Colorado, USA
What a peaceful night's rest at the Laguna Vista Lodge! We were up early and rarin' to ride. We walked to the courtyard (beside the Saloon) and registered for the Saint Jude's Enchanted Circle Bike Run sponsored by the Lodge. This run is the reason we backed up our mini-vacation and rode in on a Friday. I didn't know about it until I booked the room.
About 10:15 we rode out ahead of the other bikes. Traveling west on Hwy 38/578 we traveled through the Carson National Forest and over Bobcat Pass (elevation 9820). It was a brisk morning but we were comfortable in denim jackets. We rounded a cliff a few miles out of Red River and Tim pointed out a flock of turkeys crossing the road ahead of us. What we didn't see was the rest of the flock (3 or 4) coming in on our left side apparently anxious to join their buddies. One dusted our helmets as he flew just over our heads. I am fairly certain he tried to take us out. I can see trying to explain to other bikers - ya see we were assaulted by a gaggle of gobblers. Ha!
As we approached the small town of Questa, we noticed the tailings of a mine from a good distance away. A Chevron sign was posted at the gate of the facility and we wondered what sort of venture they had in the hills of New Mexico. Post ride research reveals what we saw was the Chevron Molycorp Mine. It is a molybdenum [mo-lib-de-num] mine. I learned this element is used as an alloy to strengthen iron that is used in the production of items like high speed cutting tools. This mine is the largest private employer in Taos county.
As we rolled along scanning troublesome skies we decided to skip the next stop (Don Carlos's Tavern). It was supposed to be the lunch stop along the route but the ride description said, narrow road, pot holes and gravel road to the top of a hill. We learned later from other riders there was no food when they arrived.
Back on Hwy 64, we rode (basically walked the bike) through busy traffic-jammed Taos. We have never been to Taos when there was not a traffic jam. However, we have been through Taos when the traffic was worse than it was today. The next part of the ride was 19 miles through scenic Taos Canyon. It's a great ride through a twisting, turning not very imposing canyon.
Our next stop was in Angel Fire but since we were well ahead of schedule and the threatening skies had yet to open up, we made a quick stop at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. It has been over 30 years since our last visit. It has changed some since the state took it over but it is still an awesome (make that sobering) experience. We will give the memorial a proper visit before this trip is over.
A sharp crack of thunder and a few drops of rain made us take the clouds more seriously. We rode the short distance (maybe 3 miles) to Zeb's on the outskirts of Angel Fire.
The storm rolled through, spattering everything with a fast, hard rain. The high wind that came in afterwards covered everything including the ride with dust that blew across the parking lots.
Fat and sassy from our great meal, we then rode back to Eagle Nest just as the rest of the group were arriving at Zeb's. Yep! Most of them were a bit soggy having got caught in the canyon in that storm. I guess at this point I should clarify - we were not being anti-social by staying ahead of the rest of the riders. We do not drink (alcohol) and ride and it is our policy to steer clear of those that do when at all possible.
Back in Eagle Nest, Tim dropped me off at the motel and went in search of a car wash. There was a car wash at the other end of town but it was out of order. The closest car wash was ten miles back in Angel Fire. Well, we weren't happy about it but we will ride a dirty bike. Ha!
The end-of-run festivities were scheduled to begin at 4pm at the Laguna Vista Saloon and courtyard so we moseyed over as the other bikes started filtering in. I am guessing there were about three or four little groups. The lodge cooked "fat" hotdogs and had an impressive array of sides. Yep, Tim ate again. I settled for a snack and a beer. We discovered Michelob Ultra was a bit pricey the day before which made this a Bud Lite night. The weather turned chilly and it wasn't long before we collected our jackets from the room and returned to find the other bikers had pulled their jackets on as well.
We had a few beers and visited with some of the other bikers, meandering in and out of the saloon and set by the fire for a while with an older biker from down Ruidosa way. They had a decent DJ and some good music blaring in the courtyard. We bid on a couple of silent auction items then collected a couple of door prizes (gift certificates to local restaurants). At one point one person called the silent auction closed and then another person reopened it for another fifteen minutes. OOPS! Auction foul! That did not set well with a few people.
They live-auctioned off a door prize item Tim had his eye on from the very beginning. I was fairly certain it was going to come home with us. He got in a bidding war with a youngster for a Harley Roast n Roll (thermos with stainless cups in a neat little kit form). As it turns out he finally won the auction which we officially dubbed his father's day present. ** grins ** I came away with a salt crystal night light from the silent auction. Yep, it's going to be real interesting getting home with that sucker.
After the auction everyone started heading for their bikes or rooms. We watched a storm dance across the lake from the window at the back of our room and then settled in to tinker on our new smart phones and watch Triple D and the Pickers which seems to be the only thing on TV whenever we bother to turn the TV on in a motel. That's OK. We like Guy and Mike and Frank.
It was a fun day. This is the first time we have ridden the Enchanted Circle on a motorcycle. The road was a bit rough in places but other than that - it was a great ride. We saw some new places and revisited other places. I do not know how well the first effort for this benefit run turned out although I am thinking it fell well short of the goal. I know they were expecting more bikes. I am guessing they had about 15-20 bikes at the end of the day, maybe a few more. I think they might should have posted the flyer a little farther afield. We did not see flyers posted along the way, even at the scheduled stops. Like I said, Zeb's did not think they were part of the run at all. The Bull of the Woods Saloon seemed disgusted by the turnout. Here again - I saw no flyer posted on their door. We received a rather lacklustre welcome at all of the stops. Hmmm... Even the D&D Cafe across the street from the lodge was unaware of the event until we told them about it. Lack of communication seemed to be the biggest part of the problem. Advertising (post that flyer everywhere!) followed by accurate information and organization are always key to getting this type of event off the ground. You cannot rely solely on the internet to get the message out. One other thing, the door prizes donated by local businesses and individuals were handed out in white envelopes without mentioning the type of prize or a thank you to the donor. Both donors and bikers should have had a thank you very much. Big mistake that. Otherwise, all of the items in the silent auction seemed to go for a decent price and I know the one live auction item that Tim came home with brought a good price. No complaints here - it was all for a very good cause.
We have a couple more days to spend in this area and we are looking forward to tomorrow's Father's Day ride.
Today's ride = 97 miles.
Slide show of today's ride (116 photos):
Alternate link to this slide show
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