Passes & Canyons Blog

OK, holiday hiatus over with, let’s get back to what we were discussing, i.e., new roads we rode on this year’s OFMC trip. I last highlighted NM518 from Mora to Penasco. What came next?

Leaving Espanola we were only going as far as Socorro and if we took I-25 we would have been there in two hours or less. That would never do and besides, that would take us right through Albuquerque–not a pleasant idea. No problem, I knew–or thought I knew–that we could just cruise down that way on the east side of the Sandia Mountains rather than the west.

So the plan was to get off I-25 at Bernalillo and take NM165 down to where we would hit the road up to Sandia Crest. Nice thought; bad plan. That road is unpaved and unmaintained so we had to go back to I-25 and go through Albuquerque after all. Then we turned east on I-40 to Tijeras and up that road and then up to Sandia Crest. Once we got off at Tijeras it was all new road and the road up to Sandia Crest is fabulous. At least that part of the plan was good.

And then for nearly all of the rest of the day it was still new roads. We backtracked to Tijeras, crossed under I-40, and continued south on NM337. This road also runs to the east of the hills. I don’t know if these are still the Sandias stretching south but whatever they’re called, we stayed east. We went down through canyons, over hills, and then also over a whole lot of flat, open land. But at least we weren’t on the interstate, and it was all new for us. At Mountainair we hit US 60, also new for us, and took it west to finally rejoin I-25 just north of Socorro. A good day riding.

The next new road came the next day, as we headed west out of Socorro, once again on US 60. This was a nice ride through some attractive country and past the Very Large Array until we stopped at Datil for lunch. The road splits here, with US 60 going on northwest through Quemado and over to Springerville. Going southwest, NM12 runs down to Rancho Grande Estates and ends at the junction with US 180. Either would have been new for us. We took NM12.

The first part was a wide-open expanse but then we were in a broad valley between mountains. When we got as far as Apache Creek we came onto road we had ridden before. Last time we were coming the other way and went north on NM32 to Quemado. So as far as Apache Creek we were backtracking on a road we had been on before, but then at US 180 it became another new stretch as previously we had come north on 180 and turned east on 12. Now we continued north on 180 from where we had turned off last time.

This was a terrific stretch of road. It goes on up to Alpine, Arizona, and I had heard for years about how great the “Alpine Loop” was. The stories were true. Through canyons, over mountains, this was a great ride. We spent the night in Alpine and then continued up to Eagar and Springerville and then caught US 191 north to AZ61, headed east, which became NM53 when we crossed back into New Mexico. That took us to NM62, which carried us up to Gallup. All of that was new.

Our only feasible option from Gallup was north on US 491, a road we have been on several times. Still, we had the chance to get off it before reaching Shiprock by turning northeast on Indian Service Route 5, which carried us over to NM371, which we had been on before. All of this route was mostly desert but at least the service route curved around staying on a series of hilltops. I had no complaints.

We spent the night in Farmington and then headed northeast on NM516 to Aztec, where we picked up US 550 going north. We’ve been on them before. The last new road, however, came soon after we crossed back into Colorado when we turned east off 550 onto County Road 110, which was a really sweet little two-lane that wound its way around a bit and then followed a broad valley to Ignacio. So much preferable to US 160 further to the north.

So that was a heck of a lot of new roads in one trip. I think the reason we were able to hit so many new ones is that for years we have taken this trip in the middle of summer, when the beastly heat has dissuaded us from doing much in Arizona and New Mexico. Especially Arizona. But this year we went in September and that made a huge difference. And opened up a lot of new roads.

Now, if I can just convince these guys that it really isn’t horrible riding in Kansas and Nebraska, maybe we can hit some new roads out that way. But I’m not holding my breath.

Biker Quote for Today

Psyclepath – noun: A person suffering from an extreme love of motorcycles.

OK, it’s Turkey Day and yesterday Judy and I both tested positive for Covid. She feels like crap and I seem to be asymptomatic. Anyway, I guess I’m going to cut myself a break here.

Hope you have a great Thanksgiving.

(But I will include a quote. What’s a Passes & Canyons Blog post without the quote?)

Biker Quote for Today

Studies have shown that riding a motorcycle every day makes you more awesome than the general population.

After more than 30 years doing our OFMC trips we have ridden just about everywhere you can go in eight or nine days from Denver–unless you’re an Iron Butt kind of guy, which we are not.

That means we have ridden just about every road within that area, most more than once. Still, there are little stretches of road here and there that we have missed and now and then we find our way to them. This year’s trip was a good one for finding them.

The first was just a local road but what a blessing to find. We were headed through Taos and knew that that town is very congested. Plus, as we got near we saw a warning sign saying that we should expect construction delays going through town. I had already spotted Blueberry Hill Road; now the only thing was to find it. As a small local road it’s not going to be found on any state highway map.

