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Turtling thru New Mexico w/no plan

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Thanks indeed for sharing and congratulations on the trip. And what a mesmerizing write up. Gina you have a gift for writing that is almost poetic and Scott's night sky photos were pretty spectacular as well. Enjoyed this tremendously! :clap:Thanks again!
 
need2tour said:
Thanks indeed for sharing and congratulations on the trip. And what a mesmerizing write up. Gina you have a gift for writing that is almost poetic and Scott's night sky photos were pretty spectacular as well. Enjoyed this tremendously! :clap:Thanks again!
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Bill,

what an awesome compliment! Thank you.

Just for that, I am subjecting you to more:

http://www.twtex.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1306755#post1306755

is a write-up of a morning ride from last summer.

Thanks for the kind words. (and how cool, I now have a face to go with your screen name; it was nice to make the connection at the Cool M & G.)

:rider:
 
M38A1 said:
This is over in the Riding Video section, but figured it's still part of the overall trip Ride Report with some different content so here it is..... The trip video (my first real attempt at something like this).
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Scott, really enjoyed that video. Good job putting it together.
Goes perfect with this great trip report. Thanks for sharing.
 
SpiritAtBay said:
Bill,

what an awesome compliment! Thank you.

Just for that, I am subjecting you to more:

http://www.twtex.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1306755#post1306755

is a write-up of a morning ride from last summer.

Thanks for the kind words. (and how cool, I now have a face to go with your screen name; it was nice to make the connection at the Cool M & G.)

:rider:
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Gina,
Thank you for sharing that one summer day ride as well. You truly have a gift for concisely detailing your experiences and thoughts and create something that takes the readers along on the ride. We just don't feel the wind and the vibrations from the engine revs and the lean of the bike. (Got my own GS thanks.LOL) Look forward to reading more in the future.
It was great seeing both you and Scott up in Cool,Tx. also. Keep up the good riding and writing!
 
Great story and a Great place to roam. Artesia! What memories! One of my many trips was primarily to see and shoot the statue displays in that town I had seen a hint of in a ride report years back. Not sure where I ended up after that.
I see the Drilling Rig in the back ground on one of your photos. Hope ya'll got to visit the cowboy set ups also. Amazing work.
Kinda sorta grinned on the " not enuff clothing " Carry electric stuff year around when dealing with our West."
Enjoyed to pics, vid and narration. Thanks for sharing.
 
Great report. Congrats on traveling with Scott for more than a day!
Just kidding. I remember riding down to Wimberley for a cup of coffee with him.
Good times.
 
Daytrader said:
I remember riding down to Wimberley for a cup of coffee with him.
Good times.
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Yes! That was a grand day indeed..... Two big honkin' GS's at Wowi-Maui Coffee, sittin' on the porch just passing time.

Get back down here and let's do a repeat!
 
Thanks for commenting on the RR.

We sure had a fun time on that trip.

Can't wait to do something like that again.

:rider:
 
I'll have to look it up. I'm thinking a sequel to "New Mexico - No Plans" might be "Nova Scotia - Nada Clue". lol :rider:

.
 
The Cabot Trail in Nova Scotia is amazing. I'm going to try and ride a part of it this's summer as long as the job keeps me about 7 hours away.
Folks in NS are ALMOST as friendly as Texans. ;-)
 
Well, it was the Summer of '02, and I had just traded in a '97 R11R for an '02 R1150GS and rigged it out for me.
I took off on a 14 day vacation with Nova Scotia on my mind. But, Playing on the back roads though out all the mountains up to Northern New York and a day at Lake George for the big rally there. Then playing around in Vermont and New Hampshire, by the time I got into Maine, I didn't have enough time to make it up there. Still never made it up there.
Oh well ;-(
 
achesley said:
I took off on a 14 day vacation with Nova Scotia on my mind. But, Playing on the back roads though out all the mountains up to Northern New York and a day at Lake George for the big rally there. Then playing around in Vermont and New Hampshire, by the time I got into Maine, I didn't have enough time to make it up there. Still never made it up there.
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Good point and I have heard about such experiences before from other two-wheeled enthusiasts. Some folks get obsessed about going to the extremes reaches of Alaska, but when they ride the Canadian province of British Colombia they soon realize it contains about 90 percent of what Alaska offers in terms of scenery and also the added plus of more stable weather patterns. Those riders decide to ride their instead.

Virginia and all states north are superb for riding - Vermont and New Hampshire have the dramatic changes in topography that any region north NH can't match.

