Day 23, 24 & 25

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Day 23 Rest Day

Bike maintenance,washing, relaxing, hot pool soaking and admiring restored vintage cars.

Day 24 T or C to Carrizozo

Out of T or C we were on seal for 30kms heading predominantly North. Our route then led us onto a gravel road which was easy riding, relaxing with no nasty bits. After 50kms of this we took another road which while good, had some tricks in store. Smooth dirt with very little gravel this road took us North through scrubby desert-like country although there was some stock being run here. Many dry washes to watch out for. These ranged from nothing more than a small bump to a good sized culvert full of loose gravel &/or deep sand, some with a deeper narrow culvert running through the middle that has been carved out by rainwater. The BDR map had warned that this road would be impassable during or after heavy rain. It would be,due to the slick surface. The other hazard we had to avoid were some deep ruts that have been carved out by 4 wheel drives in wet weather. These were now set as hard as concrete in the sun, so important not to get tangled up in them. A few short stretches of very soft sand kept us alert however probably the worst encounter we came to, rounding the only blind corner for 50kms, we suddenly found, with no warning, the road had turned into a dry rocky river bed for 50m. Exciting & challenging stuff that sharpens your reactions. Not for this reason but this route is known as Jornada del Muerto or Journey/road of the Dead. The historical significance of this is related to the route becoming a trade route from Mexico used by the Spanish in the 1600s when they first started moving into what is now New Mexico from their base in Mexico. On one of the first trips they found a dead horse tethered to a tree & remains of a traveler who had been earlier using this route. Hence the name.

At a Y junction we came across the remains of a missile that was buried nose first into the sand. Firstly we thought it may be an undiscovered alien craft as we were only 120 miles in a straight line from Roswell where the aliens crash landed in 1947. Checking in and around the remains of the missile there was no sign of aliens plus we then remembered they where in a flying saucer so that theory is out. Onwards with the ride, the mystery unsolved.

The elevation had been increasing gradually all morning from around 1400m at T or C to our highest point of around 2100m. The temperature fluctuated from warm to cool & back to warm again during the ride. Towards the end of this section we passed a farmhouse which was probably cowboy accommodation & noticed a B & B sign. A pretty remote place for a Bed & Breakfast – probably wouldn’t need a booking.

We reached a sealed main road at around the 130km point & headed east. After 50kms of seal we turned off onto another gravel road this one smooth, easy riding but not to get used to this, the route sent us East again on a more minor gravel road. This had ruts, rocks patches of soft sand & the occasional naturally formed culvert running across the road.

Towards the end of this we were back on seal & passed the White Sands US Army Missile test site. Maybe this is where the crashed missile had come from! The White Sands test site was opened in 1945 for missile testing & they also had the first nuclear test here. After WW11 captured German V2 rockets were bought here for research. Some interesting facts about this test site:

The first atomic bomb (code named Trinity) was test detonated at Trinity Site near the northern boundary of the range on 16 July, 1945; 7 days after the White Sands Proving Ground was established.

Circa May 30, 1947, a German V-2 sounding rocket fired from White Sands Proving Ground veered off course, crashed and exploded on top of a rocky knoll 3.5 miles south of the Juarez, Mexico business district. Oh dear!

NASA's Space Shuttle Columbia landed on the Northrup Strip at WSMR on March 30, 1982 as the conclusion to mission STS-3. This was the only time that NASA used WSMR as a landing site for the space shuttle.

Continuing past this site we were soon in Carrizozo for the end of today’s shortish ride. This town is historic because it was the stomping ground of Billy the Kid, who was shot & killed by the Sheriff of this region Pat Garrett. His grave is in Ruidoso which we go through tomorrow. After lunch we walked around this town down historic 12^th avenue, past dozens of boarded up shops, galleries & wondered at the future for this nearly defunct back country town. Quite a few buildings on the verge of collapse & the only sign of life were burro sculptures which in any event weren’t alive, but cleverly made & decorated. 260kms of interesting countryside today with an early finish.

