Great ride report TinStar. 'look forward to more. Be careful out there..
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Tinstar: Texas to Tombstone
- Thread starter TinStar
- Start date
Two Words. Ruby Road Rocks.
Man it was cold last night. How do I know? I was sitting in the dark out in front of the coffee house uploading pics at 11 pm and freezing. Only place I could get wifi. I gotta tell ya, these reports are a lot of work. Each time I do one I swear I won't do another, then enough time expires between rides and I forget.
Was up early and outside looking for coffee at 6:30 am! Problem was the entire town was still asleep, and the coffee house was still closed so I wandered around aimlessly and shot a few pics before the sun came up. A rancher sat idling in his pickup outside the grocery market, so I wandered down there and about 7:15 they opened the door. The two of us gang rushed the door for coffee, but were beaten to the machine by the clerk who said she had to have coffee before she could help us.
Sleepy Patagonia
Rumor has it this place has great pizza
Finally got a cup and asked her who was open for breakfast. She said the hotel restaurant "usually" was open at 7. They weren't, so she sent me down the street to Mercedes Mexican food. The waitress was talkative and friendly, and I ordered Huevos Rancheros and stared longingly across the street at the coffee house, anxious for them to open so I could get wifi
The best Huevos Rancheros I've ever had. Period.
Sorry for all the food pics in the report, but it ain't easy padding these things out ya know
They didn't have change for a 20, so she tried to comp me the meal, but I told her I'd be back with the money later.
Planning on riding Ruby Road and having heard the warnings the day before, I asked if she'd heard of any bad activity recently, and she said no, but then proceeded to explain the generalities. She said I was likely to encounter two types of folks in the remote roads, one being those simply trying to get into America, and the second being the drug mules.
She said the illegals may try to stop and ask for some money or water, etc., but the drug mules would want cash and would rob you. In either case, she said, "You shoulden stop! Do na stop and wander off de road!" I appreciated her warnings, and did not tell her my plan had always been not to stop. El Rojo Puerco del Diablo would plow over anyone and kill them anyway EVEN IF I was trying to stop...
From there I finally got to the coffee shop and getting online was a problem (I swear I've had more trouble getting a good connection on this trip - you'd think I was in Mongolia) and it was getting late, so I packed the bike and went to return the key and get a receipt, but of course the owner lady wasn't there, and no one in town knew where she was... same as the night before, and after wasting more time, blew off the receipt and dropped the cash for breakfast off before heading south.
The hotel courtyard - honestly, I don't recommend this place
Whine time: (Skip over this if you hate whining and sniveling)
I was a little miffed from the day before, and then having lost so much time in town the day before and this morning, I was a bit grouchy. Lemme splain. The day before I left Kerrville, my speedometer drive gear failed. I called the BMW dealer in Tucson to see if they could slap a new one in when I got there. No problem, but to get the part in by Tuesday or Wednesday so they could fix the bike while I was in AZ, I had to pay a 15% rush fee. Fine. So they connect me to parts, and immediately the kid has no idea what I'm talking about and tries to order an entire speedometer. I carefully explain the part, the reason it needs to be there by Tuesday since I'm riding all the way from Texas to Tucson. He understands clearly, and yes BMW has 21 in the US, and we do the deal, and he assures me it will be here Tuesday so they can fix the bike, and he will call me Tuesday to let me know. Great. I get no call Tuesday morning, so when I get into cell coverage, I call them. The parts guy is excited, because he remembers and tells me the part came in that morning. Cool! I tell him to let service know so I can set up the time to have the bike in Tucson. Silence on the line. Not a good thing. Then he tells me he had just mailed the part out to my address in Texas by U.S. Mail. Let's see, I live in Texas, order a part from BMW to be sent to a dealer in Arizona and pay 15% rush shipping to Arizona, so that they can have it there first thing Tuesday morning when they open, so that he can then mail it by U.S. Mail to me in Texas. Makes perfect sense. If you're a crackhead.
Need I say more?
Whine time over - back to your regular scheduled program...
Anyway, the whole morning I'd felt bad mojo in the air, so it felt good to get moving again. Heading back towards Nogales, I caught the River Road over to I-19 and then continued on Ruby Road.
Hmmm hmmm hmmm... la de da...
Very quickly, the paved road began twisting it's way though hills covered with golden grass. The road was absolutely fun to ride, twisty, hilly, with tight switchback curves and heading deeper towards a range of mountains.
That little blacktop road was absolutely a fun ride, and after a few miles ended abruptly in dirt. If you're in the area and on a street bike, take the ride till the asphalt ends - it's a good road and you'll enjoy it.
The sign had said 32 miles to Arivaca, and when the asphalt ended, the fun began. The road was rougher and narrower then the Duquesne road, and immediately started to climb, with sharp switchbacks, blind corners with steep drop-offs, loose rock and heavier washboard and rain ruts. I could tell this was gonna be fun!
The views were great - golden colored hills and rock formations as you climbed, with the road a narrow cut on the side of the ridges and mountains. It was very tight and twisty, and quickly took you back into raw wilderness. I kept stopping for pics, nervously so, as the corners are blind and it would be easy to get hit by a truck.
As I got further in, I was aware that this was more remote, and less traveled than yesterday's ride. With the terrain and so many blind corners, I was thinking it would definitely be a good place for a hijack, as there is no way to see ahead in most places.
With that thought fresh in my mind, I stopped at an edge for a pic down, and suddenly was buzzed by an Apache helicopter overhead. The chopper had come out of a canyon behind me and up over the ridge I was on. I watched him go low overhead and maybe about a half mile in front of me where he pulled around and hovered over an area for a bit, definitely looking at something. He then wheeled away and vanished.
Nothing like a little drama to add to my ride. 24 miles to go. I wasn't worried about "bandidos" or getting robbed, as I know how incidents get blown out of proportion, but I also know to use caution and common sense. Still, I kept thinking, "Dang man... if they need an armed Apache helicopter to deal with stuff out here... and what was he looking at further up the road right where I'm going?"
Anyway, it was kinda cool and added to the atmosphere.
The road is just a great dual sport road. It was rough in some areas, but the pig took it in stride and I was having a blast and riding a little faster than I should have. At one point, I sat down for just a moment and hit a deep pothole hard and fast. It was a situation where the sun was behind me and the light flattened all texture and dimension, making the pothole invisible. It jammed my back, and I hurt for quite a while after, just one of these things but the pain distracted me a bit.
At some point you drop down off the higher portions into a sheltered area, and I started to feel like it was an area to be careful in. To be honest, I felt a little uneasy and increased my speed, riding faster and harder.
Not too much further along, it happened. I came around a tight corner, and there, right in front of me standing in the middle of the road was a Mexican guy. I was going fast, but our eyes met, and I don't know which of us was more surprised. He was very dark from the sun, wearing dark blue pants and a dark short sleeved shirt, looking like he'd slept on the ground for days, dirty and sweaty. He stood there in sandals, holding a small duffel bag in his right hand and a clay jug in the other - I remember it was clay pottery with a piece of hemp rope tied around it. There was no look other than staring at me, as I shot past him not three feet away. It happened so quick there wasn't time for a reaction by either of us.
Drug Mule or just a man escaping Mexico - I dunno, but I have to hand it to anyone who can make it that far in that kind of terrain.
Another mile or two down the road, I passed the area known as Ruby - it appeared to be several small buildings behind a locked gate.
Here and there on the route, there are old road signs, but some have painted markings on them. One had a spray painted blue hand, another some thing else. I assume they are signals to illegals but I'm not sure.
Eventually, I began getting into areas with more signs of humanity, and shortly came up a hill to a tower. There was a spot to pull over, and I climbed off the bike to pull off a layer of clothing and drink some water. When I looked back, my tail bag was missing. One of the cross straps must have broken, and I lost the case, which contained two spare fuel canisters, two tie downs, bailing wire, zip ties and not sure what else. Just for a moment I contemplated heading back, but God only knows where it flew off in the 30 miles. I was going faster and harder in the rough stuff than I should have, so I'm not too surprised it bailed. In addition, I blew a front fork seal from some impact.
