KTMrad

Very cool ride report and photos. I know Tombstone very well and have many friends there. Looks like you missed the Tombstone Courthouse ? It has a great museum inside it, the best history of the area there. If you go back, you should go check it out, also the 4 Deuces is the best Saloon in Tombstone where you'll meet lots of locals.

Sounds like a good time, wish we could've been there. But we're having some great times in Mexico for 3 weeks now.

Dave, as it stands now like I posted in my original post, I am covering the costs of the site thru this year. Donations will most likely not cover all the costs, so I'll be taking a loss just to keep the site alive, I do not expect Mimi to cover any of those costs. Hopefully we can generate enough revenue so by January 2022 she can run the site without taking a loss. It would be nice if SDAR can put on the Desert Dash in February, but that still needs to be researched and discussed. Donations for 2021 were not enough to cover the costs of running the site and there was no advertising revenue due to COVID, Mike took a loss in 2021 since we couldn't put on the Desert Dash.

We still need an IT person to take over managing the Linode/Linux Apache server running Debian. Of course we are willing to pay someone either hourly or monthly. We can talk and hook someone up with our current IT guy Mario who is willing to help us out thru this transition phase.

It's PayPal only, we'll have to remove the credit card logos and/or get setup to accept credit card donations. When using PayPal, please hit the "sending to a friend" or "gift" button so we don't get charged a fee. And please put your real name and site nickname in the comments so we know who you are...thanks.

First, many thanks to Mike ADV Bum for all his hard work with SDAR over the last few years ! Your dedication was greatly appreciated. Mimi, thanks for agreeing to take this on and help keep SDAR alive. Just for everybody's curiosity, I analyzed the costs of running this site. It's about $2500 per year, and if we remain a Corporation then it's another $800 per year. The costs never used to be a problem since our Desert Dash event in February made just enough profit to cover the costs, and/or we were working and had extra money to finance SDAR when needed. Since we couldn't put on the Desert Dash in 2021 and don't know if we can yet in 2022, we're lucky if we have a couple hundred bucks in the bank. Right now, I am using finances from my trip money (the World trip I'm on right now) to keep the site alive, but if we don't start to generate enough revenue soon, I'll have to stop financing the site. Hopefully, for those of you who enjoy and see the value in SDAR, many of you will continue to support us. Also, I hope some people will step up to help Mimi with organizing rides, meetings, events, etc. I am confident Mimi can do a good job and she knows a lot of people in the motorcycling arena. Possibly some people can come up with different ideas to help us raise money to keep the site going. Thanks to everyone who has helped and supported us in the past, we really hope to keep SDAR going for years to come. One more thing, if you're in the San Diego Adventure Riders Group on Facebook, please post some links there to your ride reports here, and if you see people in the FB group looking for places to ride and people to ride with, please tell them about our forums so we can get more people participating here on the forums. Thanks ! KTMrad - Randy Lazar SDAR Founder

They're good people at Moto Forza !

Awesome ! Yes, we have great people on SDAR !

