Titanic Post

It was on a Tuesday when I picked up my new DL650 from Southwest Suzuki in Alamogordo. Riding away from the dealership, I already had the impression that we just might be a good match. The bike, for which there is yet no name, went where I looked, accelerated at the thought of speed, and slowed at the appearance of necessity. Not traits I would look for in a woman, yet at my age of 65, perfect for a motorcycle.

I topped off the tank and headed up Hwy 54 for Tularosa. From there I rode east on highway 70 into the Sacramento Mountains. Still subject to the break-in redline of 5000 rpms which translated into an indicated 70 mph, there was no buffeting and little wind noise. Very pleasant! I began to smile.

The statuesque Round Mountain passed on the right as we (the bike and I) headed up toward Bent and Nogal Canyon. Round Mountain was the site of one of the last battles between the Apaches and the settlers of Tularosa. Both communities still commemorate the event, but for different reasons.

Past Bent is where the old Blazer Mill used to be before Hwy 70 was made into a four lane event. Dr. Blazer was one of those Indian Agents who actually tried to give Indians what they had been promised. Blazer’s Mill was also the site of an 1878 incident during the Lincoln County War where Frank Coe, one of the “regulators,” lost a finger in a gunfight with ‘Buckshot’ Roberts. More serious things happened there, but that’s what I thought about on passing by.

Next is the Mescalero Apache Reservation. The speed limit is 45mph which my bike and I and several others tried to honor. The present residents of Mescalero (elevation 6600ft) are the descendants of those groups of Apaches, including the famous warrior Geranimo, that were captured and imprisoned in St. Augustine, Florida then later in Ft. Sill, Oklahoma for a total of 27 years confinement. Geronimo’s descendants live there to this day.

Past Mescalero, but still on the reservation, is the turnoff to Cloudcroft, on Hwy 244. Thirty miles of beautiful timbered countryside with voluptuous ascending curves through inviting meadows. Like with most things we men call voluptuous and inviting, there are hidden dangers. Hwy 244 is no exception. Otero County and the Mescalero reservation is open range, which means that ranchers are not required by law to protect travelers by putting up fences. Cattle and horses freely graze along side the roads and are unpredictable. For motorcyclists there is the added danger of skidding on a freshly baked cow pie. Motorcyclists love this road and several die each year, usually at the 120 degree turn that daydreaming riders try to take at speed.

That turn leads you into Silver Springs Canyon. Still on the reservation and still twisting, the road makes its way south toward Hwy 82 and then on to Cloudcroft at an elevation of almost 9000 feet.
At one time there was a railroad hauling timber from this area down to the Tularosa Basin where this “date” began. The tracks were removed back in the 1940’s, but the roadbeds are still there, offering wonderful trails and scenic views to the hiker. Cloudcroft is a small organic mountain community that has allowed no big fast food within its limits. There are still blue-grass and country musicians and singers getting together for the sheer pleasure of making music.

Now down the mountain and back to Alamogordo 20 miles away. The drop in elevation is roughly 5000 feet at a grade of six percent. Great fun even at the limited speed limit of 45 mph. Down through the only tunnel in New Mexico where I honk a greeting at my deceased parents (I can actually hear the horn on this thing.)

I haven’t said much about the motorcycle for a while. That is because the Wee-Strom is fulfilling its function in the background. If my butt had hurt or if I had had to fight the machine through the curves, or if my hands and feet were going to sleep, I would have mentioned it and not that which I was experiencing. To me, a motorcycle is a tool to bring joy and exhilaration to its human rider and by the time I came out of Dry Canyon and into the Basin I was laughing out loud. I think I’m in love!