Redfish Hunter
Gone Fishing
In Las Vegas we turned North on Hwy 518. I chose Hwy 94 to Mora instead of taking 518 all the way in. I wanted to have some diversity on my return route. 94 was very twisty in some sections but was not really that great for us. Part of it was the extreme poverty of the people living along it, part of it was the extremely slow vehicles in front of us. It was here that I first noticed a strange phenomenon. In Texas almost everyone drives fast. If a Texas vehicle is outside of Texas, they will not even do the speed limit. Anytime we got slowed up in traffic in New Mexico, Colorado, or Arizona it was someone with a Texas license plate. Very strange.
Out of Mora we took Hwy 434 north to Angel Fire. If you have not heard of it, write it down. If you have heard of it but have not ridden it, make your plans. We really enjoyed this road.
A pause here to acknowledge and thank the incomparable HotRodZilla. The man took the time to talk to me on the phone to try pointing me in the right direction and offered his help in every way he could. I really should have made an attempt to meet the man while I was in his home state. I truly did benefit from his advice and help. Thanks Zilla.
At the one pulloff big enough to accommodate all 3 of us, we paused to discuss things and take in the beauty around us. It was pretty but we kept smelling something dead. We soon discovered the carcass of a small black bear. I always thought I wanted a real bear claw but somehow it was not the right thing to do. I think the pic will sum up the entire situation.
In Angel Fire we had a decent lunch. While I was looking at a sign indicating the "burn ban" I was watching the storm clouds and rain move over the mountain top. Following me. Following my faithful Honda, Dances with Rain. The irony of the flashing sign with the rain visible was too much. Unfortunately I could not get them both in one photo. We left just minutes ahead of the storm.
Hwy 64 West from Angel Fire through Palo Flechado Pass was breathtaking. The scenery, the road, the smell, the road...
Taos looks very artsy and interesting. Which is nice because the traffic moves so damned slow you will have plenty of time to look around as you sit in traffic. And sit. And sit. The speed limit is mostly 25 but everyone has a top speed of 9mph. Just because the red light turns green don't expect to actually move forward. The lead vehicle is never ever in any hurry to get anywhere. God help you if there is a Texas license plate in front of you.
Hwy 64 out of Taos crosses the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge. It is 565 feet from the bridge to the water. A very impressive structure. There are parking lots on both sides of the road and folks are all over the road taking pics. On the west side there is a very nice Rest Area with restrooms, plenty of parking and easy access to the gorge. Definitely worth a stop.
At the gorge, David and I marveled at how DRY everything was. How can such a dry area sustain life? I could see the sky darkening to the West. I noticed it starting to rain a bit. In our intended path. We got back on the bikes and started west on 64. Then the rain really began to fall. There was a major downpour on either side of the road but it looked as though our path ahead was clear. Of course I knew better. Pop's voice in my headset said, "Are you gonna give it some throttle and get us the hell out of here or do I need to lead?" I put the spurs to Dances with Rain and we accelerated.
Have you been through a desert thunderstorm? In South Louisiana we get rain all the time. Thunderstorms are a way of life. That did not prepare me for a desert thunderstorm. The wind. Oh DAMN! THE WIND! We made it through with just a bit of dampness but it left an impression. As soon as 64 crosses 285 it becomes a wonderful mountain road again. When we stopped David was not happy. "That damned wind blew so hard it sucked my spit bottle right out of the holder! It left out like a torpedo and I know for a fact it ain't hit the ground for at least a hundred miles." Since I don't chew or dip I don't have lots of sympathy but apparently it is difficult to spit while riding a motorcycle. Who knew? Anyway, I asked David had he lost anything else in the crosswind. "I don't know what else I lost. I nearly lost my life and that's a fact!"
Note the darkening sky in the left side of the pic.
That rain in the background is out over the desert.
64 remains nice for many miles. The pavement is kinda sketchy in some places but at the pace we were riding it was not an issue. It turned into 84/64 and then went north to Pagosa Springs Colorado.
Out of Mora we took Hwy 434 north to Angel Fire. If you have not heard of it, write it down. If you have heard of it but have not ridden it, make your plans. We really enjoyed this road.
A pause here to acknowledge and thank the incomparable HotRodZilla. The man took the time to talk to me on the phone to try pointing me in the right direction and offered his help in every way he could. I really should have made an attempt to meet the man while I was in his home state. I truly did benefit from his advice and help. Thanks Zilla.
At the one pulloff big enough to accommodate all 3 of us, we paused to discuss things and take in the beauty around us. It was pretty but we kept smelling something dead. We soon discovered the carcass of a small black bear. I always thought I wanted a real bear claw but somehow it was not the right thing to do. I think the pic will sum up the entire situation.
In Angel Fire we had a decent lunch. While I was looking at a sign indicating the "burn ban" I was watching the storm clouds and rain move over the mountain top. Following me. Following my faithful Honda, Dances with Rain. The irony of the flashing sign with the rain visible was too much. Unfortunately I could not get them both in one photo. We left just minutes ahead of the storm.
Hwy 64 West from Angel Fire through Palo Flechado Pass was breathtaking. The scenery, the road, the smell, the road...
Taos looks very artsy and interesting. Which is nice because the traffic moves so damned slow you will have plenty of time to look around as you sit in traffic. And sit. And sit. The speed limit is mostly 25 but everyone has a top speed of 9mph. Just because the red light turns green don't expect to actually move forward. The lead vehicle is never ever in any hurry to get anywhere. God help you if there is a Texas license plate in front of you.
Hwy 64 out of Taos crosses the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge. It is 565 feet from the bridge to the water. A very impressive structure. There are parking lots on both sides of the road and folks are all over the road taking pics. On the west side there is a very nice Rest Area with restrooms, plenty of parking and easy access to the gorge. Definitely worth a stop.
At the gorge, David and I marveled at how DRY everything was. How can such a dry area sustain life? I could see the sky darkening to the West. I noticed it starting to rain a bit. In our intended path. We got back on the bikes and started west on 64. Then the rain really began to fall. There was a major downpour on either side of the road but it looked as though our path ahead was clear. Of course I knew better. Pop's voice in my headset said, "Are you gonna give it some throttle and get us the hell out of here or do I need to lead?" I put the spurs to Dances with Rain and we accelerated.
Have you been through a desert thunderstorm? In South Louisiana we get rain all the time. Thunderstorms are a way of life. That did not prepare me for a desert thunderstorm. The wind. Oh DAMN! THE WIND! We made it through with just a bit of dampness but it left an impression. As soon as 64 crosses 285 it becomes a wonderful mountain road again. When we stopped David was not happy. "That damned wind blew so hard it sucked my spit bottle right out of the holder! It left out like a torpedo and I know for a fact it ain't hit the ground for at least a hundred miles." Since I don't chew or dip I don't have lots of sympathy but apparently it is difficult to spit while riding a motorcycle. Who knew? Anyway, I asked David had he lost anything else in the crosswind. "I don't know what else I lost. I nearly lost my life and that's a fact!"
Note the darkening sky in the left side of the pic.
That rain in the background is out over the desert.
64 remains nice for many miles. The pavement is kinda sketchy in some places but at the pace we were riding it was not an issue. It turned into 84/64 and then went north to Pagosa Springs Colorado.
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