August 31, 2021 We left Silver City, New Mexico to head over the mountains on route 152. On the way out of town, I saw a sign for historic Fort Bayard, so had to go check it out. I enjoy learning about local history of areas I'm passing thru. Also paid a visit to the Fort Bayard National Cemetery for veterans, some headstones were from the early 1900's. Fort Bayard ended up being the largest sanctuary for Tuberculosis victims in the World...please read the informative plaques below if you're interested. After that, we rode route 152 which is a superb ride thru the mountains and goes over Emory Pass at elevation 8228 feet. The afternoon rain clouds were hovering above us again, but it didn't start coming down heavy until we got closer to the Pass. I had to stop to finally put on my rain jacket. As we got up to the Pass, it was time to take a break and check out the awesome view, then the rain really started coming down so we hung out under a restroom canopy for over an hour, waiting for the storm clouds to pass. Doc was taking advantage of the break as he dozed off and rested. After awhile, the rain pretty much subsided and it was time to get back on the awesome twisties towards the town of Truth or Consequences...another fine day of riding ! More interesting history here.... It's always sombering when I visit these cemeteries....but at the same time it's oddly peaceful. I was really glad to have stopped to check out Fort Bayard and the cemetery. When I'm not in a rush, I get to see a lot more places than I normally would if I was on a schedule. After that visit, it was time to ride over the mountains on route 152 ! More stunning scenery ! Dodging rain clouds again..... Deja Vu....we had done this road and stopped at Emory Pass 4 years ago.... More monsoon rains....we sat it out for at least an hour under the restroom canopy.... Noddin' off waiting for the heavy rain to pass.... Clouds started to break up a bit.... Doc's look when I ask, "are you ready to roll again" ? The small town of Hillsboro.... I love old buildings..... Some cool metal art in someone's front yard Seen better days.... We dropped down out of the mountains, it immediately got much warmer and we rode the last 20 miles into the town of Truth or Consequences again. September 1, 2021 It was a good day to stay an extra day in the motel since there were more heavy monsoon rains and I worked on catching up this ride report to CURRENT status. To be continued as we head for White Sands National Monument and continue to explore the beautiful, often overlooked state of New Mexico.....

August 30, 2021 - PART 3 Just a few more from the strip mine, end of the ride and Doc noddin' off after the ride.... Interesting how women were recruited while the men went off to war.... I find this stuff fascinating.... Tire is much taller than me Refreshment time at the end of an awesome day and ride ! One more day and will be all caught up.....

August 30, 2021 - PART 2 Lots of photos from the Gila Cliff Dwellings, the 1 mile loop hike, and the history of this area... We did the hike to the Cliff dwellings which was really enjoyable...once inside the dwellings, I tried to imagine what it was like living here...actually probably pretty nice although tough compared to modern times, but they had a million dollar view out the front windows ! On the hike, we saw a woman and she said "hi again"...funny, we had seen her on our hike the previous day at "The Catwalk" (see my previous post from 8/29/21)...she said "you guys sure get around". After the hike, we went to check out the small monument/plaque to Geronimo since he was born at the headwaters of the Gila River in this area. We got back on the twisty roads thru the mountains....there were monsoon clouds and some thunder so figured it would be a wet ride. We kept dodging the monsoon rains, then turned south on route 35...this was a super fun country road and I got into a Zen Moment...the sidecar rig was working great, I had no other thoughts in my head except focusing on the road and we continued to dodge heavy rains and I had a good rhythm going thru the corners on the wet roads...everything just flowed smoothly. Apparently we just missed the rains because the roads were really wet...some spots where there were dips had warning signs saying "Dip...Water Running" so I knew to slow down as I approached them. At one spot, there was no sign and I approached a dip at speed then saw a good amount of water flowing across the road...I hit the brakes and the front locked up so I released my hold on the brake lever and knew I just had to ride it out...the water went splashing high above us as we blasted thru it...no problem, we made it thru just fine. Hit some light rains, not enough to get soaked, then got to the intersection for route 152. I was running low on fuel and it was about 70 miles over the mountains towards the next gas at Truth or Consequences, or 30 miles back to Silver City. Even though I had 2+ extra gallons in a Rotopax fuel jug, I knew the slow going thru the mountain twisties would use a lot of fuel and I might not make it to the next gas, so I chose to go back to Silver City for the night. We stopped at an overlook for a copper mine strip mine. Here are pix from the hike, history and the Cliff dwellings, some of the water crossings..... The woman who we met the previous day up at "The Catwalk". Resources in older times...nature provides. Absolutely beautiful scenery....can you imagine living here with this in your front yard ?!! Inside the ruins.... A room with a view !!! Some of the timbers used for roof beams still intact for over seven centuries. One of the roof pillars embedded in the wall.... This must've been the TV room....haha I could imagine waking up to this view every morning ! Doc loves hiking.... Some history of this area..... The different strongholds of the Apache....I love this stuff ! A famous photo of Geronimo..... Geronimo Monument at the visitor center....he was born at the headwaters of the Gila River After leaving the Gila Dwellings, we dodged rain clouds for miles, the roads were wet.... Had to contend with a few washouts across the road like this one.... A little bit of flooding along the roads....I had to avoid a few vehicles as they approaced us so we wouldn't get soaked as they went by us.... Almost done and caught up.....