Fortunately, these days we have Google Maps and such, which is where I spotted it in the first place. But even those maps sometimes lack scale. In this case I knew we needed to turn west from the road we were on, onto the road going out to the Rio Grande Gorge, but then very quickly make a sharp left on Blueberry Hill. From the map you would probably think it was a mile or so.

I was in the lead and made the turn. We went about 300 feet and cross a stream and there on the left was a road. It looked like it could be what we wanted but there were no street signs. Still, there were a couple cars coming out of there, suggesting it was somewhat busy. I decided to take a chance.

Success! This was Blueberry Hill Road and it took us all the way around Taos on a series of ridges with almost no traffic. Very sweet, not to mention rather scenic. I can easily imagine taking this road again.

This led us immediately to the next new road. As we got to the highway where I had understood we needed to do a quick jog left, jog right to get onto the High Road to Taos, I was set to go left when Dennis pulled up next to me. He said his GPS said Espanola, our destination, was to the right. I was not totally sure of myself so I agreed that we should go right.

Well, that was really wrong. To get to the High Road we did need to go left, but this road did go to Espanola nevertheless. And it was a shorter, more direct route. Not that we wanted short or direct, we actually wanted scenic but then this new road, NM68, had that to offer as well. First we went down into the gorge of the Rio Grande and then that opened out into a lovely valley filled with vineyards and farms. It did later run out on the flatland that was decidedly unscenic but no big deal. It was a nice road and we had never ridden it.

We got to Espanola for a three-night stay and on our second full day we did a day ride, making sure to know our way to the High Road. We took that up to Taos, then crossed the hills to get to Angel Fire, turned south there on a really nice road we had ridden for the first time just about five years ago, and then reached the town of Mora. The last time we had turned left at Mora to go on down to Las Vegas and I-25. What I had seen on the map, however, was that if we turned right at Mora we would get on an entirely new road that would take us back the High Road to Taos a little east of Penasco: NM518.

This was a really nice road going through some valleys and over some hills, with the only thing spoiling the scenery being the char of a very recent forest fire. Sad to see. Otherwise, a great road.

OK, I didn’t expect this. This post is getting long and I’m not nearly done. We rode a lot of new roads on this trip. I’ll pick up from here next time.

Biker Quote for Today

“The main thing I’m into is going about on a bike, taking random routes; I’m really into the idea of making up journeys and just seeing where they take you because they always end up taking you someplace freaky.” – Tom Jenkinson

John and Bill and I started taking these OFMC trips more than 30 years ago and for an amazing number of years we did so with absolutely zero mechanical issues. Actually, it was very close in our seventh year, when Bill’s stator failed on him as he was heading to our rendezvous point. So technically it wasn’t on the trip. John and I left without him and a few days later he met up with us in Thermopolis, Wyoming.

It wasn’t until our 20th year that we actually had mechanical problems on the road. That year Jason was on his new Road King and while we were in Taos he and several other guys rode down a very rough road to a very much over-rated hot spring. Something jarred loose on the bike and caused him problems until he took the better part of a day at a Harley dealer getting it fixed.

Since then we have had periodic issues, and this year’s trip was definitely way up there.

For starters, as I’ve told of previously, I dropped my Concours in a parking lot and busted my left mirror assembly. That necessitated a kludgey repair but I was able to roll with no problem.

Then later that same day my right-side highway peg just fell off. Vibration had apparently just worked it loose over who knows how long a time. Miraculously it did not fall to the ground and get lost, it hung up on the fairing so when I was able to stop it was there for me to put in my bag and put back on later.

Then the day we headed out of Socorro we made a stop to view the Very Large Array. When we were ready to head on Bruce found that his bike would not start. He had left the key in the On position and the battery–probably very much near the end of its life–had gone dead. Fortunately, Bruce is very resourceful. He carries along a jump-starter outfit. This is a very small thing that consists of a cable to connect to the battery and a fully charged power source. He hooked it up, hit the starter, it fired, and we were off. Handy little device you’ve got there Bruce.

And then later that day we hit the big one. Riding in a rainstorm in Arizona, Bill did not dodge a big rock laying in the middle of the road. He took a terrific jolt but kept the bike up and then rode it all the rest of the way to our day’s destination. At which time his front tire promptly went flat. Another miracle.

Now Dennis and Bruce both pulled out little air pumps they carry and they tried to reinflate the tire. But the rim had been badly bent and it just wouldn’t hold air. But we had gotten all this way; can’t we get enough in there to force a seal again? Our host had an air compressor and hose so they tried that and it did get the tire filled. But just a couple hours later it was flat again.

This necessitated a tow to the next town where an inner tube was put in and we made it on to Farmington. But by morning the tire was flat again. Bruce’s air pump put in enough air so Bill could make it five miles to the local Harley dealer, where he ended up paying $2,000 for a new wheel and tire.