Sooooo, maybe some rider will run out gas on the road, and while wondering what to do, will see a black pouch in the bushes and discover 2 pints of gas, miraculously waiting for him :deal
As I took the remaining straps off to put them in the side case, a sudden gust of wind caught the lid, and yanked it back, snapping the hinges in classic BMW GSA case fashion, the lid hitting the ground with a clang. What is really weird, is that the lids both had safety wire straps to keep that from happening. Weird, but the wire was evidently broken by the force of the gust and lid. Sheesh! If that's not a sign from God to order the aluminum aftermarket hinges I don't know what is!
Ok, I'm beginning to wonder what's next, so I drive into Arivaca and gas up. It was an interesting little wide spot of a town, and full of characters, which I enjoy mucho
This guy was crazy about Christmas, and told me hadn't even started decorating yet
With my bike still getting poor mileage, and beginning to suspect that the fuel gauge is acting up as well, I decided I'd feel better replacing the two lost MSR bottles as soon as possible. I decided to head up I-19 to hit Tucson and catch Mission San Javier on the way.
Biggest steer skull yet!
The Mission, which is still an active church from the 1600's if I heard right:
Indians selling fry-bread outside on the plaza
The mission San Javier was great - would love to had more time to explore, but I needed to ride. I was feeling like it was time to begin heading back towards Texas, and debated whether to just head on for Las Cruces after Tucson or to return to Tombstone.
In Tucson, I found a Sports Authority and picked up a couple of MSR's plus a fanny pack to use as a tailbag for them. I jumped on I-10 and headed east to Benson. I stopped to refuel the bike and bottles, and debated heading on east, but decided to go for Tombstone instead.
Tombstone after dark
The crowd in the Crystal Palace Saloon
All in all, a fascinating day and Ruby Road is my favorite ride! What a great road.
Not sure where I'm heading tomorrow
See ya my friends!
The route and elevation:
Man it was cold last night. How do I know? I was sitting in the dark out in front of the coffee house uploading pics at 11 pm and freezing. Only place I could get wifi. I gotta tell ya, these reports are a lot of work. Each time I do one I swear I won't do another, then enough time expires between rides and I forget.
Was up early and outside looking for coffee at 6:30 am! Problem was the entire town was still asleep, and the coffee house was still closed so I wandered around aimlessly and shot a few pics before the sun came up. A rancher sat idling in his pickup outside the grocery market, so I wandered down there and about 7:15 they opened the door. The two of us gang rushed the door for coffee, but were beaten to the machine by the clerk who said she had to have coffee before she could help us.
Sleepy Patagonia
Rumor has it this place has great pizza
Finally got a cup and asked her who was open for breakfast. She said the hotel restaurant "usually" was open at 7. They weren't, so she sent me down the street to Mercedes Mexican food. The waitress was talkative and friendly, and I ordered Huevos Rancheros and stared longingly across the street at the coffee house, anxious for them to open so I could get wifi
The best Huevos Rancheros I've ever had. Period.
Sorry for all the food pics in the report, but it ain't easy padding these things out ya know
They didn't have change for a 20, so she tried to comp me the meal, but I told her I'd be back with the money later.
Planning on riding Ruby Road and having heard the warnings the day before, I asked if she'd heard of any bad activity recently, and she said no, but then proceeded to explain the generalities. She said I was likely to encounter two types of folks in the remote roads, one being those simply trying to get into America, and the second being the drug mules.
She said the illegals may try to stop and ask for some money or water, etc., but the drug mules would want cash and would rob you. In either case, she said, "You shoulden stop! Do na stop and wander off de road!" I appreciated her warnings, and did not tell her my plan had always been not to stop. El Rojo Puerco del Diablo would plow over anyone and kill them anyway EVEN IF I was trying to stop...
From there I finally got to the coffee shop and getting online was a problem (I swear I've had more trouble getting a good connection on this trip - you'd think I was in Mongolia) and it was getting late, so I packed the bike and went to return the key and get a receipt, but of course the owner lady wasn't there, and no one in town knew where she was... same as the night before, and after wasting more time, blew off the receipt and dropped the cash for breakfast off before heading south.
The hotel courtyard - honestly, I don't recommend this place
Whine time: (Skip over this if you hate whining and sniveling)
I was a little miffed from the day before, and then having lost so much time in town the day before and this morning, I was a bit grouchy. Lemme splain. The day before I left Kerrville, my speedometer drive gear failed. I called the BMW dealer in Tucson to see if they could slap a new one in when I got there. No problem, but to get the part in by Tuesday or Wednesday so they could fix the bike while I was in AZ, I had to pay a 15% rush fee. Fine. So they connect me to parts, and immediately the kid has no idea what I'm talking about and tries to order an entire speedometer. I carefully explain the part, the reason it needs to be there by Tuesday since I'm riding all the way from Texas to Tucson. He understands clearly, and yes BMW has 21 in the US, and we do the deal, and he assures me it will be here Tuesday so they can fix the bike, and he will call me Tuesday to let me know. Great. I get no call Tuesday morning, so when I get into cell coverage, I call them. The parts guy is excited, because he remembers and tells me the part came in that morning. Cool! I tell him to let service know so I can set up the time to have the bike in Tucson. Silence on the line. Not a good thing. Then he tells me he had just mailed the part out to my address in Texas by U.S. Mail. Let's see, I live in Texas, order a part from BMW to be sent to a dealer in Arizona and pay 15% rush shipping to Arizona, so that they can have it there first thing Tuesday morning when they open, so that he can then mail it by U.S. Mail to me in Texas. Makes perfect sense. If you're a crackhead.
Need I say more?
Whine time over - back to your regular scheduled program...
Anyway, the whole morning I'd felt bad mojo in the air, so it felt good to get moving again. Heading back towards Nogales, I caught the River Road over to I-19 and then continued on Ruby Road.
Hmmm hmmm hmmm... la de da...
Very quickly, the paved road began twisting it's way though hills covered with golden grass. The road was absolutely fun to ride, twisty, hilly, with tight switchback curves and heading deeper towards a range of mountains.
That little blacktop road was absolutely a fun ride, and after a few miles ended abruptly in dirt. If you're in the area and on a street bike, take the ride till the asphalt ends - it's a good road and you'll enjoy it.
The sign had said 32 miles to Arivaca, and when the asphalt ended, the fun began. The road was rougher and narrower then the Duquesne road, and immediately started to climb, with sharp switchbacks, blind corners with steep drop-offs, loose rock and heavier washboard and rain ruts. I could tell this was gonna be fun!
The views were great - golden colored hills and rock formations as you climbed, with the road a narrow cut on the side of the ridges and mountains. It was very tight and twisty, and quickly took you back into raw wilderness. I kept stopping for pics, nervously so, as the corners are blind and it would be easy to get hit by a truck.
As I got further in, I was aware that this was more remote, and less traveled than yesterday's ride. With the terrain and so many blind corners, I was thinking it would definitely be a good place for a hijack, as there is no way to see ahead in most places.
With that thought fresh in my mind, I stopped at an edge for a pic down, and suddenly was buzzed by an Apache helicopter overhead. The chopper had come out of a canyon behind me and up over the ridge I was on. I watched him go low overhead and maybe about a half mile in front of me where he pulled around and hovered over an area for a bit, definitely looking at something. He then wheeled away and vanished.
Nothing like a little drama to add to my ride. 24 miles to go. I wasn't worried about "bandidos" or getting robbed, as I know how incidents get blown out of proportion, but I also know to use caution and common sense. Still, I kept thinking, "Dang man... if they need an armed Apache helicopter to deal with stuff out here... and what was he looking at further up the road right where I'm going?"
Anyway, it was kinda cool and added to the atmosphere.
The road is just a great dual sport road. It was rough in some areas, but the pig took it in stride and I was having a blast and riding a little faster than I should have. At one point, I sat down for just a moment and hit a deep pothole hard and fast. It was a situation where the sun was behind me and the light flattened all texture and dimension, making the pothole invisible. It jammed my back, and I hurt for quite a while after, just one of these things but the pain distracted me a bit.
At some point you drop down off the higher portions into a sheltered area, and I started to feel like it was an area to be careful in. To be honest, I felt a little uneasy and increased my speed, riding faster and harder.
