'That part' == the Sierra Vista Trail that runs up along the southern part of the Organ Mountains. If you're talking highway exits, it connects University Ave in Las Cruces with the Mesquite exit via one nicely paved road and one horribly wash-boarded dirt road. So add in a bit of frontage road and there's the loop. But the fun part is of course the single-track.
This trail has obviously seen a lot of use in the past few years since I first road it. What were sections of trail covered with small loose rocks have become either gravel pits or sections covered with large loose rocks. Sometimes both.
The essential fun of the trail is still there. How fast can I go and not take a spill when I miss a turn? Or, how slow can I go to avoid the cactus, but still have momentum to ascend the other side after crossing a major arroyo?
It is also the trail where I learned about 'tenting' -- something for which I mercifully have no pictures of. Please put your minds at ease, this is not what you might be thinking... It is what happens when you crash into a cactus and thorns break off underneath the skin. I'll say only that extraction involves lining up the holes with the thorns underneath, pushing and then using a pair of needle-nose to remove it. (If a thorn offend thee... pluck it out.) Enough said. Now you know why pliers are considered Essential Equipment in the High Desert.
No catastrophes this day however. Just one long steady fun ride where your eyes are glued to the trail and each time you stop, you notice just how much the scenery has changed. It doesn't pay to be a sightseer while riding this trail, but you're welcome to ride it and give it a shot. It is very scenic. Let me know how it goes.
Side note: Been messin' the MyTracks app on the 'droid phone. Here's a couple of GE views created from the GPS data. Enjoy.
No comments:
Post a Comment