Day 25 Carrizozo to Alamogordo

Leaving Carrizozo we opted not to have breakfast at the only restaurant as we had dined there last night & felt the desire for something a bit different. The route took us on seal heading south before turning off onto gravel at the 20km mark. We were now on a gravel road climbing past some interesting cabins, impressive driveway entrances & heading into the Lincoln National Forest which is also Apache land. This was heading into winter Ski territory & by the time we had reached the summit on this rocky narrow climb with some sharp & steep switchbacks, we were at 2650m. This is a national forest which is predominantly evergreen conifers but interspersed with plenty of coniferous trees resplendent in Autumnal (fall) gold, yellows & browns.

As we descended from the summit we were beside a meandering stream actually flowing with water, altogether with the colours a very scenic vista. In fact in this area we did 2 river crossings. These were actually concrete fords but at least had water in them for a splash & a change.



Somewhere near here is the White Mountain ski resort. At the 50km mark we were back onto seal & heading Into Ruiduso which is arguably Billy the Kids burial place. This is a contentious issue as there is a disagreement between this town & Old Fort Sumner as to who has his remains interred. They even had a court case over this some years ago but nothing was decided. I guess when the tourist $ is involved then even the remains of a murdering villain become important. He became infamous in only a short period as he was only 21 when he died.

We had noticed since yesterday that every US post office we passed was flying their US flag at half mast. We guess this is for the US senator Elijah Cummings who died this week. We also saw an alternative US flag (see photo) being flown outside a private residence. This turns out to be the Thin Red Line US flag honouring fire fighters who have exhibited courage in the line of duty. (thanks to Google)

Leaving Ruidoso we were on a secondary sealed road beside a lake all on Apache lands with Apache People’s support offices an Apache School & medical centre. We also rode for a long time beside the Inn of the Mountain of the Gods. This is a massive complex jointly owned by the Mescalero Apache People & Warner Hospitality. This complex stretches literally for kms beside the lake. It has a grand entrance, a Casino, Golf Course, Hunting Lodges, lake activities, accommodation & restaurants but not sure if you can get an alcoholic drink there.

The route took us off this road & out onto the freeway where we traveled around 35kms before crossing the freeway?? & onto a gravel track which immediately started to climb. Talk about chalk & cheese, one minute we were on a smooth freeway next we were climbing up a rocky gnarly track with everything supplied. Rocks, soft sand, dry washes & all the time ascending steeply. We climbed around 800m on this trail & standing 90% of the time our arms felt every meter.
From the summit we descended 700m on a similar trail but not quite as rocky soon turning into a sealed road. This trail we noted was called Switchback Trail which was a bit of a misnomer as it was quite an easy road with reasonable corners compared to the first trail we did in the morning. We reached a sealed road & climbed up to the ski resort of Cloudcroft at 2700m our highest altitude today. We were still in Apache Lands & the Lincoln National Forest. In Cloudcroft we had lunch then visited a Gun shop which had a strictly no photos sign. After talking to the shop owner he explained there was an insurance scam happening where people photographed used guns serial numbers & then claimed they owned it & it had been stolen… or something like that. He permitted me to take a photo. Anyway he had a 460 Smith & Weston made for Alaskan tundra plane pilots for bear protection. When asked if it would stop a bear he said “it would stop a dump truck”. As to the recoil he said “When a bears coming at you who cares” & he’s right. Smith & Weston discontinued production & he bought the last 13 they had & has 3 left at $US3500 each.

At Cloudcroft we had just clocked 4000 miles or around 6500 kms on this trip. Descending we took in the trestle railway bridge on the gun shop owner's advice. Really interesting - the railway had climbed 4000 feet (1200m) in 26 miles (around 45kms). Unfortunately the idiot city council (his words) sold all the rolling stock for scrap some years ago instead of leaving & running it as a high earning tourist attraction. It had crossed 122 wooden box bridges & 58 trestle bridges mainly to cart lumber out & bring tourists in. What an engineering feat.

Riding on we reached our destination of Alamoragado the 10th biggest New Mexican town. Today 225 kms.

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