Not too much further along, it happened. I came around a tight corner, and there, right in front of me standing in the middle of the road was a Mexican guy. I was going fast, but our eyes met, and I don't know which of us was more surprised. He was very dark from the sun, wearing dark blue pants and a dark short sleeved shirt, looking like he'd slept on the ground for days, dirty and sweaty. He stood there in sandals, holding a small duffel bag in his right hand and a clay jug in the other - I remember it was clay pottery with a piece of hemp rope tied around it. There was no look other than staring at me, as I shot past him not three feet away. It happened so quick there wasn't time for a reaction by either of us.
Drug Mule or just a man escaping Mexico - I dunno, but I have to hand it to anyone who can make it that far in that kind of terrain.
Another mile or two down the road, I passed the area known as Ruby - it appeared to be several small buildings behind a locked gate.
Here and there on the route, there are old road signs, but some have painted markings on them. One had a spray painted blue hand, another some thing else. I assume they are signals to illegals but I'm not sure.
Eventually, I began getting into areas with more signs of humanity, and shortly came up a hill to a tower. There was a spot to pull over, and I climbed off the bike to pull off a layer of clothing and drink some water. When I looked back, my tail bag was missing. One of the cross straps must have broken, and I lost the case, which contained two spare fuel canisters, two tie downs, bailing wire, zip ties and not sure what else. Just for a moment I contemplated heading back, but God only knows where it flew off in the 30 miles. I was going faster and harder in the rough stuff than I should have, so I'm not too surprised it bailed. In addition, I blew a front fork seal from some impact.
Sooooo, maybe some rider will run out gas on the road, and while wondering what to do, will see a black pouch in the bushes and discover 2 pints of gas, miraculously waiting for him :deal
As I took the remaining straps off to put them in the side case, a sudden gust of wind caught the lid, and yanked it back, snapping the hinges in classic BMW GSA case fashion, the lid hitting the ground with a clang. What is really weird, is that the lids both had safety wire straps to keep that from happening. Weird, but the wire was evidently broken by the force of the gust and lid. Sheesh! If that's not a sign from God to order the aluminum aftermarket hinges I don't know what is!
Ok, I'm beginning to wonder what's next, so I drive into Arivaca and gas up. It was an interesting little wide spot of a town, and full of characters, which I enjoy mucho
This guy was crazy about Christmas, and told me hadn't even started decorating yet
With my bike still getting poor mileage, and beginning to suspect that the fuel gauge is acting up as well, I decided I'd feel better replacing the two lost MSR bottles as soon as possible. I decided to head up I-19 to hit Tucson and catch Mission San Javier on the way.
Biggest steer skull yet!
The Mission, which is still an active church from the 1600's if I heard right:
Indians selling fry-bread outside on the plaza
The mission San Javier was great - would love to had more time to explore, but I needed to ride. I was feeling like it was time to begin heading back towards Texas, and debated whether to just head on for Las Cruces after Tucson or to return to Tombstone.
In Tucson, I found a Sports Authority and picked up a couple of MSR's plus a fanny pack to use as a tailbag for them. I jumped on I-10 and headed east to Benson. I stopped to refuel the bike and bottles, and debated heading on east, but decided to go for Tombstone instead.
Tombstone after dark
The crowd in the Crystal Palace Saloon
All in all, a fascinating day and Ruby Road is my favorite ride! What a great road.
Not sure where I'm heading tomorrow
See ya my friends!
The route and elevation:
Last edited:
achesley
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Very neat ride report. Thanks for the work of sharing.
Bravo! 
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You passed Kartchner Caverns in Benson. It would have been well worth the time.
Thanks for making my state look so good.
Thanks for making my state look so good.
You passed Kartchner Caverns in Benson. It would have been well worth the time.
Thanks for making my state look so good.
Hey guy - it's not hard to make this place look good! The folks here are friendly as well, heck I almost feel at home
Someone else mentioned Kartchner caves early on and said it was great. So I might check that out - although today is Thanksgiving so I doubt anything is gonna be open. I may just spend Thanksgiving here in Tombstone and head for El Paso tomorrow.
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To make Cave Tour Reservations and Book Tickets: Call (520) 586-2283. You can call 7 days a week, from 8 am to 5 pm MST. Book Big Room Tours now! The park closes at 2 pm on November 26 and December 24. The park is closed December 25.
Make the trip. If you like caves, you will love this one. Take the camera.
It's also reports like this that make me want to get a DS and explore the other parts of the state I can't get to.
Make the trip. If you like caves, you will love this one. Take the camera.
It's also reports like this that make me want to get a DS and explore the other parts of the state I can't get to.
Dang, sorry that the Tuscon dealer screwed up your speedo part. Uh, I mean speedometer. I don't know anything about your other speedo! 
Your report is very informative and entertaining. Thanks for taking the time to do it.
Your report is very informative and entertaining. Thanks for taking the time to do it.
Dang, sorry that the Tuscon dealer screwed up your speedo part. Uh, I mean speedometer. I don't know anything about your other speedo!
I told you never to mention the speedo again
Bisbee
Last night I stayed at the Larian Motel in Tombstone. It was an older motel, with a western movie theme throughout, but was nice, clean and well decorated. The manager who checked me in had such a thick Scottish brogue that honestly, I only understood about every 5th word he said. I asked him how he ended up in Tombstone of all places, and he told me he moved here for the history. Said he'd grown up in Scotland watching westerns as a child and the history of the old west was his life passion. Cool. I ended up up in the "Doc Holliday" room, naturally.
I got up early, made coffee in the room and stared at the wall for a while til my tiny brain rolled into its socket, then got dressed and wandered over to the boardwalk. And by the way, why is it that hotels always give you those stupid little packets for your coffee with two smidgens of sugar and two micro-smidgens of creamer! Aaaargh.
Being Thanksgiving Day, little was open, but I found coffee and a honeybun in the general store and wandered some more. A couple of places were gonna be open for Thanksgiving meals, including the VFW hall, but I was leaning to head for Bisbee since it's in the direction I need to go for El Paso.
Good morning mi amigo puerco!
The Scottish manager saw me and insisted he take a pic of me saying "Ouw yer Uan Mac Gregggoooooor!"
Good place to stay and the manager is great
I gotta tell you, I like Tombstone. Don't know why, even though it's touristy, I like the feel and the folks. There are more gun stores in this town than I've ever seen, and that warms the cockles of my heart. I think it's sort of the Vegas version of Terlingua.
Yet another Klar for sale
The original dual sport adventure tourer
This saloon was serving Hot Dogs/Beans/Pickles for $1 for Thanksgiving Dinner... the ice cold part didn't sound good lol
This old caboose looked pretty rustic
Today I felt like taking the day off and not doing much, since it IS a holiday. I got geared up and headed south for Bisbee, since I've never been there. And it's on the way to head back to Texas Friday.
It was a bit colder today when I left Tombstone for the short ride south, but the view in the valley is great, with mountain ranges on the east and west.
The speed limit on 82 was 65, so I enjoyed the xtra 10 mph Funny thing, yesterday when I hopped on I-19 for Tucson, the speed limit was 75, but after riding at DS speeds on back roads and 55 on asphalt for days now, 75 made me feel paranoid that I was gonna get a ticket
It wasn't long before entering the hills preceding Bisbee, and the rocks were a stronger color.
Just before the town you enter a tunnel, then come out to views of houses and buildings perched all over the hillsides.
LooooneStaaaaaar... LooooneStaaaaaar... riiiiiide intoooooooo the liiiiiiiiiiiiight
Bisbee was a rich copper mining town, and I assume there are still active mines there.
The town is a wonderfully eclectic community, colorful and varied in styles. It is a maze of tiny streets and alleys, all steep or sloped. It reminds me very much of an American version of a small Italian or German village built on the mountainside.
Riding through, it was a maze of tiny streets and I rode all through the town. There were three Indians wearing make-up or ski masks, protesting in the downtown area, waving placards at passers by saying "Thanks-for-nothingGiving!"
Mama always told me art and alcohol don't mix
The place is littered with shops and galleries, and only a few hotels. The nature of the streets and lack of parking make it difficult to find any that aren't visible in the main area.
I ended up stopping at the "Copper Queen" hotel, the lush, grand hotel from the boom era of Bisbee. There were two BMW's there - R1100R and R1150R, and I parked my dusty beast next to their svelte and shiny selves and went up into the lobby. I was hoping to get a good room and maybe a Thanksgiving Dinner in the restaurant. Once in the door, I knew it wasn't gonna work. The milling gaggle of wealthy older folks waiting in line for the restaurant looked in disdain at my dusty, bug stained self. Hee hee. I went to the check-in counter to ask for the rates and availability anyway. Let's just say the "Copper Queen" is alive and well, his name is Bruce, and he works behind the counter.
