Alright, let me catch this report up some more. Having completed two really cool days in Colorado/New Mexico over Friday and Saturday, now I needed to get home. I could meet back up with my buddy somewhere along the way and throw my bike in the truck bed to get home as he travels back south on Monday…..or I could just start to ride home on Sunday. I’ve always wondered just how terrible, for me, the trek across this part of the world would be on the kinds of bikes I ride. I decided to make a route that still mixed in some dirt when I could/made sense and get part way home somewhere. Here we go, leaving Bad Bob’s in Angel Fire.
Slipped south out of town on pavement. Its cold but doable.
Started going southeast on some dirt……
…….and got to see a herd of elk, not too shabby of a start! In the first pic below they are above my bike. As I rounded the corner and head their way, they run right in front of me, no doubt New Mexico species.
Little more canyon carving.
Luckily the moisture I saw in the forecast wasn’t getting me. Shed a layer here in celebration.
I liked this old building and the setting. I could see myself living there, fixing it up. I would only need a twin bed I was thinking….as in I would be single!
Blasted out some pretty prairie pavement regularly seeing pronghorn.
Got gas in Wagon Mound and kept going east down into the Canadian River Valley.
Pavement through Roy and on to Mosquero.
I sniffed out some dirt here. Hoping it didn’t play out, I took off.
So far so good. Lots of cool geology out here and for the most part I’m trucking along at a pretty good pace.
It kept getting better and better. I still had that nagging feeling of getting deep into it and coming to a locked gate. Nothing you can do about stuff like that, just deal with it if it happens. For now, enjoy the scenery.
And….how about this scenery!
Dang, I was on this dirt route a good long while and it just kept delivering. Beautiful desert riding, the two of us are at our best in stuff like this.
Blissful. I just looked back, this section of dirt was 52 miles long. Good way to break up the pavement as I eased southeast.
I stopped here to shed some layers and contemplate the rain I could see in the distance. And enjoy a cold Dr Pepper!
This was an all day deal, studying the horizon and plotting my moves. I hit the fringe of that particular rain cell, it was perfect for cooling things down and the awesome desert smells. That gets us to about noon that day. More to come……