Westering-South of I-40

[travelingbyguzzi]

Tomorrow night, I catch a redeye from Seattle to Little Rock. I have a 1200 Sport 100 miles north at Karl Werth's place. Loaf around for a few day's til the Oklahoma Campout.

From there, I head West. I have not been South of I-40 much at all, with the exception of the Prescott Rally a couple times.

As always, want info on good (cheap) motels, towns or breweries you have enjoyed. Any and all input is appreciated.

Possible overnight stops are Childress, TX  Alamogordo, NM  Silver City, NM.  Beyond that, I plan to spend a day in the mountains of Eastern AZ.

It is still 100+ in Death Valley, so I won't be going there.

Bill Lovelady             IS

Eskimo Spy

[Jurgen]

Take a ride up to Santa Fe and further north to Taos if you have the time.  Great twisties in the Santa Fe mountains and toward Taos.  Jurgen

[oldbike54]

 Bill , the Caprock state park and Palo Duro canyon in Texas are worthwhile stops . Given the choice of only one , Palo Duro would win out .

  Dusty

[rocker59]

Yep.  Palo Duro Canyon is pretty badass.  Mostly camping, but they do have a few cabins, if you can get one.

Canyon Texas has a nice prairie farming museum downtown.

Fort Sumner New Mexico is where Billy The Kid is buried.

Lincoln New Mexico has a very intact historic district.  If you're into Old West range wars, it could be interesting.

Ruidoso New Mexico is kinda cool.

Google Map Link

[rocker59]

With Silver City as a destination point, I'm sure you're aware of one of the best riding loops in the country, just to the west of there:

Google Map Link US-191 and US-180

[cj750]

It's a 5 hour ride from Little Rock, but if you have time to kill this weekend, the motorcycle swap meet and vintage car/bike show at the Seaba Station Motorcycle Museum at Warwick, OK are usually pretty interesting.

[LowRyter]

yeah.  we need a meet up time at Seaba whether Saturday or Sunday.

[travelingbyguzzi]

Rocker: US 191 & 180 are on my short list. Looks too good for words.
Caprock State Park is a possibility. Haven't been there since my Arkansas days waaayyyy back in the mid-eighties. Depends on how bedraggled I am after Talemina. I may want a motel and shower by then.

[travelingbyguzzi]

I remember the showers from 2 years ago. I also remember a hell of a thunderstorm on friday night that left everything I had a cold wet mess! 
It won't be the first time I have erected a tent in a motel room to dry out!
Everything is contingent, but I am as flexible as my visa card and a bottle of cheap wine will allow.

[charlie b]

US 82 going into Alamo is probably the prettiest of the drives in that area.

Fastest to Silver City from Alamo is US 70 to Las Cruces and I10 across to US180 to Silver.

But...try one of these

US70 to I25, north a little bit to NM152 then across to Silver.

Or US54 to US380, across and then down I25 for a little bit to NM152 to Silver. 

If you want a little more of a ride going into Silver then off of NM152 take NM35 to NM15.  If interested you could even take the side road down to the Gila Clif Dwellings.  The road is great as are the views of the Gila River canyon.

Across US380 between Carrizozo and I25 there is the Valley of Fires, another big lava flow area.

If you reach San Antonio, NM on US380 near I25 stop at the Owl Cafe.  Great, greasy burgers.  :)

On NM152 stop at Hillsboro and have some apple pie  :)

FYI, if going on US191 I suggest going S to N.  It is more fun (for me anyway) to do twisties uphill instead of down hill :)  NM78 from US180 to Morenci is also a nice road.

I used the recommend the Bear Wallow cafe in Alpine, AZ, but, last time I was there the service was not too good.  Food was still good though.  They also have a couple of cute little motels that are not much money in the off season (hunting season is not the off season so call first as they might all be full).

Oh, and if you are in Las Cruces for a meal and like good mexican food stop at Roberto's.  It is a bit on the spicy side ;)

[travelingbyguzzi]

Thanks, Charlie B. This is the info I am looking for. Now, how about taverns, brewies and nekid hot springs...

[charlie b]

Sorry, I was never one for drinking establishments and such.

[azguzzirep]

Bugga Reds in Springerville is a place we always stopped to and from Datil.

Great food and a hotel 8 nearby.

Tom

[travelingbyguzzi]

Have spent the last 6 days on the ancestral farm in northern arkansas, drinking beer, eatin' catfish and seeing old friends.
Got the 1200 Sport out of Karl's shed. It is running great, once I ran out the 6 month old methanol.
 Tomorrow, I head for the Oklahomie campout, then I get serious about heading west.
 I am thinking about the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, weather dependant of course.
Had the best flight out of Seattle ever. Had a magic brownie at the Seattle terminal and slept all the way to Little Rock.
See ya in Talihena!

[Arizona Wayne]

Have spent the last 6 days on the ancestral farm in northern arkansas, drinking beer, eatin' catfish and seeing old friends.
Got the 1200 Sport out of Karl's shed. It is running great, once I ran out the 6 month old methanol.
 Tomorrow, I head for the Oklahomie campout, then I get serious about heading west.
 I am thinking about the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, weather dependant of course.
Had the best flight out of Seattle ever. Had a magic brownie at the Seattle terminal and slept all the way to Little Rock.
See ya in Talihena!

Better make sure the North Rim is still open.  It's only summer seasonally open.    OTOH, if you wanted to see the South Rim, we live on Rte. 66 west of there just before Kingman, Az. and could put you up, swap a few MC stories. 