I wasn't wanting to pay the high price for a room, and then have to endure a bunch of self-centered nouveau riche for the rest of the evening, so I headed out and explored east of the old town.
You pass the massive copper pit on the east side, and find where the working folks live. Bisbee has that dark, rusty feel of old industrial towns.
This guys got some cool toys and a great loft/shop
I rode back to the old part and found the LaMore Hotel on a side street, and the lady managing it set me up in Room 7. It's an old hotel that has been historically restored. It has wifi most importantly It's also one that looks to have potential ghost activity. My room was upstairs, down a dark hallway and the doors to all the empty rooms were open. I was the only one upstairs. On the way back out, I saw a book by the door where guests can log their "ghost encounters". Great.
Parking was a block below, but I didn't get the feeling this is a real safe town. She said I could park the bike on the narrow sidewalk in front of the hotel, IF it was a small bike. I assured her it was tiny.
She told me the only place open today was the Roma's Pizza place, and that the Copper Queen restaurant would close early.
I headed down for homemade pizza, and being my Thanksgiving meal, I decided to stuff my face with a small pizza and Coke.
It was great.
From there I wandered the streets til it got too cool and headed back up to the haunted hotel. In front, the night manager asked me about the bike and turns out he collects old scooters and such. We talked bikes for a while.
As long as the free range zombies stay out of the hotel, I'm cool
In the window of the coffee roaster
What in the heck is this???????
View from the hotel
Bisbee is a great place to visit and I'm glad I came down. Tomorrow I'm reversing my trip in to AZ by heading back to NM 9 and then El Paso and beyond.
Last night I stayed at the Larian Motel in Tombstone. It was an older motel, with a western movie theme throughout, but was nice, clean and well decorated. The manager who checked me in had such a thick Scottish brogue that honestly, I only understood about every 5th word he said. I asked him how he ended up in Tombstone of all places, and he told me he moved here for the history. Said he'd grown up in Scotland watching westerns as a child and the history of the old west was his life passion. Cool. I ended up up in the "Doc Holliday" room, naturally.
I got up early, made coffee in the room and stared at the wall for a while til my tiny brain rolled into its socket, then got dressed and wandered over to the boardwalk. And by the way, why is it that hotels always give you those stupid little packets for your coffee with two smidgens of sugar and two micro-smidgens of creamer! Aaaargh.
Being Thanksgiving Day, little was open, but I found coffee and a honeybun in the general store and wandered some more. A couple of places were gonna be open for Thanksgiving meals, including the VFW hall, but I was leaning to head for Bisbee since it's in the direction I need to go for El Paso.
Good morning mi amigo puerco!
The Scottish manager saw me and insisted he take a pic of me saying "Ouw yer Uan Mac Gregggoooooor!"
Good place to stay and the manager is great
I gotta tell you, I like Tombstone. Don't know why, even though it's touristy, I like the feel and the folks. There are more gun stores in this town than I've ever seen, and that warms the cockles of my heart. I think it's sort of the Vegas version of Terlingua.
Yet another Klar for sale
The original dual sport adventure tourer
This saloon was serving Hot Dogs/Beans/Pickles for $1 for Thanksgiving Dinner... the ice cold part didn't sound good lol
This old caboose looked pretty rustic
Today I felt like taking the day off and not doing much, since it IS a holiday. I got geared up and headed south for Bisbee, since I've never been there. And it's on the way to head back to Texas Friday.
It was a bit colder today when I left Tombstone for the short ride south, but the view in the valley is great, with mountain ranges on the east and west.
The speed limit on 82 was 65, so I enjoyed the xtra 10 mph
Funny thing, yesterday when I hopped on I-19 for Tucson, the speed limit was 75, but after riding at DS speeds on back roads and 55 on asphalt for days now, 75 made me feel paranoid that I was gonna get a ticketIt wasn't long before entering the hills preceding Bisbee, and the rocks were a stronger color.
Just before the town you enter a tunnel, then come out to views of houses and buildings perched all over the hillsides.
LooooneStaaaaaar... LooooneStaaaaaar... riiiiiide intoooooooo the liiiiiiiiiiiiight
Bisbee was a rich copper mining town, and I assume there are still active mines there.
The town is a wonderfully eclectic community, colorful and varied in styles. It is a maze of tiny streets and alleys, all steep or sloped. It reminds me very much of an American version of a small Italian or German village built on the mountainside.
Riding through, it was a maze of tiny streets and I rode all through the town. There were three Indians wearing make-up or ski masks, protesting in the downtown area, waving placards at passers by saying "Thanks-for-nothingGiving!"
Mama always told me art and alcohol don't mix
The place is littered with shops and galleries, and only a few hotels. The nature of the streets and lack of parking make it difficult to find any that aren't visible in the main area.
I ended up stopping at the "Copper Queen" hotel, the lush, grand hotel from the boom era of Bisbee. There were two BMW's there - R1100R and R1150R, and I parked my dusty beast next to their svelte and shiny selves and went up into the lobby. I was hoping to get a good room and maybe a Thanksgiving Dinner in the restaurant. Once in the door, I knew it wasn't gonna work. The milling gaggle of wealthy older folks waiting in line for the restaurant looked in disdain at my dusty, bug stained self. Hee hee. I went to the check-in counter to ask for the rates and availability anyway. Let's just say the "Copper Queen" is alive and well, his name is Bruce, and he works behind the counter.
I wasn't wanting to pay the high price for a room, and then have to endure a bunch of self-centered nouveau riche for the rest of the evening, so I headed out and explored east of the old town.
You pass the massive copper pit on the east side, and find where the working folks live. Bisbee has that dark, rusty feel of old industrial towns.
This guys got some cool toys and a great loft/shop
I rode back to the old part and found the LaMore Hotel on a side street, and the lady managing it set me up in Room 7. It's an old hotel that has been historically restored. It has wifi most importantly
It's also one that looks to have potential ghost activity. My room was upstairs, down a dark hallway and the doors to all the empty rooms were open. I was the only one upstairs. On the way back out, I saw a book by the door where guests can log their "ghost encounters". Great. Parking was a block below, but I didn't get the feeling this is a real safe town. She said I could park the bike on the narrow sidewalk in front of the hotel, IF it was a small bike. I assured her it was tiny.
She told me the only place open today was the Roma's Pizza place, and that the Copper Queen restaurant would close early.
I headed down for homemade pizza, and being my Thanksgiving meal, I decided to stuff my face with a small pizza and Coke.
It was great.
From there I wandered the streets til it got too cool and headed back up to the haunted hotel. In front, the night manager asked me about the bike and turns out he collects old scooters and such. We talked bikes for a while.
As long as the free range zombies stay out of the hotel, I'm cool
In the window of the coffee roaster
What in the heck is this???????
View from the hotel
Bisbee is a great place to visit and I'm glad I came down. Tomorrow I'm reversing my trip in to AZ by heading back to NM 9 and then El Paso and beyond.
Last edited:
achesley
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Thanks for all the work of posting the pictures and report. Sure getting my interest up for a trip to that area after the Holiday Season. Have not been in that area since the late 60's. My route to MCRD San Diego, Long Beach and Camp Pendleton back in the day.
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Re: Bisbee
Thanks again for a great look at my home state.
If you liked Bisbee, you will love Jerome. You'll need to visit that on your next trip out here.
Wise decision. My sister (lives in Benson) has stayed there and was NOT impressed at all. Especially considering how much they were charging for the rooms.
Thanks again for a great look at my home state.
M38A1
Admin
Amazing trip so far. Can't wait for the conclusion.
muy bueno report.
