The Gila Monster

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Let me explain, this whole trip had one mission, one thing in mind, one specific road to ride, one reason to go "The Gila Monster". It was two days ride to get there, two days back. Why would anybody want to slab a day to go ride a road in the remote Gila National Forest in New Mexico? Well cause its a great fricken road thats why! Helo... heh I think so much about it I gave it a name "The Gila Monster" so lets cut to the chase ... see for yourself.

http://www.vfrdiscussion.com/forum/videos/491/1236161313_gilamonster.wmv.flv

This video is 5 minutes of unadulterated road riding, no cars, continuous and un edited. I did add music since the wind noise was annoying but its basically me chasing Motoman for 5 minutes till we got stuck behind a line of cars where it ends. The road by no means ends here rather it continues on for another 20 miles but it is safe to say it is the best part.

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The Ride Report

DAY ONE

Colorado Springs to Santa Fe New Mexico

Lunch in Cuchara

We mostly slabbed it on I25 south but I just cant take that much slab so I asked Craig to turn off at Walsenburg so we could go ride Cucharas pass. There was a great litle bar there that serves lunch I thought of stopping at. Craig loved it, and the road too. He had not been on the vfr in two months since it was broken down - see my laguna seca writeup. Anyhow he was rusty and not so comfortable with the bike at all but if there are fast sweepers hes on it! Once I got up the pass and onto the high speed sweepers he was passing me to take them in stride. Its funny hes always been like that, if he knows the road that is. I stayed with him and we were taching the bikes out at 20k just like Joey D in the Isle Of Man (well maybe not). I was amped up on a Dickens Cider energy drink ( ya get it ;) ) so I was keen on keeping up. I seem to have the advantage on the tight stuff since well he was still rusty.

Trucas New Mexico

Once in New Mexico we headed into the mountains and up Cimmaron Canyon, It was full of tar snakes and lots of campers out for the weekend so it was 6/10ths at best, but fun none the less. It was overcast and I knew it was going to rain on us. I headed down to Mora on the wierd and unique road hwy 38 - it is like a driveway that goes on for 30 miles. Two pickup trucks with some rough looking Mexicans were trying to hold us off, I was worried about passing - but I did anyway and after I did Craig got by too. They certainly were not about to pull off and let us by - and they were going faster then they would have been had they not seen us behind them. Idiots! I think passing them even after they tried thier darnedest to outrun us was funny, at least they were not blocking the other lane too - what little of it there was.

Then came Mora where I saw a goddes driving her Pontic Sunbird (who would have thunk it) - her lip gloss was glistening in the sun and I was instantly in love. I decided not to pass her for 5 miles even though she was going 15 mph. What can I say I couldnt help myself. Then once I saw some twisty road heading up the pass I snapped out of it and started riding harder up the wet roads into the high country. It was here that we though we saw snow - nope it was acumulated hail. We got lucky and missed that - it was all in the road but we managed to ride through some dry tire tracks.

Penasco we encountered yet another crazy Mexican guy in a Ford F150 going way faster than he probably should be trying to hold me off. I followed safely right behind 2 car lengths or so and waited to pounce - I guess I was semi mature about it, not gonna squid pass the guy but Yea I am gonna pass him no doubt. Its like he asked for it or somthing. It came to a long hill climb out of some other small town and I twisted the throttle and showed him why a bike can out accelrate a stock F150 - It wasnt long before he was completely out of sight - but Craig was right behind me. I guess I should explain that Dan was also comming but he was driving his truck down with the Gixxer in the back since he had to work one more day than us. It would be another days ride before we hooked up with him.

Trucas NM was where the skies really opend up on us, all the way down into the valley below. I was gambling a bit on fuel, well not really I know my bike and I know the road I was safely in range but Craig was freaking out. Pointing madly at his gas tank I guess he wasnt too happy with the fuel situation. I motioned to keep going. Sure enough once we got to Gas Station in Pojoque he only needed 4.4 gallons - whats the big deal he had another gallon left? Opps I on the other hand needed 4.8g.

I spent the night at my sisters place in Santa Fe and Craig moteled it for the night, but not before we took him out on the town to La Choisa Resturant for some Santa Fe style cuisine. He enjoyed it - I certainly did, my niece and newphew provided the entertainment.

DAY TWO

Santa Fe to Soccoro

I thought it would be nice to take the back way to Alb and ride up Sandia Peak. It was nice in the morning and sunny. The road up to the peak is nice and twisty and lots of fun, but it can catch ya out with the tight switch backs at the top. I wasn't "railing it" per sea but I was riding it well enough to finish off the chicken strips on my newly shod Pilot Powers - well up to the edge ok. Craig wasnt so bold he stayed in his comfort zone, saying he wasnt sure how far he could go - still a bit rusty. Then we got hit with a 3$ ENTRANCE FEE?? Ok I forgot about that. Why dont they make you pay at the bottom? Seems like its a bit of a trap waiting to make you pay at the top? Maybe it is just to stop at the top and use the facilities - I mean you can certainly turn around before the top? There were green trucks all along the way too so who knows - they were probabaly out because it was labor day weekend.

