[steved57]

Great ride report, so much to see & do out there. This has me itching to go back as couple years ago we rode around Portal and then Tombstone and Sonoita and there were lots and lots of dirt roads to explore

Thanks for the report & pics TNC

 

[bwdmax]

Nice report of some excellent riding.

 

[btrider]

I'm fully retired so a slower, less daily mileage pace is what I desire now.

I'm only a few years out, that's my idea of big fun. Yea you need a riding buddy or it can get ugly real quick. Couple of weeks ago I did take the CRF to SHNF and road around on the forest roads a bit and camped near Kell's pond, not a big adventure trip but was good to ride a bit.

 

[Rydah]

Man, it's been many moons since I rode AZ, but that's some great riding out there. Next time someone does this and doesn't mind me tagging along, lemme know.

 

[humanrace]

I moved over to Patagonia State Park and rode for a couple of days. I’ve stayed here before with my wife years ago. It’s a really pretty small lake with beautiful terrain. Unless you take a few of the more obscure, small diversions off the main routes, the overall terrain available to ride on isn’t difficult. However, it’s more than worth the trip to experience the local scenery.

Harshaw Road is a main dirt route to the south that can take you all the way to the border. The border wall is not complete here, but heavy construction is taking place. My map and GPS showed a through route on a great dirt route on Flux Canyon to intersect Harshaw Road. However, at some point a very huge...I mean huge...mining operation has blocked that connection. Still, I’d highly recommend taking Flux Canyon to its end to do and out-and-back as it’s steep and winding with beautiful scenery.

I worked my way down south to Duquesne Road to make a loop back to camp. Though no difficult terrain was on the main route, the vistas and scenery were awesome. The next day I made my way down to Parker Canyon Lake and Montezuma Canyon. There were fun offshoots in the whole area. In fact if you want more challenge, there are some nasty, steep routes off of lots of these main, easier routes. I went down a few, but some of them got too gnarly for me riding alone. Again, I will state that there is awesome scenery all over these routes. I never got to check out some of the continuing routes north of highway 82 which held many other neat looking routes. The camping at Patagonia State Park was nice and highly recommended if you can get a spot.

Next I was headed to Tombstone...yeah...the one in AZ...LOL!

That lake picture!!!!!!