Last night I wandered the town in the darkness a while, trying to find anything going on after Thanksgiving, then swung into the Hot Licks Saloon next to the hotel to see if there was any activity. It was empty save the bartender. He said he was closing for the evening and I told him I couldn't imagine why
Poor thing - all alone in the cold
One thing I remembered from the conversation with the hotel manager yesterday was that he said the town was literally vacated back in 1975 after the copper mine shut down. He said you could take a nap in the middle of main street as there was no one around. Also said they had organized races in the town through all the empty streets - I'm assuming cars - because there was nothing to hit except the walls
This morning I woke up about 5:30 am, feeling rested and happy to report having no "ghost encounters". I played Barry Manilow music all night to scare anything away so it worked well. Well, one scary thing did happen... my riding pants got up and walked around on their on, but I'm not sure that was paranormal. However, I will tell you the hallway area made the hair on my neck stand up every time I went to the room. Flipping through the "Guest Ghost Encounters" book in the lobby this morning, I saw myriad stories from previous guests who had sightings and weird experiences in the hotel. Room 6, adjacent to mine, seemed to have a lot of encounters especially. It's a nice hotel, just one of those that has a feeling you're not alone.
Aware of other guests who'd arrived last night, I tiptoed down the creaky hall and out into the crisp deep blue of predawn over Bisbee. I walked downtown to grab a coffee at the Bisbee Coffee Company and waited for my brain to arrive.
Bisbee Coffee and a warm blueberry scone right outta the oven!
The sun was breaking over the mountains when I headed back to pack up
Z O'tel La More
Ohhh What a Pig In the Mooooorning! Ohhh what a pig all the daaaaaay!
Packed and ready! Yeeeee Haaaaa!
I was sad to see the morning come, cause it meant heading back towards Texas, but I was also filled with that rush of getting prepped and on the road. Bisbee's a cool place, and I'm glad I stopped and stayed. I really hated losing a day of riding, but the fuel stops in these areas are limited to begin with, and on Thanksgiving Day I knew the 2 gas stations between here and El Paso would be closed.
It was quite cold this morning, not sure what temp, but colder than any time on this trip. I headed into the morning sun, squinting and eyes watering in the cold air. The canyons leaving Bisbee, itself around 5500', were freezing and I couldn't wait to hit the valley floor heading for Douglas to warm up. Except I forgot cold air falls and the valley floor was even worse. After about 20 minutes, my always studly gams were freezing and had turned dark blue. Then I remembered I was wearing dark blue jeans. Whew.
Tagging behind a Border Patrol Tahoe into the gas station at Douglas, I topped off and then looped through the downtown section. Douglas is a border crossing town, sitting in the flat valley and has the classic old downtown with an old hotel, theater and old 50's era stores. I was too chilled and lazy to take off my glove for a pic, so use your imagination.
Even early in the morning, Black Friday was in full swing, as there were several Mexican clothing outlets downtown with racks of clothes on the sidewalks and lots of locals were already pushing and shoving their way to bliss.
Driven by an irrational fear of shopping, I headed northeast on 80 and soon was into the long stretches of massive valleys and thousands of acres of ranch land with cattle spotted here and there. To either side were low mountains and I was struck by the immense size of the grazing lands and ranch spreads. At one point, I saw a spotting post watching the valley from atop a high stone hill, the spotting scope peering over a huge mound of rock.
At one point, I passed two BP trucks on the side of the road with a group of illegals being loaded into the back of a truck. What always amazes me is that several of them were wearing bright colored clothing, like red and blue, as if they were going to the mall or something. I mean you'd think they'd understand the basic idea of blending into the environment if they're crossing a desert surreptitiously. Even I could spot a red jacket 10 miles away out there. For God's sake people, dress like a creosote bush or something! Better yet wear a cow suit and cross a ranch with the herd! For crying out loud!!! Sheesh.
After a bit, I passed a sign for "Skeleton Canyon" the name catching my attention, and then hit a tiny community named "Apache".
Apache
[imghttp://www.lonesome-road.com/Galleries/Texas-to-Tombstone/i-mT4GdJX/0/L/P1020169-L.jpg[/img]
About 1/2 mile past, there was a cone-shaped stone monument. I pulled off, and read that this was where Geronimo finally surrendered to the U.S. Cavalry, ending the Indian wars, as he was the last Chief to fight. The sign said he had actually been cornered in Skeleton Canyon, and eventually agreed to surrender. It was really cool to have run across this spot.
[imghttp://www.lonesome-road.com/Galleries/Texas-to-Tombstone/i-j8m9FN3/0/XL/P1020172-XL.jpg[/img]
One thing that I've pondered often on this trip, is the massive land area that Geronimo covered, moving the tribes over such harsh terrain, providing food and water and surviving in the harshness of that climate. It's actually an amazing feat of logistics, not to mention the fighting and evasion for so many years. Only when you are in the middle of the landscape, and have ridden for hours and days over such huge plains and mountain areas does it sink in...
From the monument, it wasn't long until I crossed the state line into New Mexico. It was with regret that I left Arizona, as I've had a blast, ridden absolutely beautiful areas rich with history, and met great, friendly folks everywhere I went.
Waaaah - hate to leave
I shot a few pics of the state border, then rodeo'd on into Rodeo, NM and shortly after, passed the entry road to Portal, where I'd started my Arizona adventure. It was a fun feeling knowing I'd made the loop.
Rodeo, NM
On the way to Animas, I had some major excitement. I actually came up behind another car! Eventually I even passed it!!! Though I'm being sarcastic, that's the only car I encountered in my lane for the entire stretch from Douglas to El Paso which is close to 220 miles. Not kidding. In the oncoming side I saw maybe 10 - 12 vehicles at the most. Soooooo, if you like solitude and little traffic when you ride, have I got the route for you! Repeat after me, "New. Mexico. Highway. 9."
It wasn't long until I was back in Animas and stopped to top off at the BootHeel Grocery again. This time, I did buy a pack of tortillas, the perfect motorcycle road food - they are flat, filling and fit perfectly under the lid of the tankbag The local ranchers were coming in to buy supplies, which in each and every case consisted of beer and ice. Or ice and beer. While I was gassing up, three cowboys came out and walked past, the third looking at me and spitting the longest tobacco spit I've ever seen, somewhat in my general direction, his eye never leaving mine. Mine left his to watch the stream that extended from his mouth all the way to the ground, completely unbroken. I was impressed. I guess. Anyway, I'm not sure he liked my horrendous helmet hairdoo...
Boot Heel Grocery in Animas. Biggest seller is beer. Probably more gallons than gas.
Oh, and by the way, ain't no city-boy cowboys out there in that part of the country. You got the real deal in this area of the country.
From Animas to Columbus is about 80 miles, and as before, the road is long, lonely and a great place to ride. I counted hawks, almost hitting one sitting in the middle of a curve having his leisurely breakfast. I counted paisanos, who were out in force today. And most interestingly, every one of the 30-40 I saw were running across the highway from the same side. Every one. They all ran from my left to my right, or from north to the south. Weird. I counted Border Patrol trucks. I counted 487,632 bottles of beer on the wall until I got a headache.
As I approached Hachati, I saw a man in a wheelchair tending his garden. He gave me a big wave and I honked back. It was touching and sad, because he was using a hoe from his wheelchair, and his entire garden was a patch about 4 feet wide and maybe 8 long, and was in an irregular shape, just in whatever shape he was able to make from the wheelchair. I felt sadness and hope simultaneously - sadness at the difficulty of what he was doing, and hope, because he wasn't wasting his life but instead living it as best he could. If I see him again, I will stop to meet him.
Somewhere between Hachati and Columbus, I saw a glint way ahead in the other lane, and slowed in case it was a mountie. Eventually, I saw it was another motorcycle, and as he approached, it was an old guy with a beard on an old cruiser with a huge windshield and towing a home-made trailer built from an old Thule roof carrier. He gave me a huge wave and smile as if happy to see another guy who enjoyed the lonely road as he did.
From Columbus, it's roughly one hour to El Paso, and the terrain becomes flatter and sandier the closer you get. At some points, you are very close to the border itself, and the entire Hwy 9 runs parallel to the old bed of what was the railroad built to bring copper from Bisbee to El Paso.
It is along this stretch that I saw the stacks of stone I mentioned before. At about 30 miles out from El Paso, I began to see stacks of rocks. Not often, but every once in a while. I photographed some very obvious ones, but sometimes it is merely two or three stones near a fence. Sometimes two or three stacked on 5 or 6 successive fence posts.
Whether it's just the fun prank of a drunk cowboy artist, or road signs for illegals, who knows, but if you head that way, keep an eye out for them.