Sandia Peak

After that we headed into the Indian country for some semi slab and had to stop for gas in some speck of a village, the attendant was really attractive for such a nowhere ville little dump? On we went and then the rains came again, not only did they come they beat the crap out of us with some hail too. I was here we decided to cut off half the ride and head strait for Soccoro ( instead of doing cloudcroft) the place we were headed was nothing but an inpenitrable wall of water - forget that!!

Chupadera Mountains

Craig adjusts his rain gear

DAY THREE

What we come for.

White Coyote Cafe - T or C NM

The slab from Soccoro to Truth or Consequences was almost torture. Knowing was was up ahead is what kept us going, so insted we stopped in town for breakfast. We planned on meeting there at some cafe called the Coyote Cafe. I just looked up a cafe having no idea what it was like. It was artsy fartsty and a bit too foo foo for me but we ate there anyway. I saw a great post card - an arial photo of the Monster and looked up the website on the back.

http://www.landerland.com/Kingston/Ashot.html

The Gila Monster at Kingston New Mexico

We headed out of T or C and slabbed it some more, getting passed by three other guys on sport touring bikes a mile or so from the turn off. I though hey maybe we will have some company? Nope they kept on going down the interstate, not knowing what they missed!

The turn off at hwy 152 in Cabelo was sort of uneventfull or so I thought as I started on down the long strait to the mountians. I passed a few cars and then a few more and a couple more?? WTF was up with all these cars? I kept going then all of a sudden I hear a siren - I was being pulled over? CRAP!! It was an unmarked sherrif, no radar? He said we all did not make a complete stop, and we were speeding in a 55 zone at 70 or so? I just kept quite and polite, yazza nozza!

He pointed to the other two to pull over too, crap all three of us! Then he asks for my stuff. The usual - I am thinking I am toast. He doenst go back to his car??!! OK!

"here is the deal"

whew I think!

"instead of a $200 dollar ticket for not stopping at a stop sign, and anoter $200 for speeding...each of ya" - "your just gonna keep on going 55, and slow down"

He said "I am too lazy to write ya all a ticket" and with that I shook the mans hand and we all sighed a sigh of releif! OMG close one!

I asked him where all these cars came from? Since the interstate was not so busy, where did these cars come from? He told us he was patrolling for the big apple festival in Hillsburo up the road. Yea it was big, it took us 30 minutes to go a mile through town! Must have been 10,000 people there at that festival, all of them walking right out in front of us. I guess it is our reponsibility to not hit sombody who walks out into the steet without looking? Oh well, I was hoping and praying that the road was clear up ahead.

Vertical Profile from my GPS

Well yes and no, not 10,000 but maybe a 100! It was a bit congested on the Monster but not so bad, we got in 5 minutes without any cars to pass so I was happy. Craig got some left over apple pie in Kingston and we all had a good time on the Monster. Dan was squid passing a bit more aggressive than I cared for so we let him go on the second pass. He went all the way back to Kingston and ran it again alone. It was hard enough catching up after passing just one car but 2, 3 was too much of a task.

Kingston NM

This is the Monster Tail

Scenic Overlook

The Gila Monster

Late Lunch in Silver City

We had to cut off the upper part up into the Gila Clif Dwellings it was getting too late and we were hungry. Dan says we really got to hit it to get back to Soccoro before night fall. I dont know? Silver City to Reserve in an hour and ten ok - you do the math. Then it was strait to the hwy 60 turn off at Datil? My GPS started recording top speed numbers here.

The Very Large Array

Closer

Our plans changed yet again and so we had to stay in Soccoro one more night instead of pushing on to Alb. Dans truck was at the Walmart in Soccoro so he took off ahead of us and loaded up the gixxer. we stayed in Soccoro and ate pizza and drank beer instead of what we planned. OH WELL

DAY FOUR

The slab home

Those two stayed up too late so yea well ...they got up late too. It was almost 11am before we all left Soccoro. My plans to ride the Jimez loop and Cumbres pass had to be scrapped if I was going to get home by midnight. I saved just two treats for the day, well maybe three. One was the painted rocks on hwy 84 and the other was the great sweepers from Tierra Amarilla to Tres Piedres hwy 64. 64 is Craigs kind of road and I knew he would be happy to ride it. It was great.

Pictures of the painted rocks

Vetrans Memorial Hwy 84

Ghost Ranch

Ojitos de Los Gato

Hoodos

El Monte Rojo

El Monte Rojo

The road to Tres Piedres

Brazos Cliffs

Brazos Cliffs

We crossed up into Colorado and had dinner in Antonito, having not eaten all day it was a welcome site to see a sit down resturant. The Korean lady serving was a hoot, she was getting all mixed up but she was on the ball, if not a bit upside down. Dinner was satisfiying and so I decided to ride the "road of the anchients" other wise knows as "Los Caminos Antiquos" its a strait line on the map but its a beatiful streatch of road when the sun is going down. My favorite time of day. What ride!! Some times I get complacent about where I live, I dont stop to appreicate it as much as I should, being a native born Colordoan I some times get desinitized to the beauty around me. I takes a trip out of state to make me see just how great Colorado is. I did not take pictures of the Camino but I have it in my mind. Somthings are too good to share.