August 30, 2021 - PART 1 What a day ! Left Silver City, New Mexico and rode up route 15 which is the "Trail of the Mountain Spirits" Scenic Byway, thru the Gila National Forest and Apache country, on the way to the Gila Cliff Dwellings. What a fabulous road....tight twisties for 50 miles that took almost 2 hours, including a road construction delay. The scenery was outstanding ! (More to come for PART 2). Doc Holliday approves.... More coming for PART 2.....

Sunday August 29, 2021 We had breakfast at the Main St. 435 Grill in Reserve, New Mexico...., great food, and the owner Jeff was helping Damon Scott Powell with some GPS routes over to Arizona. Afterwards, we all parted ways. Roger was exploring new dirt routes he'd never done before back to Elephant Butte, Damon was heading off to Arizona, and Doc and I were heading south towards Silver City. Sometimes a trip is more than just riding......Last time we were up this way, I saw a sign for "The Catwalk" Recreation Area, so I researched it and today we were going by it again, so had to go check it out, off the main road 5 miles to get to Whitewater Canyon where the Catwalk is...I'm glad we went, was a nice short hike with great scenery and towering rock walls in a narrow canyon, but the new catwalk and the engineering and work involved to build it is very impressive. Here's a little history about "The Catwalk": The Catwalk National Recreation Area in the Gila National Forest serves as a testament to man’s ingenuity, tenacity, and engineering acumen. This recreation area provides today’s visitors to the Glenwood River District site with a glimpse into western New Mexico’s mining past of more than a century ago and the natural splendor of a slot river canyon. The Catwalk, as it is commonly known, derives its name from the original plank-board walkway that went along a three-mile steel pipeline constructed in Whitewater Canyon in the 1890s to funnel water to a silver and gold ore processing plant near the canyon’s mouth. Although little remains of the old pipe, the modern, all-access trail, which features elevated steel bridges (catwalks) bolted to the massive rock canyon walls, follows the original pipeline route above Whitewater Creek. Here are the pix....and Doc was really glad to cool off in the stream which flows down from a mountains. Damon getting ready to leave on his ride over to Arizona and home to California on the mighty KLR 650. "The Catwalk" thru Whitewater Canyon.....all the elevated walks and bridges are made out of this perforated steel.....Doc was very uneasy about this because he could see thru the floor and dogs are not used to that, it is very disorienting to them. Check out how his toes are completely spread out for more traction, as he can see thru the floor which is not normal to them. The Catwalk built into the sides of the rock walls....pretty awesome ! It took awhile for Doc to get used to the metal grating...he would not cross it on his own, but felt more comfortable when I held his leash, then he followed me and got used to it after a few bridge crossings. Here you can see why it would disorient a dog....you can see down about 15' - 20' to the flowing stream and ground below. Pretty awesome engineering involved to build this catwalk into the rock walls, even more so when it was done many years ago ! One of the old pipeline supports still remains on the rock walls Happy boy in the cool stream ! Some of the old support anchors drilled into the rock walls to support the original pipeline from many years ago ! More original support anchors.... And that's it for now....spent the night in Silver City.....to be continued

Saturday night August 28, 2021 In the town of Reserve, New Mexico, we ate dinner at Main Street 435 Grill. Jeff the owner is a great guy and motorcycle rider and he knows the area really well, he was showing Damon off-road routes to take over into Arizona. If you're ever passing thru Reserve, stop by and eat at his restaurant...he also wants to help support riders on the Continental Divide Trail and the New Mexico Backcountry Discovery Route. We then went to Uncle Bill's for a couple nightcaps. This place originally opened in 1878, we met the owner who's a real nice lady. Jeff, owner of Main Street 435 Grill Some cool old firearms hanging from the ceiling, my kind of place. Doc is always making friends wherever we go...here at the Frisco Lodge in Reserve, NM More coming soon.....

