2nd North NM Jemez Ride - North end of Valles Caldera

Another Jemez ride - Sun May 10th.

The goal of this preride was to check conditions on the north end of the Valles Caldera Loop (Main Ride is on May 30^th on ADVRider).

We wanted to check the north end of roads: Starting at Puye Cliffs/Santa Clara Pueblo we rode NM30 to Espanola.

Only two riders this time: Bumblebeep and AtomicXRer (me).
Here’s where we started, and were getting the bikes readied at Santa Clara Pueblo:









Can you guess why Bumblebeep is his name?





Take a look at Bumblebeep’s professional luggage system:



Here is NM30 on the way to FR144:



Once in Espanola your turn to the west onto FR144 (also called Serv Route 565) and it looks like this, wide and easy:



You start heading west toward Chicoma Peak:



On Santa Clara Pueblo we see that the BIA Serv Route 603 road we want to take for the blue route is blocked
by a locked gate:







We continue on FR144 to check for snow at elevation. Here is where we begin climbing:



Beautiful panoramic scenery:



As we get higher the terrain gets greener:







Lo and behold we did see snow:





We see this at an elevation10,850 ft. But all the snow drifts were clear from the road and passable.





Several instances of downed trees:







After seeing that all was pretty much clear (for us any how), we decided to backtrack and take in some sights:





We found this one road that gave us a view toward the north (Ojo Caliente, Taos, Abiqui). This is worth a stop to take it all in:












And the views behind us:









After this it was time to take our bikes home down the lonely road:





Final assessment: The entire loop is passable and open. Several downed trees, but easily passable.
It is wonderful on the north side of the Valles Caldera in the Jemez, a little greener than the south end.

Good stuff, AtomicXRer!

It's great to see some NM images. I love the luggage bag!!

Dave

Great RR. Thanks a lot!!!

AtomicXRer wrote:

Mamacone considers things like this an invitation!

Ask him about our day in court.

Great report,
apart from the snow, everywhere looks so dry.
Thanks

I've been shot at and not even been out of bounds!

Focker wrote:

AtomicXRer wrote:

Mamacone considers things like this an invitation!

Ask him about our day in court.

Scalped yet?

Bump wrote:I've been shot at and not even been out of bounds!

Focker wrote:

AtomicXRer wrote:

Mamacone considers things like this an invitation!

Ask him about our day in court.

But when I worked in Alaska fishing we had a few places in Bristol Bay where the natives would shoot at us with machine guns as we went by.

I'm hoping that having read Stan Steiner's The Vanishing White Man in the 1970s, and having Pow Wow Highway on DVD, and having a father who was part Native American in OK will help me. On 2nd thought, will a BRP go 100 feet per second?

AtomicXRer wrote:Scalped yet?

Bump wrote:I've been shot at and not even been out of bounds!

Focker wrote:

AtomicXRer wrote:

Mamacone considers things like this an invitation!

Ask him about our day in court.