I did it again! Yes, I did!!! I’d carefully thought out a plan for the next day, even checked the weather guestimate and verified the route and mileage to ensure there would be few surprises… That well-thought-out plan, however, only survived until ALI had shed her cover that fateful morning of departure… Even before loading her up, I had another inspiration, and… you know how it is…
I’d thoughtfully and pragmatically planned on playing it safe and avoiding any risk of another round of cold, more likely on the general direction I’d really wanted to take, but thereby we’d be riding some entirely different roads… and many of those would be major highways! I just couldn’t help myself…
Back roads, a couple of which we hadn’t taken before, plus mountains with their inherent twisties and scenery, plus… well, the whole idea of doing 'the unplanned' simply had overwhelming appeal to this non-planner! Instead of heading southwest, we would ride northeast at first, and then west. Yeah, it would be colder that way, of course, but… heck, that’s why the Gerbings were brought along, right?!
The planned-for route would have had us on four lane roads and an Interstate highway for the first one hundred miles that day… The new route had us on a four-lane city street for a couple of miles from the motel to the north side of town, then two lanes all the way until the last ten miles or so that would be Interstate… Yeah, I thought it was really a no-brainer, too…
Just a couple of miles from the motel on the northern edge of Alamogordo, NM, US 82 heads east off US 70/54. Cloudcroft, NM, is about twenty miles from there, and that would be a great place for breakfast! We’ve ridden up and over that pass many times since our first trek in '93, and we’ve stopped in Cloudcroft several times… even taken a meal or ten there over the years…
Barely outside of town, the road starts to angle upward, and the fun begins! Light traffic that day, so no hassles or irritations! I stopped for a couple of pics. Alamogordo is on the edge of 'White Sands National Monument' and the White Sands Missile Range... You can guess how it got its name in this photo if you look closely...
Looking back the way we'd come...
Looking towards our breakfast stop...
Burro Ave. in 'downtown' Cloudcroft...
Eaten here a few times!
'Chilaquiles' (No grits, of course, so I had this instead. Refried beans on the left, bottom of the main plate; bacon on the other plate with the salsa.)
The last time there, Troutdude, MitchO, and Hard6 were with me and we also dined in that place... and we had pie, too. I had to pass on that particular treat this time, though, because that meal I did have was so filling!
FYI, when dining out there, your server will ask 'red or green', referring to the sauce (salsa) you prefer... The red is often too hot for this delicate lad, and the green is always too hot! (Tman-403, a visit here should be on your travel to-do short-list!)
Another guy at the bar was eating that same meal when I sat down. I inquired and he explained... and he recommended it. It was good, but it was also a far cry from a more 'usual' first meal for one such as I. Oh well, experimentation and exploration seem to be my destiny, so let the tortillas fly! (And, no green, easy on the red, please!)
I paid my check and wandered outside to drink in the ambience... A slightly built guy of a similar vintage to mine sauntered by, and we began to chat. He's lived out there for several years, but he is actually a transplanted Cajun from Lafayette, LA. Well, snatch my grits and call me carpet-bagger!
An interesting local...
We had a very pleasant chat about this and that. He also gave me a heads-up on the route we were planning to take from there: What to expect, where the hazards were... general stuff... A really nice exchange... something that often happens along the way in all parts of our roaming range!
We departed and shortly made the turn onto a road I'd not previously ridden. My new friend in Cloudcroft had cautioned me about the open range section of road, and that horses were everywhere out there. I never spotted a single head of livestock, but there were ample piles of equestrian meadow muffins on the road to suggest he'd known what he was talking about!
Sierra Blanco
We rode through Ruidoso, then stopped for gas and a break. Not a big day in store, so casual pauses along the way were frequent and each time pleasant. Folks are mighty friendly in these parts, and it does a body good to linger and sample the hospitality...
Another stop in Carrizozo for yet another break... potty and refreshment... As I was about to depart, a young gal who was leaning up against her car looked up from her smart phone and wished me a good day. I thanked her and wished her the same... Another brief conversation followed, as she appeared to want to chat, and my spirits were lifted even higher!
Back through the 'Valley of Fires', over two low passes, across the Rio Grande again, and then on to Socorro for the evening. I went to the same motel I've stayed in several times, and there was a room for me. I then got online and began to surf, read your posts, and then to attempt to capture in story form another slice of all that was happening on this sojourn to the southwest...
By the time thought of an evening meal occurred to me, it was eleven o'clock! WOW! Oh well, skipping a meal or ten wouldn't hurt me a bit, so... The next morning we would confront the same questions we'd faced every day of every trip... which way to go, what will the weather be like, where will we land the next evening...? No easy path for the wicked, I suppose... Perhaps a good night's sleep would bring some answers...
DDT