And that was finally the end of our troubles. It just leaves me wondering, how in the world did we make it 20 years without any mechanical problems. Just amazing luck I guess.

Biker Quote for Today

My motorcycle is like my wife. Very temperamental and showing signs of age. But stays by my side during the twists and long straights of life.

I had forgotten to mention one thing about our recent OFMC trip: all of a sudden my Concours decided to run well again.

I had been having a series of problems with this bike. I didn’t know how long this had been going on till just now when I looked back on times I’ve written about these problems. The first mention I encountered was from December 28, 2020. Almost two years. Dang.

At that time I told how I had rolled the bike out for a ride, fired it up and let it warm up, and then took off, only to have it die about 10 feet out of the driveway. It seemed to be acting the way it had in the past when I had inadvertently left the gas petcock on Prime rather then in the On or Reserve positions. Why this thing even has Prime I don’t understand. So I did what had worked in the past, I changed the oil. After that it ran fine and I thought I had solved the problem.

Not so easy. The next few times I rode it it wouldn’t run well at first and I would ride around the neighborhood before just to see before going further from home. It would die coming to a stop so I’d rev it a bit as I stopped.

I did some searching and found information suggesting maybe the air filter was clogged with oil, so I replaced the oil filter. No improvement so I checked on the Concours Owners Group forum and came up with the possibility of hydrolock. But as far as I could tell that was not the issue either so finally I resigned myself to calling in Joel, my mechanic, and paying the price.

But then I met a guy who suggested clearing the fuel line using carb cleaner. I did that and it helped a lot. Maybe I wouldn’t need to pay Joel after all. The immediate improvement was great and I hoped it would just get better and better. But it didn’t. Eventually I did have Joel clean the carburetors. By now it was April of 2021.

Come July of 2021 I went on the OFMC trip on the Concours after Joel had cleaned the carbs and the bike ran well but not perfectly. And at times it seemed like the throttle would stick and the engine would race like crazy at a stop and there was nothing I could do. Arrgh!

After that trip I had Joel work on it some more and it finally was good enough and I figured I’d just have to live with revving it a bit until it got fully warmed up, and accepting that it had a delayed response to twisting the throttle. Not great but livable. And that’s where matters rested as of October 2021 and all through 2022.

Until the day before this year’s OFMC trip. I was getting ready to leave and figured I should take the bike for a spin just to make sure it was operating well before I took off and miraculously it didn’t run OK, it ran great! It ran the best it had run in two years. No long warm-up needed, no delayed throttle response, none of that.

And then the next day and on the whole trip and every time I’ve ridden it since then it has run like a new bike again. The impression I get is that for a long time there was some blockage in the fuel line and all of a sudden, finally, it got cleared out all on its own. I’m so happy! It’s just night and day how much better it runs. FINALLY!!

Biker Quote for Today

The best invention after the wheel was putting two of them together.

It’s that time of year when I always look at the odometers on my bikes to see if I can turn over just one more 1,000-mile mark by the end of the year. This year looks like it’s going to be easy.

With the V-Strom I just turned over 42,000 miles. It’s at 42,058 at the moment. No way I’m putting another 942 miles on that bike before the end of December.

With the Concours it’s not quite so cut and dried but still pretty obvious. The odo now sits at 76,309. Theoretically, if I had only one bike and I really got out on it a lot I could reach 77,000 by year’s end, but that’s not the case. I’ve got two other bikes that need to be ridden at least once each month. So no, I’ll just consider that turning over 76,000 hits the mark. If I turned over 76 in May there would be no excuse for not reaching 77, but doing so in October is good enough for this year.

Then we come to the Honda CB750. This is the bike I’ll be choosing on most of my rides for the next seven weeks. This bike is currently sitting at 36,730. That’s only 270 miles from 37,000. That’s doable. In fact, just two more rides like the one we did this past weekend are all it will take. (I do want to make a clarification here for anyone who is new here. This 1980 Honda CB750 Custom does not have only 36,730 on it in all these 42 years. The original speedometer/odometer set broke at about 84,000 and I replaced it with a salvage yard instrument cluster with about 29,000 on it.)

I track the mileage each year on all four of my vehicles, with my eye particularly on the motorcycle miles vs. the car miles. For about the past 10 years I have always put many more miles on my bikes than on my car. That’s the way I like it. I’ll do it again this year, no question. Heck, I’ll probably end the year with more miles on the Suzuki all by itself than on the car. Did I ever tell you I love my motorcycles?

Biker Quote for Today

Why didn’t the motorcycles get in the carpool? Because they didn’t have trunks.

We knew Saturday was going to be a cold day to ride but, as Roy said, you just need the right gear. And apparently nine of us in the RMMRC felt we had the right gear because there we were out riding on this very cold morning.

