This year's rally master, Karl Zuercher, posted the following report about the area east of Sipapu (our rally site is in fine shape, but nearby... not so much):
Good news! The roads you like to ride out of Sipapu are still there, and boy howdy, it was a great day for a ride Sunday in the Moreno Valley and the surrounding neighborhood! “But what about the fires?” you ask. There is plenty of damage to be sure, but much of the most serious damage is in the back country off the beaten path.
- Plenty of damage
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And there are residents that have lost just about everything. Many homes were spared through the diligent work of the wildfire crews. Thank you signs dot the area, but now the same areas are threatened by burn scar flooding and damaging property that the fires never touched. I learned in my Geology classes years ago that water, is the most destructive force on the planet. And the evidence is everywhere.
As we all know, in New Mexico, “Agua es Vida,” and with all the rain we have had, the view of the burn scars have been softened by all the new growth the rain has brought. There are places where the new grass is a foot high under the trees where it burned the lower branches and the main part of the trees are very green and will survive.
- New growth
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A large part of what I saw is the “Fire mosaic,” meaning that there are large areas of green with moderate damage in between.
The roads are in good shape except where it has flooded and roadcrews work diligently to keep them open. There are areas close to the streams and forest access roads that are closed now because of the flooding danger, but I was able to ride on a road I never have, A28. The pavement is, “GS pavement,” but once it turned to dirt/gravel, it got better but the serious damage showed up right at the National Forest boundary.
This is what is known to firemen as, “charred.” Nothing left.
- Charred
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Out side of this kind of damage, the roads we love are very beautiful still. The trip into the valley of Rociada and Pandaries, is a deceptive pastoral scene of huge green meadows and grazing cows, while many building in the Pandaries village were lost.
- Mountain view
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This is why I feel as the “Land of Enchantment” BMW Riders club, we should help out our fellow New Mexicans as best we can. There are many parts in Mora and San Miguel counties that are still beautiful. It can bring out the good in all of us!
- Land of Enchantment
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Sign up for the Rally, sign up to volunteer, contact RJ (activities@loebmwr.org), and come September, Lets ride!