The mountains around El Paso appear on the horizon
Beautiful colors on these trees as I entered El P
I pulled onto I-10 in Sunland Park exactly at 1 pm, and sunk into the bizarre sensations of traffic, society and congestion. All I had in mind was getting as far as possible as soon as possible and just hit it for Balmorhea. I had planned to shoot a few pics, but once my senses were violated I just went on. I gassed up in Horizon City just outside of El Paso, and despite hunger pangs couldn't bring myself to stop anywhere to eat.
At first, 80 mph felt strange and uncomfortable after days of riding slow, but it wasn't long until it didn't feel fast enough
Somewhere between El Paso and Sierra Blanca I passed a guy heading west on BMW 650 Dakar - the red white and blue one - and he was wearing a fluorescent yellow jacket and pants. We waved at each other so I'm curious if he's a TWT or ADV'er.
Surprisingly, I've seen very few bikes on this trip - mostly HD's and not a single GS except for the Dakar today
I stopped in Van Horn to gas up, and ate a quick burger since the coffee and breakfast scone had finally worn off with a vengeance. Kerrville was still 5 hours away and it was nearing 6 pm so I figured Balmorhea would be a good spot to stop. I've heard about the state park and the lodging there and figured I'd try.
The late light of day on the highway was absolutely beautiful and there's just something I love about west Texas skies. Indulge me:
The road into Balmorhea
I missed getting a cabin in the state park there by about 15 minutes, but found the El Oso Flojo Lodge in the little town. It's actually very nice and I'm the only guest at the moment.
As to the bike, the mileage issue seems to have cleared itself up. Can't figure out why, cause the bike was getting low 30's most of the trip until today. I got 46 mpg, then 43 mpg and of course on I-10 with the 80 mph limit it's down to sub 37. Weird.
More later gators!
Poor thing - all alone in the cold
One thing I remembered from the conversation with the hotel manager yesterday was that he said the town was literally vacated back in 1975 after the copper mine shut down. He said you could take a nap in the middle of main street as there was no one around. Also said they had organized races in the town through all the empty streets - I'm assuming cars - because there was nothing to hit except the walls
This morning I woke up about 5:30 am, feeling rested and happy to report having no "ghost encounters". I played Barry Manilow music all night to scare anything away so it worked well. Well, one scary thing did happen... my riding pants got up and walked around on their on, but I'm not sure that was paranormal. However, I will tell you the hallway area made the hair on my neck stand up every time I went to the room. Flipping through the "Guest Ghost Encounters" book in the lobby this morning, I saw myriad stories from previous guests who had sightings and weird experiences in the hotel. Room 6, adjacent to mine, seemed to have a lot of encounters especially. It's a nice hotel, just one of those that has a feeling you're not alone.
Aware of other guests who'd arrived last night, I tiptoed down the creaky hall and out into the crisp deep blue of predawn over Bisbee. I walked downtown to grab a coffee at the Bisbee Coffee Company and waited for my brain to arrive.
Bisbee Coffee and a warm blueberry scone right outta the oven!
The sun was breaking over the mountains when I headed back to pack up
Z O'tel La More
Ohhh What a Pig In the Mooooorning! Ohhh what a pig all the daaaaaay!
Packed and ready! Yeeeee Haaaaa!
I was sad to see the morning come, cause it meant heading back towards Texas, but I was also filled with that rush of getting prepped and on the road. Bisbee's a cool place, and I'm glad I stopped and stayed. I really hated losing a day of riding, but the fuel stops in these areas are limited to begin with, and on Thanksgiving Day I knew the 2 gas stations between here and El Paso would be closed.
It was quite cold this morning, not sure what temp, but colder than any time on this trip. I headed into the morning sun, squinting and eyes watering in the cold air. The canyons leaving Bisbee, itself around 5500', were freezing and I couldn't wait to hit the valley floor heading for Douglas to warm up. Except I forgot cold air falls and the valley floor was even worse. After about 20 minutes, my always studly gams were freezing and had turned dark blue. Then I remembered I was wearing dark blue jeans. Whew.
Tagging behind a Border Patrol Tahoe into the gas station at Douglas, I topped off and then looped through the downtown section. Douglas is a border crossing town, sitting in the flat valley and has the classic old downtown with an old hotel, theater and old 50's era stores. I was too chilled and lazy to take off my glove for a pic, so use your imagination.
Even early in the morning, Black Friday was in full swing, as there were several Mexican clothing outlets downtown with racks of clothes on the sidewalks and lots of locals were already pushing and shoving their way to bliss.
Driven by an irrational fear of shopping, I headed northeast on 80 and soon was into the long stretches of massive valleys and thousands of acres of ranch land with cattle spotted here and there. To either side were low mountains and I was struck by the immense size of the grazing lands and ranch spreads. At one point, I saw a spotting post watching the valley from atop a high stone hill, the spotting scope peering over a huge mound of rock.
At one point, I passed two BP trucks on the side of the road with a group of illegals being loaded into the back of a truck. What always amazes me is that several of them were wearing bright colored clothing, like red and blue, as if they were going to the mall or something. I mean you'd think they'd understand the basic idea of blending into the environment if they're crossing a desert surreptitiously. Even I could spot a red jacket 10 miles away out there. For God's sake people, dress like a creosote bush or something! Better yet wear a cow suit and cross a ranch with the herd! For crying out loud!!! Sheesh.
After a bit, I passed a sign for "Skeleton Canyon" the name catching my attention, and then hit a tiny community named "Apache".
Apache
[imghttp://www.lonesome-road.com/Galleries/Texas-to-Tombstone/i-mT4GdJX/0/L/P1020169-L.jpg[/img]
About 1/2 mile past, there was a cone-shaped stone monument. I pulled off, and read that this was where Geronimo finally surrendered to the U.S. Cavalry, ending the Indian wars, as he was the last Chief to fight. The sign said he had actually been cornered in Skeleton Canyon, and eventually agreed to surrender. It was really cool to have run across this spot.
[imghttp://www.lonesome-road.com/Galleries/Texas-to-Tombstone/i-j8m9FN3/0/XL/P1020172-XL.jpg[/img]
One thing that I've pondered often on this trip, is the massive land area that Geronimo covered, moving the tribes over such harsh terrain, providing food and water and surviving in the harshness of that climate. It's actually an amazing feat of logistics, not to mention the fighting and evasion for so many years. Only when you are in the middle of the landscape, and have ridden for hours and days over such huge plains and mountain areas does it sink in...
From the monument, it wasn't long until I crossed the state line into New Mexico. It was with regret that I left Arizona, as I've had a blast, ridden absolutely beautiful areas rich with history, and met great, friendly folks everywhere I went.
Waaaah - hate to leave
I shot a few pics of the state border, then rodeo'd on into Rodeo, NM and shortly after, passed the entry road to Portal, where I'd started my Arizona adventure. It was a fun feeling knowing I'd made the loop.
Rodeo, NM
On the way to Animas, I had some major excitement. I actually came up behind another car! Eventually I even passed it!!! Though I'm being sarcastic, that's the only car I encountered in my lane for the entire stretch from Douglas to El Paso which is close to 220 miles. Not kidding. In the oncoming side I saw maybe 10 - 12 vehicles at the most. Soooooo, if you like solitude and little traffic when you ride, have I got the route for you! Repeat after me, "New. Mexico. Highway. 9."
It wasn't long until I was back in Animas and stopped to top off at the BootHeel Grocery again. This time, I did buy a pack of tortillas, the perfect motorcycle road food - they are flat, filling and fit perfectly under the lid of the tankbag
The local ranchers were coming in to buy supplies, which in each and every case consisted of beer and ice. Or ice and beer. While I was gassing up, three cowboys came out and walked past, the third looking at me and spitting the longest tobacco spit I've ever seen, somewhat in my general direction, his eye never leaving mine. Mine left his to watch the stream that extended from his mouth all the way to the ground, completely unbroken. I was impressed. I guess. Anyway, I'm not sure he liked my horrendous helmet hairdoo...Boot Heel Grocery in Animas. Biggest seller is beer. Probably more gallons than gas.
Oh, and by the way, ain't no city-boy cowboys out there in that part of the country. You got the real deal in this area of the country.
From Animas to Columbus is about 80 miles, and as before, the road is long, lonely and a great place to ride. I counted hawks, almost hitting one sitting in the middle of a curve having his leisurely breakfast. I counted paisanos, who were out in force today. And most interestingly, every one of the 30-40 I saw were running across the highway from the same side. Every one. They all ran from my left to my right, or from north to the south. Weird. I counted Border Patrol trucks. I counted 487,632 bottles of beer on the wall until I got a headache.
