Riding the modified KLR 650 in the Sacramento Mountains of New Mexico...

[Wingnut]

Round #4 of pics:

In case you're wondering about the "overlap" in views, I was trying to squeeze various peaks and whatnot into the background of each shot... I also wanted different views of the dirt roads or trails, 10-4?

 

[Wingnut]

Round #5 of pics:

That was my 'Colombard Cooler' in that Nalgene bottle, it came out of my saddlebag to quench my thirst, lol. I only drank half of the cooler atop the summit plateau, as I was still GRIPPED about riding down that skinny switchback trail with the HUGE DROPS on the outer side, lol. Here are views taken as I descend that trail, partly paved but still STEEP AS F#% with dicey drops and high winds, lol. I had to "work the brakes" to get these shots: roll to a stop, switch from front brake to rear brake to free up a hand for the camera each time, then reverse the process and start rolling again after putting the bike in gear, lol.

Now, those drop-offs weren't so bad lower down, where the base of the butte sloped more, but on high the drops were downright scary! I rolled back down the entire grade in first gear, if that tells ya anything, lol. It was just too windy up there and I didn't feel like breaking my fool neck, ya know? Check out that fissure or small gully in the last two pics, where intermittent rains washed out the road and left that nasty gap. If my bike were to wind up in that hole, I'd never get it out on my own, I'd have to hoof it back to the Walker Ranch and beg for assistance, lol.

 

[Wingnut]

Round #6 of pics:

And here we have the infamous deep sand wreck shots, lol...

I was glad to get past that short but nasty section, lol...

Wound up running that power line road for much of the way home... there were nasty deep sand sections at the outset, two as long as a gridiron, so I was glad to also put those behind me. However, I did not know whether I'd run up on a locked gate, so I was a bit concerned about having to retrace or reverse my route.

 

[Wingnut]

Round #7 of pics:

In those last pics, I'm taking a break, macking half of the turkey sandwich I brought with me, and drinking more of that 'Colombard Cooler' after a grueling stretch, lol. That power line road ran for MILES, and it was WAY rougher than it looks in these cheesy Canon cam pics, aye? When I decided to take a break, I stripped my jacket to cool off and let the interior of the jacket also cool (that riding suit is hot gear), and I unzipped the outer zipper of my pants legs to let those cool off, as the trail was rough and the ride was a workout. Check out the trippy support cables for that group of power poles, must be some high winds in this area, kinda like today's high winds, lol.

 

[Magus]

Aw man! I miss doing stuff like that! Mud hoggin' isn't that much different than free riding, you just do it in the woods, lots of times at night and in a 4X4 you can carry more guns and beer in a 4X4.

 

[Wingnut]

Round #8 of pics, this will be the final round:

Is this some sort of cattle feed pellet? Didn't recognize it, but it looked like some kinda feed...

A cross trail leading to BFE...

Another gate...

And at last, I leave the power line road to try this other trail leading toward my home... by this time, I can recognize the tank farm near my neighborhood, so I'm using it as a reference point, aye?

This cattle tank looked inviting at this point in my ride... I was sweaty & dusty & tired by this time, lol.

Nearing US-54, I run up on this pump station (?) for some sort of pipeline...

Shortly thereafter, I saw this funky installation, some sort of mini tracking dome, I reckon, used in missile tests at WSMR? Or maybe by the jets out of Holloman AFB? Or both? Who knows? But that's the end of my ride, I hit US-54 minutes later and headed for home. Not a bad recon overall, but I'm not sure I wanna do it again, and I wouldn't do it in summer... too goldurned hot, especially with that riding suit, lol. Meh, the views from the butte were pretty cool, even if part of the ascent & descent was hair-raising! Maybe ya had to be there to sense that, with the wind and the steep drops and everything... it was DIFFERENT, that's for sure, and I exercised caution during that ride up & down the butte!

Y'ALL BE GOOD, I'M OFF TO CRASH... TOO TIRED TO PARTY TONIGHT, LOL. MAYBE TOMORROW...

P.S. One final observation, I spent four hours on this ride, with an hour spent at the summit of the butte, and some time frittered away while opening and closing around 10 cattle gates. Meh, these things happen...