[Rich A]

+1 on Rt 152 into Silver. The Palace, an old hotel in downtown Silver City is kind of a fun place to stay (as opposed to a M6), but you have to park on the street. There's a pretty good Mexican restaurant, the Jalisco Cafe, a few blocks from the Palace.

If you're up in Santa Fe, feel free to get in touch.

Rich A

[Sheepdog]

Take NM15 from Silver City to the Gila Cliff dwellings. It is unforgettable...

[azguzzirep]

+1 on Rt 152 into Silver. The Palace, an old hotel in downtown Silver City is kind of a fun place to stay (as opposed to a M6), but you have to park on the street. There's a pretty good Mexican restaurant, the Jalisco Cafe, a few blocks from the Palace.

If you're up in Santa Fe, feel free to get in touch.

Rich A

 :1:  Good food all through NM. I was in Silver City one time for a bbq/NAR. A friend of mine, formerly from Phoenix throws a big bbq at his house for Euro bike riders. About 50 people showed up, from AZ, NM, and Texas! Great 3 day party.

Tom

[charlie b]

If coming to the area make it sooner rather than later.  There has been some snow already in the San Juan mountains in CO.

If considering a trip to the Grand Canyon I recommend the South Rim.  More commercial, but, the view is so much better than the North Rim.  If you have the time I like to do both.  Visit the North Rim and stay at the hotel up there.  Have a drink out on the patio and enjoy the sunset view.  Get up in the morning to have breakfast and see the sunrise, then ride over to the South Rim.

Or you can do what my brother does.  Hike it.  South to North to South all in 24hrs.  :)

[Arizona Wayne]

Yes, the north & south rims are completely different views of the canyon and both beautiful in their own ways.   The N. side is at higher altitude than the S. side and that's why it's only open for a few months every year.  Great roads approaching the N. rim.

There's a hot springs @ Beatty, Nev. on 95 but don't know if it's nekid.   Clown motel(biker friendly) is @ Tonopah too.  Casino @ Hawthorne.

[travelingbyguzzi]

A smaller crowd here in Talihena OK, but the weather is lovely. Yesterday, I rode thru the Arkansas Ozarks and the trees are turning color nicely. Had a good ride until the Arkansas river (Russelville) then the weather caught me.
Had one more round of catfish at the Mena supermarket deli. Pretty good for supermarket grazing.

Bill Lovelady      IS
Eskimo Spy

[travelingbyguzzi]

Better make sure the North Rim is still open.  It's only summer seasonally open.    OTOH, if you wanted to see the South Rim, we live on Rte. 66 west of there just before Kingman, Az. and could put you up, swap a few MC stories. 

Hey, man, I will accept that offer. Have not seen you or your much better half in many years. I am thinking Wednesday evening. PM me your phone number.
Today I crossed Oklahoma. The 380 miles I saw was pretty bland. The afternoon gave me 97 degrees and a 25 MPH crosswind. Stopped in Childress as planned.
My schedule is evolving. Skipping the Fayewood hot springs near Silver City. Probably ride thru there on Tuesday and stop in Springerville.

[travelingbyguzzi]

Progress is being made. It be just short of 800 miles of prairie between the Ouachita mountains of eastern OK and the Sacremento mountains of central NM.
But that is behind me now!
 Am in Alamogordo. Tomorrow western NM and Eastern AZ.
The weather forecast is nothin but sunshine!

[Chuck in Indiana]

 
Keep em coming, Bill.. glad to see someone traveling this late in the season.

[oldbike54]

Keep em coming, Bill.. glad to see someone traveling this late in the season.

 Bill is tough , besides , it is in the 80s in our parts .

  Dusty

[Aaron D.]

I'm enjoying it too.

[racasey]

From Almagordo, find Hatch, NM.  From Hatch, north thru Hillsboro, over Emory Pass, elev, 8K.  Thru Mimbres to Gila Hot Springs, south thru Pinos Altos, to Silver City.  From Silver, noth and then west thru Mule Creek.  At Morenci, AZ, north over Hy-191 to Show Low.

It's all Nirvana in bituminous asphalt form!

Ciao,
Dick Casey

[PJPR01]

Progress is being made. It be just short of 800 miles of prairie between the Ouachita mountains of eastern OK and the Sacremento mountains of central NM.
But that is behind me now! Am in Alamogordo. Tomorrow western NM and Eastern AZ.  The weather forecast is nothin but sunshine!

  Nice riding Bill...you're so near Cloudcroft and the road to Mayhill...that makes for some fun riding if you've got time.  Stopping at the old saloon there is a nice spot too.  I take it you are going to be stopping in for a piece of pie at PieTown along the way??  :)  Bon voyage!

[travelingbyguzzi]

  Nice riding Bill...you're so near Cloudcroft and the road to Mayhill...that makes for some fun riding if you've got time.  Stopping at the old saloon there is a nice spot too.  I take it you are going to be stopping in for a piece of pie at PieTown along the way??  :)  Bon voyage!

Paul, I came over Cloudcroft today, then down the hill to Alamogordo.
Tomorrow, it is up the west side of NM with a sidetrip to pietown.
Was last in Pietown in April of '98. It was snowing. I might have told you that story last weekend.
Gail's first m/c trip? We had to push the Cal II into the motel room to warm it up before it would start? Ha! Ha! Good times!


Bill Lovelady     IS
Eskimo Spy

[PJPR01]

Excellent!  Indeed...that was a great story...hope the weather gods favor you on this trip and provide great riding weather...always a fun stop at the VLA along the way as well...

Post up some pics!!  :)