As I approached Hachati, I saw a man in a wheelchair tending his garden. He gave me a big wave and I honked back. It was touching and sad, because he was using a hoe from his wheelchair, and his entire garden was a patch about 4 feet wide and maybe 8 long, and was in an irregular shape, just in whatever shape he was able to make from the wheelchair. I felt sadness and hope simultaneously - sadness at the difficulty of what he was doing, and hope, because he wasn't wasting his life but instead living it as best he could. If I see him again, I will stop to meet him.
Somewhere between Hachati and Columbus, I saw a glint way ahead in the other lane, and slowed in case it was a mountie. Eventually, I saw it was another motorcycle, and as he approached, it was an old guy with a beard on an old cruiser with a huge windshield and towing a home-made trailer built from an old Thule roof carrier. He gave me a huge wave and smile as if happy to see another guy who enjoyed the lonely road as he did.
From Columbus, it's roughly one hour to El Paso, and the terrain becomes flatter and sandier the closer you get. At some points, you are very close to the border itself, and the entire Hwy 9 runs parallel to the old bed of what was the railroad built to bring copper from Bisbee to El Paso.
It is along this stretch that I saw the stacks of stone I mentioned before. At about 30 miles out from El Paso, I began to see stacks of rocks. Not often, but every once in a while. I photographed some very obvious ones, but sometimes it is merely two or three stones near a fence. Sometimes two or three stacked on 5 or 6 successive fence posts.
Whether it's just the fun prank of a drunk cowboy artist, or road signs for illegals, who knows, but if you head that way, keep an eye out for them.
The mountains around El Paso appear on the horizon
Beautiful colors on these trees as I entered El P
I pulled onto I-10 in Sunland Park exactly at 1 pm, and sunk into the bizarre sensations of traffic, society and congestion. All I had in mind was getting as far as possible as soon as possible and just hit it for Balmorhea. I had planned to shoot a few pics, but once my senses were violated I just went on. I gassed up in Horizon City just outside of El Paso, and despite hunger pangs couldn't bring myself to stop anywhere to eat.
At first, 80 mph felt strange and uncomfortable after days of riding slow, but it wasn't long until it didn't feel fast enough
Somewhere between El Paso and Sierra Blanca I passed a guy heading west on BMW 650 Dakar - the red white and blue one - and he was wearing a fluorescent yellow jacket and pants. We waved at each other so I'm curious if he's a TWT or ADV'er.
Surprisingly, I've seen very few bikes on this trip - mostly HD's and not a single GS except for the Dakar today
I stopped in Van Horn to gas up, and ate a quick burger since the coffee and breakfast scone had finally worn off with a vengeance. Kerrville was still 5 hours away and it was nearing 6 pm so I figured Balmorhea would be a good spot to stop. I've heard about the state park and the lodging there and figured I'd try.
The late light of day on the highway was absolutely beautiful and there's just something I love about west Texas skies. Indulge me:
The road into Balmorhea
I missed getting a cabin in the state park there by about 15 minutes, but found the El Oso Flojo Lodge in the little town. It's actually very nice and I'm the only guest at the moment.
As to the bike, the mileage issue seems to have cleared itself up. Can't figure out why, cause the bike was getting low 30's most of the trip until today. I got 46 mpg, then 43 mpg and of course on I-10 with the 80 mph limit it's down to sub 37. Weird.
More later gators!
Last edited:
Well, the lodge had great wifi and is quite nicely done - my room was very nice and had a huge tiled walk-in shower with the rain shower head. Recommended if you're in Balmorhea. I dined late, on the tortillas I bought in Animas
I was up and outside by 6:30 am, heading to the coffee room for java. Wandered out to the parking lot to look at the distant mountains in the pre-dawn cold. To my left in the darkness came the crow of a rooster, only to be answered to my right with the howl of a coyote. The crow and the howl answered each other for a while, before the coyote went silent in the ever-brightening dawn.
A few hunters who'd come in in the middle of the night, loaded into their pickups, the rattling diesels knocking in the cold air as they pulled out of the lot.
Lo and behold, there by the coffee pot was yet another Honey Bun. Couldn't help but laugh as this was the fourth of seven days in which I'd been presented with the glorious "Honey Bun" for breakfast. I never eat those things but this trip they were de rigueur. I should have called this ride "The Honey Bun Trail".
What's that under the microwave????
What is up with the HoneyBun thang?
The last hunter loading up
Another spectacular day!
Downtown Balmorhea
Fall colors
The store
The sun was up and it was feeling almost warm when I saddled up, but about 4 miles down the road I had to stop and add a layer.
It was back to 80 mph into the low morning sun as I hit I-10 east for Fort Stockton and more gas. It was going to be another beautiful and crystal clear day. All I can say is that the weather this week has been unbelievably good. There hasn't been a cloud in the sky practically the entire time.
I reached Fort Stockton pretty soon, and exited into town to fill up. The signs for Marathon and Big Bend National Park called my name so loudly. Man I love Big Bend so much and I wanted to just head straight south If I'd had another day, I wanted to ride down and through Terlingua on the long way home, but it wasn't to be.
While gassing up, I saw a 1200GS head by, the rider wearing a blue Darien jacket. As I tooled down the main drag surveying the place, I saw a white 650 Dakar at a convenience store with black Jesse cases on the side. All was well in the world again.
Funny thing has been how few bikes I saw in AZ this week, and the ones I did see were usually Harley's. It was fun to see a couple of Beemers again.
I stopped to see my old friend "Paisano Pete" as usual, and he was all dressed up for Christmas. His little concrete lion was still guarding him well.
A couple of times on the freeway, the bike felt a little weird so I stopped and checked tire pressure again before getting back on the freeway. I hate it when you've been riding and then get onto a different surface with just enough variation to make the front move around - and combined with the wind makes you feel like your front is going flat. There were a few areas on I-10 that did that, especially an area of fresh chip-seal that looks new and flat but really made the front end wander.
Between Fort Stockton and Ozona, there were more fresh deer kills than I've seen in a very long time. There were a bunch and it went on for a very long time. They were all fresh and I kept doing the numbers of how little traffic's on I-10, and the chances of hitting a deer, and realized there must have been one heck of a lot of deer crossing that highway last night. Sheesh.
I eventually caught up to a couple of Harley riders who were running about 70, and I slid past at about 85, giving a thumbs up as I passed.
Ozona came up after a while and I needed to make a phone call so I pulled into a gas station that was as busy as a beehive and I do mean busy. In the lot, I saw the same white 650 Dakar with black Jesse's, and I figured he must have gotten on 10 while I was stopped to shoot Paisano Pete and must have gotten there a couple of minutes before me. By the time I got the receipt from inside, the rider was out by his bike so we chatted for a sec. His name was Chris and he was heading back to Austin from a ride to California. Told him I had a ride report going on my trip to AZ and he said he'd look it up on Two Wheeled Texans, so Chris, if you read this, Hi and send me your email if you'd like these pics man
Chris from Austin
Before I could get going, a guy came up to talk GS's for a while, then wished me a safe trip. I got back on 10 and floored it for Sonora and Junction. After a few minutes, I could see Chris' Dakar come up behind me and we caravaned all the way to Junction in a high crosswind. There' s a plateau area from southeast of Junction that extends out towards Sonora and Ozona, and it is amazing how strong the winds can be in that whole region.
The dead deer toll continued unabated until Junction, where I pulled off to make another call, and Chris headed east on 377 for Austin. When I pulled into the gas station to make the call, the same guy who'd talked to me about GS's back in Ozona was there and came over to say hi again. He left and another guy came over to ask about the GS - he was planning on getting back into riding again and was considering a V-Strom. We talked a while before his wife muscled him away. The two Harley riders I'd passed way back came rumbling in, and as we walked past I said hi, but they were too cool to respond. Shoulda known. I began gearing up, and another guy walked over to look at the bike. Mike was from Marfa, and rides a 1200GS. He said to give him a call when I hit the area and we'd do a ride. Will do Mike.
Funny how the last 60 miles is the longest, and as I raced for Kerrville it seemed strange. The rush of riding, and yet to a place that meant the ride would be ending. That old feeling of returning to reality. No more new places and faces each day.