 

[Magus]

That last one looks like a trident sticking out of a silo! 0_0

 

[Pearl]

Wow, beautiful country!! Thanks for the ride!!

 

[Wingnut]

When you live in the high desert near an even taller mountain range, you have a wide range of scenery available... you can be in cool green forests of tall pines at higher elevations one moment, and be in barren desert wastelands less than an hour later, like those seen in my latest pics. Best of all, you can find solitude and tranquility in EITHER location... I happen to like both, and I fully enjoyed my time atop that high desert butte yesterday, it was wild and free, ya know? No Big City problems: no crowds, no traffic, no smog, no crime, no badges, no corrupt scumbag politicians or so-called "jurists" in sight... I could think of WORSE places to hang out, believe me. Even with the wind yesterday, that summit plateau was awesome, and I had it ALL to myself, lol. Well, those crazy birds were with me, swooping & diving & rocketing past my head at freeway speed, lol. They probably saw the big ol' thumper and my 'Kawasaki Racing Team' T-shirt, and they said to one another:

"LOOK AT THIS FRIGGIN' POSER DRINKING A WINE COOLER ATOP THE SUMMIT OF OUR BUTTE!!! LET'S GO BUZZ THE DAMNED FOOL WITH SOME KNIFE-EDGE PASSES!!! WE'LL SHOW THAT IDIOT WHO'S BOSS!!!"

 

[Bacpacker]

I think that last pic of the white tower is an FAA direction finding tower. I've hiked past one on a trip I did on the Appalachin trail going over Snowbird Mountain. Looks just like it, only from a distance.
One thing that stood out in several pics you took at elevation was how straight and long some of those roads down low were.
Overall more great pics. Ridin there is much different than ridin in the woods for sure. I'm lovin these rides your doin

 

[Wingnut]

You don't suppose that tower is for the jets at Holloman AFB? It's in their flight path, or near it anyway, given the orientation of the airstrips due to prevailing seasonal winds.

I'm glad you're enjoying the rides, I'm only sharing them for those who ride, and those who like places off the beaten path the way I do, aye? That hour of solitude atop the butte was absolute PARADISE!

But I've ALWAYS liked such places, it's a Zen thing... sometimes less is more, and I'll take the wilderness over the Big City any day of the week, lol. I'm closer to nature there, and closer to my true self... at peace, and lovin' it!!!

 

[Bacpacker]

It may be tied into Holloman. But could be just normal FAA traffic. Possibly both

 

[Wingnut]

Bacpacker, I almost *hate* to admit it, but the price of fuel has me thinking about ANOTHER ride on Friday, lol. These prices may not last long, so I'm gonna take advantage of 'em while I can. Same goes for the weather, we have two nice sunny days ahead of us here... and later, when Old Man Winter sets in for real (despite the recent cold snap), I may not have so many opportunities to go wheelin'. I dunno, we'll see what the weather does, and if I do ride I'll stick to pavement this time, my muscles are still recovering from the abuse on those dirt trails, lol. That sorry-@$$ cheesed!ck Canon cam doesn't capture the REALITY of trail riding, BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! But YOU get it, since you're an experienced rider... this State of New Mexico really throws some obstacles & challenges in your path, and I ain't gettin' any YOUNGER either, lol. Meh, alla same, no worries, I'll RIDE until I'm physically UNABLE to ride, and that's it. Motorcycling is one of my few remaining pleasures, I had to give up skateboarding years ago, and technical rock climbing too, though I wouldn't mind doing a long moderate route for old times' sake if I met some climbers with gear & hardware. I voluntarily surrendered my hardcore small craft sailing when I bailed outta Kalifornia, but in exchange I have ALL this PRIMO OFFROADING & CYCLING, ya know? Mere minutes from my home, lol... so I GOTTA take advantage of it, AYE? Just sayin'... now I'm back to this delicious cold beer, it beats those rotgut vino wine coolers ALL to hell, BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

 

[Bacpacker]

You should be out there ever chance you can. No reason not too as long as you feel up to it and the bike is ready.
A bunch of us on the forum are sure enjoying the rides

 

[Wingnut]

I certainly hope so... I know some site members are older and have medical issues which prevent them from riding, so if my humble rides & the photo documentation of those rides can bring back good memories, then I take my cue from The Beatles and say "LET IT BE!!!"

