More NMBDR adventures!

[emartinez]

Wow! Looks like a fun trip! Thanks for sharing the experience (and now I add another route to my wish list).

Eduardo

[SandyBallard]

Amy and I just returned from yet another most excellent adventure in which we rode the southern-most leg of the New Mexico Backcountry Discovery Route.

Google Map: https://drive.google.com/open?id=16eDSdqy7_LwfH07Jt8aMVpSZcgynNKzj&usp=sharing

On Friday evening, we loaded our bikes into a 15' Uhaul truck and drove down to the eastern-most outskirts of El Paso, TX. Saturday morning, we unloaded the bikes, turned in the truck and mailed home the 18(!) straps we used to secure the bikes in the back of the truck (those bikes were goin' nowhere).

After a very cold, hour and a half ride to Dell City, TX, we started off down Section 1 of the NM BDR with warm temperatures and clear sunny skies. That evening we camped up on the Rim Road in the Guadalupe Mountains west of Carlsbad. For those of you have been up on that road, you know how spactacular the views are. We lucked out and got perfect weather: no wind, a bit chilly, but nothing that down jackets, warm sleeping bags, and a nice roaring campfire could not overcome.

In the morning we completed the Rim Road and headed into Weed for gas and some lunch. In the afternoon, we took off on the Westside Road, which parallels the Timberon - Cloudcroft road just a bit downhill to the west. Fantastic road! Pretty easy, well maintained gravel, with beautiful views overlooking White Sands down in the Tularosa Basin.

After camping along that road Sunday night, we headed into Cloudcroft for more gas and lunch and took off toward Ruidoso on dirt roads I had never heard of. All the roads so far had been super fun, beautiful and minimally challenging and we thought we would cruise into Ruidoso full of confidence. Not so much. With only about 10 miles of dirt left in our trip, we hit some very rocky, steep downhill sections in Laborcita Canyon. We both dropped our bikes a couple of times getting down these hills, but made it to the bottom of the road physically, but not mentally, unscathed. After our afternoon ordeal, we opted for a cozy, quaint little cabin in Ruidoso for the night instead of another night under the stars. On Tuesday we headed home through Carrizozo and Claunch with warm sunny weather all day. A great ride!

So Amy and I have been taking on the BDR all summer and of the seven sections we have now completed all but Section 2 from Ruidoso to T or C through the Jornada del Muerto, and Section 3 from T or C to Reserve through the Gila. We will probably knock off the Jornada sometime in the coming months, but probably won't get the Gila done before winter sets in. We’re getting there!

Here is a link to the whole NMBDR:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1Jf1bjct63hRxdiqCeLzgicx6EAgiYp74&usp=sharing

Sandy