But hey, this is a week of Thanksgiving, and it couldn't be more appropriate. So much to be thankful to God for - the weather, the beautiful creation I get to experience, a safe journey and so much more.
Home at last
It was a great trip, just under 2000 miles, and Arizona is hard to beat - beautiful, friendly and real! Thanks for riding with me and all the nice comments!
Adios my friends
P.S. - a little FYI
I checked out the wire that broke in the wind gust and snapped the hinges on my case lid. It appears one case has a steel cable, and the other that broke was using picture hanging wire - it may have been frayed or pinched the weakened spot snapped. I've seen folks using picture wire for this, but be careful to get the good stuff if you do. Personally I'm gonna look for steel cable if I can find it.
I'm loving the GSA cases on the 1100 - they're easy to work out of and are large enough to carry way more crap than I needed
If you ride AZ Hwy 80 east and NM Hwy 9 between Douglas and El Paso, Animas has gas (unleaded/diesel only), Hachati had a pump in front of the little store there - don't know if it was operative or not, and Columbus has Fina with 3 grades of gas and diesel), I didn't notice if Rodeo, NM did tho.
I was up and outside by 6:30 am, heading to the coffee room for java. Wandered out to the parking lot to look at the distant mountains in the pre-dawn cold. To my left in the darkness came the crow of a rooster, only to be answered to my right with the howl of a coyote. The crow and the howl answered each other for a while, before the coyote went silent in the ever-brightening dawn.
A few hunters who'd come in in the middle of the night, loaded into their pickups, the rattling diesels knocking in the cold air as they pulled out of the lot.
Lo and behold, there by the coffee pot was yet another Honey Bun. Couldn't help but laugh as this was the fourth of seven days in which I'd been presented with the glorious "Honey Bun" for breakfast. I never eat those things but this trip they were de rigueur. I should have called this ride "The Honey Bun Trail".
What's that under the microwave????
What is up with the HoneyBun thang?
The last hunter loading up
Another spectacular day!
Downtown Balmorhea
Fall colors
The store
The sun was up and it was feeling almost warm when I saddled up, but about 4 miles down the road I had to stop and add a layer.
It was back to 80 mph into the low morning sun as I hit I-10 east for Fort Stockton and more gas. It was going to be another beautiful and crystal clear day. All I can say is that the weather this week has been unbelievably good. There hasn't been a cloud in the sky practically the entire time.
I reached Fort Stockton pretty soon, and exited into town to fill up. The signs for Marathon and Big Bend National Park called my name so loudly. Man I love Big Bend so much and I wanted to just head straight south
If I'd had another day, I wanted to ride down and through Terlingua on the long way home, but it wasn't to be.While gassing up, I saw a 1200GS head by, the rider wearing a blue Darien jacket. As I tooled down the main drag surveying the place, I saw a white 650 Dakar at a convenience store with black Jesse cases on the side. All was well in the world again.
Funny thing has been how few bikes I saw in AZ this week, and the ones I did see were usually Harley's. It was fun to see a couple of Beemers again.
I stopped to see my old friend "Paisano Pete" as usual, and he was all dressed up for Christmas. His little concrete lion was still guarding him well.
A couple of times on the freeway, the bike felt a little weird so I stopped and checked tire pressure again before getting back on the freeway. I hate it when you've been riding and then get onto a different surface with just enough variation to make the front move around - and combined with the wind makes you feel like your front is going flat. There were a few areas on I-10 that did that, especially an area of fresh chip-seal that looks new and flat but really made the front end wander.
Between Fort Stockton and Ozona, there were more fresh deer kills than I've seen in a very long time. There were a bunch and it went on for a very long time. They were all fresh and I kept doing the numbers of how little traffic's on I-10, and the chances of hitting a deer, and realized there must have been one heck of a lot of deer crossing that highway last night. Sheesh.
I eventually caught up to a couple of Harley riders who were running about 70, and I slid past at about 85, giving a thumbs up as I passed.
Ozona came up after a while and I needed to make a phone call so I pulled into a gas station that was as busy as a beehive and I do mean busy. In the lot, I saw the same white 650 Dakar with black Jesse's, and I figured he must have gotten on 10 while I was stopped to shoot Paisano Pete and must have gotten there a couple of minutes before me. By the time I got the receipt from inside, the rider was out by his bike so we chatted for a sec. His name was Chris and he was heading back to Austin from a ride to California. Told him I had a ride report going on my trip to AZ and he said he'd look it up on Two Wheeled Texans, so Chris, if you read this, Hi and send me your email if you'd like these pics man
Chris from Austin
Before I could get going, a guy came up to talk GS's for a while, then wished me a safe trip. I got back on 10 and floored it for Sonora and Junction. After a few minutes, I could see Chris' Dakar come up behind me and we caravaned all the way to Junction in a high crosswind. There' s a plateau area from southeast of Junction that extends out towards Sonora and Ozona, and it is amazing how strong the winds can be in that whole region.
The dead deer toll continued unabated until Junction, where I pulled off to make another call, and Chris headed east on 377 for Austin. When I pulled into the gas station to make the call, the same guy who'd talked to me about GS's back in Ozona was there and came over to say hi again. He left and another guy came over to ask about the GS - he was planning on getting back into riding again and was considering a V-Strom. We talked a while before his wife muscled him away. The two Harley riders I'd passed way back came rumbling in, and as we walked past I said hi, but they were too cool to respond. Shoulda known. I began gearing up, and another guy walked over to look at the bike. Mike was from Marfa, and rides a 1200GS. He said to give him a call when I hit the area and we'd do a ride. Will do Mike.
Funny how the last 60 miles is the longest, and as I raced for Kerrville it seemed strange. The rush of riding, and yet to a place that meant the ride would be ending. That old feeling of returning to reality. No more new places and faces each day.
But hey, this is a week of Thanksgiving, and it couldn't be more appropriate. So much to be thankful to God for - the weather, the beautiful creation I get to experience, a safe journey and so much more.
Home at last
It was a great trip, just under 2000 miles, and Arizona is hard to beat - beautiful, friendly and real! Thanks for riding with me and all the nice comments!
Adios my friends
P.S. - a little FYI
I checked out the wire that broke in the wind gust and snapped the hinges on my case lid. It appears one case has a steel cable, and the other that broke was using picture hanging wire - it may have been frayed or pinched the weakened spot snapped. I've seen folks using picture wire for this, but be careful to get the good stuff if you do. Personally I'm gonna look for steel cable if I can find it.
I'm loving the GSA cases on the 1100 - they're easy to work out of and are large enough to carry way more crap than I needed
If you ride AZ Hwy 80 east and NM Hwy 9 between Douglas and El Paso, Animas has gas (unleaded/diesel only), Hachati had a pump in front of the little store there - don't know if it was operative or not, and Columbus has Fina with 3 grades of gas and diesel), I didn't notice if Rodeo, NM did tho.
Last edited:
M38A1
Admin
What a grand trip...
What lenses are you shooting with. You seem to have good focal coverage.
What lenses are you shooting with. You seem to have good focal coverage.
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Outstanding ride report; thanks again.
The next time you get out this way you'll need to check out the eastern and northeastern part of the state.
The next time you get out this way you'll need to check out the eastern and northeastern part of the state.
Hey Christopher! Glad we got to say hi and glad you made it back safe
Hope you were having as much fun with those winds on 10 as I was Nice report TinStar!
bullfrog
0
Excellent!!!
Hey I have a quantity of plastic coated 1/16" steel cable that is perfect for pannier lids....
PM your address....
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great report!!!
What a grand trip...
What lenses are you shooting with. You seem to have good focal coverage.
Hey there! I used the Panasonic LX3 exclusively except for a few pics with my old LX1. The LX3 has a 24-60mm equivalent lens, F2.0 and Leica design, so it is a sweet little thing. The zoom range is limiting, shutter lag and it has quirks, but is small enough to shoot with one hand while on the bike - not that it isn't without stress in so doing. I love the 24 for interiors, 16:9 format and raw files. I have used the G7, G9 and G10, and they are great, but are too thick to use one handed - for me anyway.
Maybe the next model will have a 24-140
When it all comes together, the raw files off the 3 can produce some beautiful images and when the aperture is in it's sweet spot, the images can be stunningly sharp.