I've never been the kinda guy who seeks personal attention, I've always been 'The Master of Low Profile' when dealing with extreme sports, lol. My closest friends already KNOW who I am and what I've done in my own small way, lol. Why do ya think I'm known as friggin' WINGNUT at this site?

If I were some attention whore, I'd be slingin' my OWN name every chance I got, but I'm not that kind, I prefer to pull off cool maneuvers and bad@$$ wilderness adventures under some handle or moniker, that way folks can focus upon what has actually been DONE, lol. Like sailing the length of the Salton Sea, bruddah...

Talk about an adventure there, lol... I should resurrect my thread so newbies can figure it all out, aye? Damn, even my hardcore friends from the surf shop were impressed with THAT voyage, lol... nobody, and I mean NOBODY sails a 12' Minifish the length of the Salton Sea, right down the centerline of that bad boy for 30 nautical miles!!!

If you were to capsize during such a voyage, you'd probably DISSOLVE like a corpse in a vat of acid in some cheesy horror flick or mobster movie, lol. Your dissolving body would look like it was being attacked by a school of piranhas, but no such piranhas could EXIST for long in the Salton Sea, due to funky oxygen-robbing 'algae blooms' and massive fish die-offs...

Now, on those Baja island voyages aboard my 14' Laser, it was a different story with 2-ton Great Whites out there waiting for a SNACK, lol. Well, the sharks were more interested in the seal & sea lion rookeries on the rocky windward shores of those islands... like buffet tables, those rookeries! I'd ease in on the leeward side of each island...

GUESS I'LL POST THIS & GRAB ANOTHER BEER... I FOUND A LINK TO THE SALTON THREAD, AND I HAVE THE OLD LINK TO SOME ISLAND SHOTS, LOL. CHEERS!!!

Sailing The Salton Sea!!!

Random outdoor adventure shots...

P.S. Might hafta tap that OAUSA link twice to get the pics to load properly, it's an old thread, lol...

 

[Wingnut]

Well, I just checked the forecast for Cloudcroft & environs tomorrow, and NOAA Weather is saying a high of 47* F with gusty winds... but they were WAY OFF recently with their forecast, so I'm still weighing my decision. I'd like to go up into the mountains, as it may be the last safe chance I get for the winter, but that stupid high wind advisory is botching my plans. I don't wanna do the lake loop to Elephant Butte, that's too long at over 300 miles... I'll save that for spring or summer. Meh, if the wind is too gusty manana, maybe I'll do something else, I like to pick my days for riding so I'm NOT out there on skinny mountain roads with gusts of 50 m.p.h. or more, lol. This bike is heavy, but it's not THAT heavy, so high winds DO affect it... we'll play it by ear, maybe I'll get some painting done after all, lol. Dang, I busted @$$ today and knocked out a bunch of tasks so I could ride tomorrow, but now it's up in the air... literally, with the high wind advisory, lol.

P.S. Of course, the weather guessers might have it WRONG, and the "high wind" may turn out to be a pleasant breeze! Goldurned weather guessers! I should've been a weatherman, the only job where I could CONSTANTLY F#% UP and yet STILL KEEP MY JOB, lol. Missed my calling right there... "O, YE CRUEL GODS OF FATE!!!"

 

[Wingnut]

So much for riding today... [sob!]... oh, wait, I have a ton of beer in the fridge, lol. I'm not sure I'll even go to town today, though the local zoo is on my list of places to see & things to do! It's already after 1300 hours, and I'm still boiling the turkey carcass... this will be a big batch of soup, so it might take a little longer than the average batch. As in ALL DAY LONG, lol... but no worries, the cats and I are having a good time, and I only have one minor task left to do in the yard. I still haven't grabbed a shower yet either, but again, no worries... the cats love me for my SWEET DISPOSITION, lol. Y'all might LAUGH, but 'TO KNOW ME IS TO LOVE ME!!!' BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Damn.

