Hi All:
Got sick on the way home from Red River, had to catch up on my honeydos, and I tried this before, but was disconnected... So here goes again.
Rode out from San Antonio on the Thursday the 22nd. (Holy cow, has it been nearly a month already?). Day started out pretty good, but after meeting Bro in Clovis, we dodged some pretty severe thunderstorms. (I REALLY love the weather / SAT on the NAV system).
We holed up in Las Vegas, NM for a few hours before heading out in the drizzle for RR. Cruddy weather and a missed turn
by me and we got pretty far behind schedule. Going by memory, I took 442 instead of 434 out of Mora. They hook up via 122, but 122 turns to dirt. Sooooo, back we go.
Finally found (the not very well-marked) turn off to 434 and headed out again - in the dark by this time. All looked well for a few minutes, as the rain stopped. I said a few minutes. By the time we made it to the park it was drizzling again. The road through the park loses its center stripe and becomes quite steep and curvy. I imagine that would be a great ride on a Sunday afternoon. 9 o'clock at night in the rain, not so much. There were several places where large (sometimes basketball size) rocks fell onto the road. Slow and easy was the way here, to be sure!
Made it to the 434 / 120 junction and stopped for a break. The stars came out and the roads dried up pretty quick. After starting out again, it wasn't mile or two before Angel Fire where a rather large buck decided he wanted to go for a stroll down the highway. Did I say just how much I love the Daymaker lights?
Then, a bit further down after turning onto 38 past Eagle Nest I met an elk. Reflex-linked and Anti-lock brakes - worth every penny! New underwear - priceless.
I saw her and was slowing down, but my brother still thinks I have the reflexes of a ninja. Either way, keeping my wits about me and my eyes peeled allowed me to avoid a disaster.
The rest of the trip was spent dodging rocks (at a very cautious pace) all the way to Red River. We rolled in around 11.
The Best Western staff had my key waiting and after unpacking I sat down and talked with Jim (Beam) for a while. I cannot say enough about the staff at the Red River Best Western. They are super! Also, they have fairly recently renovated the place. Nice rooms, new deck, you name it.
The next morning, we woke to this just outside our room.
More posts with pics...
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Topic: Red River Run (Read 7398 times)