Judy, who had gotten up before me, warned me that the temperature was having a hard time breaking 40 and I checked the RMMRC Meetup site to see if perhaps the ride had been canceled. Nope. In fact, messages on the site within the last couple hours made it clear it was still on. OK, this would be a day to wear all my cold weather gear. Good thing I had just recharged the batteries for my heated gloves.

And it was cold. At first my Honda CB750 Custom didn’t seem to want to turn over but then it caught and fired up. I got over to where we were meeting and it was a good crowd. And by the time I got there it was clear that while it was darn cold, my electric vest and my riding pants with the liner in, and everything else I wore for warmth would do just fine. All right! Great day for a ride!

We were headed for lunch at Rosie’s Diner in Monument so of course we headed . . . southeast. We went out Parker Road and just south of the Pinery turned east on Bayou Gulch Road to Flintwood Road. From there we followed a circuitous route that I quickly recognized as having been the route we first rode the last time Tim had planned a Mystery Ride. (It was called “Roy’s Mystery Ride” but Tim was the one who actually mapped it out.)

This route led us to Elizabeth and then further south on another circuitous route through Elbert. We were headed for the Palmer Divide and gaining elevation, so it was getting cooler and cooler. I had my heated gloves on the lowest setting so as to extend the battery life as much as possible. My hands were a bit cool but that was fine; they would have been ice cubes otherwise.

A little south of Elbert I was a bit surprised to encounter another sizeable group of bikers going the other direction on this cold day and way off the usual beaten track country road. Good for you guys. Guess we’re not the only ones.

We did finally turn west and then a little later cut back north. It was at this point that the question I had had was answered: where are the high winds that had been predicted? Apparently they had been at our back all this time. Now they were in our face.

We cut on west again and came to Monument. Time for lunch. Ride to eat, eat to ride, you know. We had a super cute waitress who did a great job and we had a good meal. John, on his first time riding with the group, kept everyone interested showing us pictures of his numerous very old motorcycles. There was probably a lot of motorcycle envy going on at that table.

By the time we were ready to roll again the weather had done a significant change. It had to be 15 degrees warmer and full sunshine. Fabulous day for a motorcycle ride! We headed north on CO105 up to Sedalia, at which point the group started to splinter as each rider chose his own route home. I got home with a new 130 miles on my odometer. Now if we can only do this a few more times before the year is out.

Biker Quote for Today

No such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing.

Is there anyone who rides a motorcycle who does not understand why so many people are enthusiastic about these new electric power-assist bicycles, or E-bikes? I mean, aren’t they really just very small motorcycles? Sure, maybe you prefer a bigger bike, but isn’t it still pretty much the same thing?

It used to be the non-biker’s option for doing it small was the scooter. Although still, even years ago there were mopeds. Those were gasoline-powered motor-assist bicycles. Wait, isn’t that what E-bikes are, swapping electricity for gas?

Of course the terminology has gotten all twisted around in recent years. These boards you stand on are now called scooters and what are truly scooters are now called mopeds and real mopeds are now called E-bikes. Fine. It doesn’t have to make sense, it just is.

Certainly there are issues that need to be resolved to accommodate all these new E-bikes on the road and on the bike paths. The Denver Post recently had a lengthy article about all of this (E-bikes coming quicker than the infrastructure for them). One reader followed that up with a letter to the editor saying that E-bikes going 25-30 miles an hour have no place on paths with mothers with strollers and folks walking their dogs. “Motorized vehicles belong on the streets!”

I’m not even going to try to sort that all out. My point in all this is simply that this surge of E-bikes can only help those of us on motorcycles.

How? Well first off, you’re probably aware that it has been clearly established that motorcyclists are better car drivers. We pay more attention to our driving and we’re vastly more aware of motorcycles on the road with us. It stands to reason that people who get out on the road on an E-bike are going to see the things we have seen for so long, and it is going to change them as drivers. That can only be good. At least some of them are sure to realize they need to just put their damn phone down and drive. Hallelujah!

Certainly as they now are thinking a lot more about their own safety they will come around to our side in terms of supporting safety measures such as banning using cellphones while driving.

Others may start thinking that as fun as it is on the little bike, maybe it would be really fun to be on something bigger, something like . . . a motorcycle. And they’ll join our ranks.

It will also help that people in cars are seeing more and more people on bikes of all kinds. The more of us they see–E-bike, scooter, bicycle, motorcycle–the more they will realize we are there and they need to be alert for us. Again, hallelujah!

So I welcome these E-bikes. In fact, I wish I had one. I’ve thought for a long time that sooner or later I’d have a scooter but with three motorcycles I really don’t have room for one. I would have room for an E-bike, however. One of these days . . .

Biker Quote for Today

My biggest fear is not crashing on a bike. It’s sitting in a chair at 90 and saying, ‘I wish I had done more.’