Member Contributer vanion2 Posted June 21, 2009 Member Contributer Share Posted June 21, 2009 Just Beautiful The girl was taking off for the weekend and having a full day to ride where ever I want without time constraints was not an opportunity to be missed. I posted up the route knowing full well that I might be the only one to go but ZiaVFR was undaunted by the threats of rain that loomed over the this Saturday. It still amazes me when I see 30% chance of rain how it means next to nothing as more likely than not you will not see a drop all day. Not so this morning. I open the garage door and it was all ready sprinkling. Oh boy. Since I had received no notice of cancellation from Zia I slapped on the side cases, put my rain pants and jacket liner in one, the tank bag with the camera in the other and headed off to the meeting point. Zia caught up with me at the exit I was taking so I knew we were on for the ride even though the steady sprinkling continued. We stopped at the Einstein's where I scarfed down a breakfast burrito and some OJ while discussing the route we would be taking. Then it was gear up and get riding time. Since the rain continued I went ahead and dawned my rain pants before embarking on what would be almost 3 hours of rain, rain, and more rain. The first part of the run was all slab. I-40W to I-25N to 550W. Nothing like drizzle at 70+ mph combined with car spray to start the day. Needless to say that by the time we finally got to the exit heading for the Jemez Valley I was getting pretty damn cold and my socks were slightly damp from the constant spray. Zia and I decided to push through until we got to Jemez Springs and then stop for a bit to drink some hot beverages and slap on the liners at Debs Deli. There we met a small horse (also known as a Great Dane) by the name of Brody and his owner who were stopping by after 3 days of backpacking. Let me tell you, that dog was BIG! Standing next to it his head would easily touch my shoulder if he looked up. We also had some conversation with a couple of guys hanging out on the patio avoiding the rain. The sun decided to make a brief appearance and that was all the prompting Zia and I needed to jump back on the VFR's and continue forth on this wet and miserable day. Once out of town we picked up the pace a bit but well within speed limits because the roads were that wonderful state of wet that brings the oil to the surface but doesn't wash it away. At this point we should have been pretty daunted but it turns out that it was an incredible ride. Wet, cold, constant rain, all gone when driving through those mountains. Clouds low enough to create a ceiling just high enough to hide the peaks, everything so green and lush shining wetly in the filtered light, the smell of the desert, the moisture, and the vegetation, and the sound of V4's rumbling, the wind over the helmet, and even the occasional burbling of the Jemez River when the road would get close enough. I had never seen it like this before and I can tell you it was worth every minute we were there. We passed the Soda Damn, Battleship Rock, and the Jemez Falls without stopping and suddenly I was in completely new territory as I had never been any further. It was amazing what I saw while traveling Route 4 and I will definitely be going back to get more photos as some views go beyond describing. We were hoping to find a few places dry enough to get some photo opportunities but Mother Nature and Man were not very accommodating. There were a lot of people parked in all the good spots to get some shots for a wet day but with some perseverance we were able to get a few stops in along the way. Worth the Wet Zia on High Wait? Turn left where? Hidden valley Dude, you're too close to the edge. VFRs & Route 4.JPG Zia admiring the view Now that looks like fun! These pictures only give you a hint of what we saw. The one thing that remained constant though was the rain. Not until we got to the southern end of Santa Fe did we finally find dry roads and sunshine. At this point I was pretty worn out. Route 4 is pretty technical and that combined with how cold and wet things were had both Zia and I thinking it best to leave Cerrillos Road for another day. It was also time for some gas so I punched the gas icon on the Zumo 450 and it lead us to a road in the middle of no where with no gas station in sight. :huh: Turns out though that when I punched up a route that would take us back to I-25S we ended up having a fantastic drive down a simple road with real New Mexican ranch houses running along the route. If my camera battery had not all ready died on me earlier I definitely would have stopped for some photos. You just don't see houses like that any more. So our misdirected path turned out to be well worth it. I am definitely going to put that one in my routes to do again. Once we were back on the highway it was slab time all the way back to Albuquerque. It was nice just to have the sun shining and the roads dry all the way home. We ended up stopping for gas at the very edge of town where I had stretched my tank 210 miles and my reserve light started blinking. Once the tanks were full we headed home both with very satisfied grins and speculation of a couple more rides before the Summer Summit Ride. All in all it was about 5.5 hours from start to finish and about 230 miles. I can only imagine what it would have been like were the roads dry and the sun shining but like I told Zia earlier today "If every day was how we imagined it where would the adventure be?" :biggrin: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SEBSPEED Posted June 21, 2009 Share Posted June 21, 2009 I love a good ride in the rain every now and then; good on ya! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer ZiaVFR Posted June 22, 2009 Member Contributer Share Posted June 22, 2009 I love a good ride in the rain every now and then; good on ya! Seb you are correct! A soggy run up a winding mountain canyon is a wonderful thing for sure but I can live without being drowned between two semis on I-40 for awhile. In this case the gain was well worth the pain. Jemez 6 09 006.jpg Heading into Jemez Springs I remembered how red mud flowing across the road in a downpour will increase your concentration and pucker factor. After our break to warm up and gear up the rain let up a little. Jemez 6 09 015.jpg Jemez 6 09 011.jpg After a short stop Vanion could not wait to get back to eat more water! Jemez 6 09 018.jpg The Valles Caldera National Preserve was formed long ago when a volcano blew it's top leaving this green valley in the sky. http://wwwvallescaldera.gov/ for more more information. Jemez 6 09 010.jpg Jemez 6 09 007.jpg Jemez 6 09 026.jpg Thanks for the ride! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 22, 2009 Share Posted June 22, 2009 Sorry I missed the ride! I got stuck doing chores and homework so I could take fathers day off on Sunday. Hopefully we can something else up next month. Action Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer ZiaVFR Posted June 22, 2009 Member Contributer Share Posted June 22, 2009 We missed you Action. See you soon! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer vanion2 Posted June 22, 2009 Author Member Contributer Share Posted June 22, 2009 What's with you and taking pictures of me in goofy poses! :laugh: No worries Action. There's plenty more where that came from. :fing02: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer ZiaVFR Posted June 23, 2009 Member Contributer Share Posted June 23, 2009 What's with you and taking pictures of me in goofy poses! :laugh:No worries Action. There's plenty more where that came from. :fing02: :goofy: Goofy Poses?!!??? I can't help it if you are so dang photogenic! Mr vanion do you deny doing all the motorcycle stunt work on the recent Terminator movie filmed here in New Mexico? I am sure TMZ will be calling for the latest pics! What is it like having all this attention? Is that a Ducati? Who did the custom paint? :laugh: Nice Jacket Dude! Can't wait for next time! :wheel: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 I was out that way last year over the 4th.......I too ran into rain throughout my trip...all good. Looks like you guys had fun. For what it's worth, I personally think New Mexico offers some of the best motorcycling opportunities/roads/views/endless blue skies in the USA.... :fing02: Thankfully, the NM border is less than 2 hours away for me. BTW, the custom paint job on that VFR looks hot! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer vanion2 Posted June 23, 2009 Author Member Contributer Share Posted June 23, 2009 Thanks for the compliments on the bike. :wheel: As for photogenic....:fing02: It's the bike. You could put anything next to it and make it look good. :laugh: @mtnbiker1: Feel free to include yourself in any of the rides we setup. You are only 6 hours away from Albuquerque but if we hit a southern NM route you could always meet up with us for a bit. :laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TN_VFR_Girl Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 Wow! Those are great pics and looks like you ended up with a great day (rain and all)! I must admit, I didn't picture Albuquerque as being so green :wacko: Thanks for posting up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer sckego Posted June 23, 2009 Member Contributer Share Posted June 23, 2009 Nice ride! I am loving that black paint along the bottom half of the 6th gen's fairing. I spent a good minute staring at that first pic, trying to figure out why it looked so different, before coming to the conclusion that it must be the paint. It's amazing how much that changes the look of the bike... it actually looks smaller and lighter. Very cool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer vanion2 Posted June 27, 2009 Author Member Contributer Share Posted June 27, 2009 I must admit, I didn't picture Albuquerque as being so green :blink: The Jemez Valley get quite a bit more rain than Albuquerque and we have definitely been seeing quite a bit of rain lately so everything is blooming like crazy over here. It's a rare sight that's for sure. I am loving that black paint along the bottom half of the 6th gen's fairing. I spent a good minute staring at that first pic, trying to figure out why it looked so different, before coming to the conclusion that it must be the paint. It's amazing how much that changes the look of the bike... it actually looks smaller and lighter. Very cool. I wish it felt that way too! :biggrin: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 27, 2009 Share Posted June 27, 2009 Thats the best looking paint and color combo I've seen on any bike! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Rivcyko Posted June 27, 2009 Member Contributer Share Posted June 27, 2009 Cool!!!! Looks like fun. I love a rain ride:ONLY when it's warm enough, and the bike needs to be detailed any way. (LOL. I'll take any ride, that I can, while I'm 6 feet above the ground, if the mood hits). LOL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.