August 26, 2021 I was going to meet Roger Pattison and Damon Powell for dinner and riding with them tomorrow on parts of the New Mexico Backcountry Discovery Route...........YEEHAW ! I've known Damon Powell since 1995, did many of his organized dualsport events, he used to put on the BEST difficult rides ever. I also have known Roger Pattison for a few years, was supposed to ride with him on parts of the New Mexico Backcountry Discovery Route before it was even published, he help layout most, if not all of the entire BDR in the state. Roger also used to put on some rallies in New Mexico...Damon had done 2 of them and he won both. Roger now has a business renting Polaris Side X Sides in Elephant Butte, next to the town of Truth or Consequences. Damon and Roger, all of us getting ready to go to dinner Friday and Saturday, August 27 - 28, 2021 Got into the town of Truth or Consequences in New Mexico Friday afternoon, then met Damon Scott Powell and Roger Pattison for dinner. Was good to finally meet Roger and I hadn't seen Damon in a few years. Next day we met at Roger's house, went to breakfast then it was time to ride ! Damon was riding a press bike, the new 2022 Kawasaki KLR 650 to do a review on it. I rode with them for the first section, then they split off in Winston to go ride some tougher trails that I wouldn't be able to do with the sidecar rig. I had an awesome ride on my own up to the town of Reserve where we met at the Frisco Lodge. Hit some rain on the trails late in the afternoon. Rode some really nice gravel roads where I used the throttle just right to drift the sidecar rig in the corners...fun fun fun ! Total mileage for the day was about 200 miles of twisty paved roads and dirt/gravel roads thru some beautiful country. The countryside was so green from all the monsoon rains this summer. Met a couple guys on quads scouting the area for upcoming Elk hunting season. Also met a couple from South Dakota, they were just finishing the last 2 days of the Continental Divide Trail, started in Montana and would finish the trail at the Mexico border. I can now say that we've ridden a small part of both the New Mexico Backcountry Discovery Route (NMBDR) and the Continental Divide Trail. A little history for you: Interesting how the town of Truth or Consequences got it's name...years ago, the Truth or Consequences TV game show offered a town 1 million dollars if they changed the name of the town to the game show name, many towns applied, but this town won...that's what the town of Hot Springs did, hence the name "Truth or Consequences". Also, Geronimo used to do an annual trek there to use the hot springs. Time to ride.... Damon on the Kawasaki press bike, the new 2022 KLR 650. Doc was happy to be going on another ride We crossed the actual Continental Divide a few times during the day The day's ride included some awesome twisties thru beautiful scenery Horses ! This is the couple I met, Todd and Jen who were riding the Continental Divide Trail, this was their second to last day before they would finish the route at the Mexico border. They are from South Dakota and started the trail in Montana heading south to Mexico border. 2 guys on quads scouting the area for the upcoming Elk hunting season The wildflowers were in full bloom, like a sea of yellow across the meadows Mud bog ! Luckily made it thru OK, there was just enough room to the left to get around the deep mud. Part of the ride was on smooth gravel roads and when it started raining on us again, I had fun drifting the rig thru the corners. Got to the Frisco Lodge in the town of Reserve, New Mexico late in the afternoon, our destination for the night. First priority....brewski time ! Roger and Damon Damon and I with Roger photobombing in the background Damon showing off his little getoff Roger gave us some NMBDR stickers To be continued......