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RB
 
Peter,
Last month, I was asked to go to a Biker Club meeting to talk about LD traveling. I was asked What 5 Places you would want to go back to? Anywhere in the Canyonlands of Utah was one of the 5. The others, Icefields up in Canada, Pacific Coast from Washington to Mexico, Anywhere in the Pacific mountain chain, Anywhere in the Rocky mountain Chain.
 
A group ride into Arches NP in 2008 was my first true offroad ride. Cut my teeth onto sand,gravel,mud (we labeled it whale snot, it stuck to everything) with the encouragement of some more seasoned offroad riders. It was such a good time, and it was the last time i was there. But the memories of that week are so vivid, as if it happened last week. The stay in Moab was the icing too, stayed in a campground in town called By The Creek. Wonderful place.

Must.Go.Back.
 
bwdmax said:
I determined a long time ago that the temp rating on a sleeping bag is temp at which you can survive not be comfortable.:lol2:

:coffee:
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Agreed, sleeping bag manufactureres have 3 very different classes of temp ratings…survival, comfort, and forget the last one. And they don’t have to advertise which ratings theirs are. Best to get the warmest rated. Also your ground pad is very important. I had same experience in late Sept stealth camping in Williams, AZ (grand canyon) and Yosemite, only had a wool blanket and 30 degree bag… temps were only upper 30’s…..no sleep at all.
 
SpiritAtBay said:
Late in the week, my boss asked me if I’d like the following week off. Immediately I began thinking of a road trip on the bike. Scott (M38A1) is game, so without much planning, we settled on New Mexico and started packing.


Day 1: 13oct mon
We get a late start out of Kerrville as I wanted to start the trip with a fresh rear tire and Monday morning was the earliest it could be done. That and more last minute packing, arranging and rearranging and finally, at 2:00 in the afternoon we were off like the proverbial herd of turtles.

View attachment 190438

15 minutes out of Ozona, and it suddenly looked like we had been dropped into a western movie. Mesas and plateaus filled the horizon.

An hour more and we pass wind farms. Those gigantic spinning arms fascinate me. (Maybe it is as simple as a baby who is spell bound by a ceiling fan.) I spy a ranch gate with a sign on it, three prickly pear leaves in the shape of a windmill. Very apropos.

The mesas and plateaus become molded, soft, round shapes that look as comfortable as an old pair of Levi’s, except for the sparse covering of uncomfortable spiny, prickly vegetation.

Scott and I have no reservations and no set itinerary; we are free to roam as the wind blows us. The forecast is promising. From Alamogordo to Cloudcroft for the next 4 days calls for abundant sunshine, highs in the mid to upper 70’s, lows in the high 40’s.

Hard data for the geeks: Day 1, KV to Pecos, TX 319mi. Accommodations: Motel 6.

Day 2: 14oct tue
View attachment 190439

Frustration! It’s 39 degrees out! I should have brought warmer gear. Never mind that it will warm to 80 in just a few hours, I am cold now and I hate being cold. First stop: Wally World, long johns for me. Scott waits with the bikes while I scavenge breakfast from the store as well. The best I can do is fried cherry pies, which we eat in front of the Wal-mart. Humm, can’t say much for the ambiance…

It is noon and again, we are off like a herd of turtles. Pressing for Carlsbad, then Artesia…except I take the wrong highway and head us back toward Texas. Grrrr…. Scott corrects our course and we turtle on.

We camp this night for free in a tiny state park near Pinon NM. It is a beautiful, clear, cold night. Scott soon has a fire going and is busy with night time photography.

View attachment 190440

View attachment 190441

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I determine that we will get a decent start in the am. And I don’t care how cold it is. With my new fleece long johns, I can handle it.

Not that we’ve followed any plan yet devised, but here is what I plan for tomorrow:
Breakfast in Cloudcroft, (which is only 15 miles away)
Ride Hwy 244 thru the Mescalero Apache Indian Reservation to Ruidoso , possibly visit Nogal, then 380 to Carrizozo, north on 54, then 349 thru the Jicarilla Mtns.

Right. We turn in early. And the cold settles in. The temp begins a steady drop. Even in a 25 degree bag plus fleece liner, wearing the new long johns, sweats, winter cap, thick socks and gloves, I am too cold to sleep. It is a very long night…

Hard data: Day 2, Pecos, TX to Pinon, NM (near Cloudcroft): 283 mi. accomos: Kit Carson SP


To Be Continued...

Yeah, I suffered similarly cold riding in northern Mexico and not having proper cold weather gear (I’m blaming the conversion from Fahrenheit to Celsius confusion)…..now I always take my cold weather pants/jacket/liners/gloves anytime temps are forecast in the 50’s or lower…..better to have to unzip cold gear or remove and store than be uncomfortably cold.
:rider:
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