Besides, these pesky varmints know that I'm the guy who feeds them, so any wisecracks will result in friggin' Third World starvation, lol. They'll be on the cover of National Geographic, their poor bloated bellies & protruding skeletal bones opening wallets from here to Bangor, Maine! Might hafta start a 'Go Fund Me' page for the cats... next thing ya know, they'll be driving Lamborghinis, snorting cocaine, banging Vegas hookers, etc. Kinda like that televangelist who needed a FOURTH airplane because none of the first three went fast enough for him to "spread the Word of God"---naturally, he wanted a larger and more luxurious jet as well, lol. Damn, whatever happened to sackcloth and "hair shirts?"

Oh, well, so it goes... one reason why I'm drawn to Zen Buddhism, lol. Those Buddhist monks really don't give a damn about material BS, and they've learned to be thankful & happy DESPITE all the misery in this world, lol. I look out the window right now and tell myself: "I could be riding, but no worries... I have cats!!! And homemade turkey soup!!!" That's the power of Zen Buddhism, it clears the mind of any unnecessary BS, lol. I can always catch up to riding LATER, and I've done enough of it lately to be content with my current lot as soup maker and cat caretaker, AYE? Next time I ride, I'll put in an extra long day just to make up for today's funky & questionable weather, lol. Manana, we gots RAIN in the forecast!

Y'ALL BE GOOD, I THINK I'M GONNA CRACK A COLD BEER AND 'DROWN MY SORROWS!' LOL...

 

[Pearl]

So much for riding today... [sob!]... oh, wait, I have a ton of beer in the fridge, lol. I'm not sure I'll even go to town today, though the local zoo is on my list of places to see & things to do! It's already after 1300 hours, and I'm still boiling the turkey carcass... this will be a big batch of soup, so it might take a little longer than the average batch. As in ALL DAY LONG, lol... but no worries, the cats and I are having a good time, and I only have one minor task left to do in the yard. I still haven't grabbed a shower yet either, but again, no worries... the cats love me for my SWEET DISPOSITION, lol. Y'all might LAUGH, but 'TO KNOW ME IS TO LOVE ME!!!' BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Damn.

Besides, these pesky varmints know that I'm the guy who feeds them, so any wisecracks will result in friggin' Third World starvation, lol. They'll be on the cover of National Geographic, their poor bloated bellies & protruding skeletal bones opening wallets from here to Bangor, Maine! Might hafta start a 'Go Fund Me' page for the cats... next thing ya know, they'll be driving Lamborghinis, snorting cocaine, banging Vegas hookers, etc. Kinda like that televangelist who needed a FOURTH airplane because none of the first three went fast enough for him to "spread the Word of God"---naturally, he wanted a larger and more luxurious jet as well, lol. Damn, whatever happened to sackcloth and "hair shirts?"

Oh, well, so it goes... one reason why I'm drawn to Zen Buddhism, lol. Those Buddhist monks really don't give a damn about material BS, and they've learned to be thankful & happy DESPITE all the misery in this world, lol. I look out the window right now and tell myself: "I could be riding, but no worries... I have cats!!! And homemade turkey soup!!!" That's the power of Zen Buddhism, it clears the mind of any unnecessary BS, lol. I can always catch up to riding LATER, and I've done enough of it lately to be content with my current lot as soup maker and cat caretaker, AYE? Next time I ride, I'll put in an extra long day just to make up for today's funky & questionable weather, lol. Manana, we gots RAIN in the forecast!

Y'ALL BE GOOD, I THINK I'M GONNA CRACK A COLD BEER AND 'DROWN MY SORROWS!' LOL...

 

[Wingnut]

Okey-dokey, I made it to my KLR 650 thread... "Call CNN!!!"

I'm not even buzzed either, I've only had three cold tinnies of watery domestic trash, lol... oh, wait, I DID smoke a big ol' bowl o' chronic after my post-ride shower, lol. But I'm fully alert and capable of posting, BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! I just had too much fun today, that's all, and I gotta tell y'all, the temp was COLD up in them thar mountains!!!

Like a dumb@$$, I forgot my "neck gaiter"---so I suffered in that regard while JAMMIN' through the twisties & chicanes at HIGH SPEED, lol. At least the temp was high enough to keep the pavement clear of ice, though there were a couple of shady northern curves which looked "slickery!" I downshifted for those, lol, so no worries!

But boy, I'll tell ya (especially YOU, Bacpacker), I was a REGULAR 'WANNABE RICE ROCKET HERO' in those heller curves today, I was draggin' my knee like Kenny Roberts or Casey Stoner, lol... I'm probably carbon-dating myself with the Kenny Roberts reference, but HE was a BAD@$$ RIDER!!! So is Casey Stoner!!! They both FREAKIN' RIP!!!

Okay, let's get started or we'll be here all night, and some of youse H&CL Hee-roes DANGED SURE need yer BEAUTY SLEEP, BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Magus, that includes YOU!!! Lol. Alright, time to get serious... [Chinese gong crashes here]... I'm gonna start with shots of yesterday's weather over the mountains near my home, just to set the tone!

Nice fence on the neighbor's property, it makes an Old West statement, lol. Okay, you've seen the clouds, today was a bit clearer once the sun burned off some o' the leftover cr@p, but I waited until 1100 hours to start my ride, just to be sure. The weather gradually improved, so I hit the road. First stop was by that gorge on the way up US-82 to Cloudcroft, I know I've taken shots of that location before but it looked pretty cool today, so I whipped into the turnout to snap a shot before burning rubber out of there, lol.

That pic is like Internet porn to geologists, lol... next stop, the Sacramento Ranger District HQ, where I took these cool shots of stuff in the building!

Spikedriver, those model trains are NOT what I promised earlier, lol... but they're STILL pretty cool! That's an old school Ranger outfit in that glass case... I hereby propose that we should hold a competition between drunk & stoned fooliots, the first to lace up those boots properly WINS the contest, lol. Hand the laces and the boots separately to all competitors, of course! What else we got? The Christmas Tree, a moth display case, some cookbooks and a couple of coyotes, lol. Look at those HOT PEPPERS, boy, this is NEW MEXICO, Chile Capital Of The World!!! And the peppers here are the BEST, they'll BURN YA ON BOTH ENDS, lol.

 

[Wingnut]

Round #2 of pics.., that hutch-lookin' thang was actually two cabinets, one placed atop the other, and I'm not sure whether the carving was done by hand or machine (laser?), but the carving was cool! Meh, worth taking pics just for the animals! Here we go!

Here's an old school camera, I don't think it was a Hasselblad but it was something similar...

Okay, fast forward to the 'National Solar Observatory' on Sacramento Peak...

I saw the sign for this place and just whipped in to see what it was all about, 10-4? Truth be told, I was simply looking for killer views from the peak, lol, but I wound up taking the 'Telescope Tour' and checking out the Visitor Center... more on all that in a moment! Nice little high mountain meadow in that last pic! Big-time deer & elk country up here, though they'll be moving down to lower elevation soon, if they haven't already, lol.

P.S. Look at those funky clouds in the last pic, that's all natural too, no chemtrail BS up there, lol. And judging by the horn handles on that hutch-lookin' thang, I reckon maybe it WAS hand-carved, or at least the panels with the animals, ya thank? I dunno, maybe it was some "Chinese laser" and the signature is FAKE, lol...

 

[Wingnut]

Round #3 of pics, we start with the Visitor Center...

Oh, gee, looks like some hero put "Visitors Center" or "Visitor's Center" on the wall sign... I'm all cut up about that, but I'm sure I'll get over it with this cold one in my hand, lol. Pic# 5 shows some artwork on the building, that's the National Solar Observatory at about 0800 or 2000 hours on the dial (so to speak). Here it is in real life...

Built by the USAF to get images of the sun, now the facility is used by researchers from universities and NASA and whoever the heck else. More on this observatory in a moment...

 

[Wingnut]

Round #4 of pics... rather than try to explain what this observatory and its researchers actually DO, I'm gonna provide a link to the web page listed on their 'social media card'---they have sites on other social media platforms, but I'll give ya this one:

Sunspot Solar Observatory

Let's hope that works, if it doesn't I'll simply photograph the SM card and post the pic, lol. Here's more info on the solar observatory, which was a trip and still functions in gathering data, even though it was built many years ago. Looked like a cool place to work, with housing right nearby and some other facilities on site.

Lotsa glare in Pic #7, next we tour the grounds of the compound...

Pic #9 shows another scope, or the dome that houses it... these building exteriors take a BEATING at 9000' elevation or higher, and some domes or buildings are no longer used, but these two are still in operation. More on the whole scene in a moment...

 

[Wingnut]

Round #5 of pics, we're still touring the compound...

Nice shots of the Tularosa Basin in those first six pics, you can see White Sands in some of the photos.

Hey, that 'Grain Bin Dome' totally reminded me of PEANUT!!! More on that in a moment... Peanut, I hope you're looking at these pics!!! The 'Grain Bin Dome' had YOUR NAME written all over it, BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Why, you ask? Well, because "YOU DA MAN!!!" And this sort of scope housing is ALL ABOUT YOU, lol... the bench in the foreground is placed so I can sit for a moment while I trip on the whole concept!

P.S. That dish outside the housing unit is NOT for exploring the celestial sky, it's for friggin' TV, lol... ah, the life of a modern astronomer, it's a $h!tty job but SOMEBODY has to do it, BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

 

[Wingnut]

Round #6 of pics, here's the beta on the Peanut Dome... er, I mean the 'Grain Bin Dome!' If this were MY show, it'd be the 'Grain Alcohol Dome!'

So much for the compound, now we're back in the Visitor's Center... or whatever it's called, lol.

Nice bilingual displays, lol... hubcaps & car stereos will be stolen on other planets PRONTO, 10-4? No, wait, I reckon they'll just steal the ENTIRE VEHICLE, lol...

 

[Wingnut]

Round #7 of pics, let's see what we have...

Ah, yes, this will be Spikedriver's round o' pics, these displays were all about the railroad and there are some cool historic shots of the logging operation back in the day, including the Cloudcroft Depot... a COOL BUILDING!!!

Glare from the camera flash in Pic #4, I tried to minimize all that, but it is what it is, lol... here are more pics!

More glare there, just deal with it...

Pretty cool timeline, wish I had caught it better with the camera... meh, it is what it is, and that's ALL it is, lol.

 

[Wingnut]

Round #8 of pics, some exhibits are more aesthetically pleasing than others, lol...

Looks like some tweekin' crackerhead---or perhaps a lonely astronomer---built that display, probably while frying on acid, or maybe mushrooms, lol. Meh, ya win some, ya lose some... here's a cool exhibit on ancient Mayan astronomers!

And some shots I probably should've posted earlier, lol...

Okay, here's a simple board exhibit on famous astronomers... I took pics of each one for the hell of it, lol.

Nice breakdown of the accomplishments of each astronomer... there are more, so let's get to 'em, lol.

 

[Wingnut]

Round #9 of pics, more famous astronomers listed on the board...

Hmm, better stop here and do one final round of pics from a separate installation, the Apache Point Observatory which isn't that far from this solar observatory...

Wait, I'm not seeing many "persons of color" on this exhibit board... the entire exhibit is "RACIST!!!"

 

[Wingnut]

Round #10 of pics, this will be the final round from today's ride...

Here we have a separate observatory mere minutes away from the solar observatory we've been touring, but this one is not open to the public... however, the GROUNDS are open, so I turned into the entrance road to see whether I could bag some cool scenic shots! And I did, lol... here they are! Nice picnic bench location, too bad it was so cold up there!

Last three pics show views from the picnic bench area... not a bad place to have lunch in warmer weather, lol.

THUS ENDETH THE SERMON, I'M OFF TO POST CAT PICS FOR PEARL, LOL... CHEERS!!!

 

[Peanut]

There was a guy I knew, getting a science doctorate at a major university. He was a walking cliche down to his pocket protector and glasses.

On a science building there was an observatory. A few blocks away there was a 9-story girls dormitory. The soon to be Dr. bragged about the versatility of said observatory. Said all the senor science guys had keys to it.

The funny part... the girls in the dorm were aware of this practice. And since only a few rooms could be seen… I'll not say what some girls may or may not have done. A year later my girlfriend was living there. The really funny part, it was common for boyfriends to spend the weekend in the dorm. Once there were 5 of us on the same floor.

I remember thinking that science guy for all his brains was an idiot. There were 10,000 young women on that campus. ASK someone out! Geeze! A single guy without a date in that town wasn't trying!!

 

[Magus]

Attn Wingnut:
Have you ever seen a zombie movie called "The year after infection"? that whole area was its backdrop. Not bad for a "C" movie.