The 2001 Land of Enchantment 1000

     Since Jim Morin related his adventures in the 2000 Waltz Across Texas motorcycle endurance rally I have been anxious to try out this type of ride. These rides are scavenger hunts over a prescribed area and have several variations. Sometimes you have to take polaroids or just write down pertinent information about the bonus location you are at. It is up to each rider to decide on which bonus locations they want to try to get and still return to the finish location by the prescribed time limit. Some rallies are over several hours, or several days, such as the granddaddy of endurance rides the "Iron Butt Rally". The one I chose as my first event was a 24 hour rally starting and ending in Albuquerque, NM that began on Saturday Oct. 6th. Jim Morin, Greg Yarborough, and Pat McClellan from McAllen, Tx also entered and we all rode up to Albuquerque together. Jim's wife Janice rode up with him on their Valkyrie as she had volunteered to help the rallymaster. Pat and I were on year 2000 Goldwing 1500's and Greg rode his 2001 Goldwing 1800. 

Wednesday Oct. 3rd: After a breakfast with our wives at Denny's in McAllen we departed on our adventure. The ride to Pecos, Tx was without any incidents. The weather was great and the roads were straight. It was about a 600 mile ride to Pecos.

Thursday Oct. 4th: We rode up U.S. 285 to Artesia, NM and then went west on 82 to Cloudcroft, NM. This was a great side trip and the twisty roads were like a gourmet meal to those of us raised on flat and straight. In other words we ate it up, not to mention the bonus of cooler temps. After lunch in Cloudcroft we rode through more twisties to Ruidoso then dropped back down to lower elevations where we had to shed our cold weather gear. On into Albuquerque and to our rooms. Jim and Janice stayed at the Winrock Inn, the starting and ending place of the rally, while Greg, Pat, and I stayed at a Super 8 about 4 miles away. I know I was only in Albuquerque for a few days but the weather was ideal with daytime highs approaching 80 and the lows at night around 50. 

Friday Oct. 5th: We woke up and headed over to the Winrock Inn to have some breakfast and check out where we needed to be that night for the tech inspection and the handing out of our passports and poker chips (more on those later). Jim's son Jimmy had arrived from Oregon on Jim's Kawasaki Concours the previous night as we saw the Connie in the parking lot, he had taken a side trip to the Grand Canyon and had a great time there. In the meantime we rode over to "Motorsport Albuquerque" the local Honda, BMW, Kawasaki, Etc. dealer as Greg's bar end weights on his 1800 had vibrated off and he wanted to see if they had any in stock, which they didn't, but we had a great time kicking tires, sitting on various bikes and visiting with the local folks anyway, oh and I bought my obligatory t-shirt. We found a Wal-Mart close by and purchased New Mexico maps and basically killed the rest of the day til 6 p.m. At 6 we were back at the Winrock Inn for the tech inspection. This was pretty involved as our bikes were checked for insurance and registration paperwork, tool kit, tire repair kit, first aid kit, tire tread depth, etc. We got through tech without any problems and headed back to our room to try and get some sleep.

Greg's Tires Getting Checked

Saturday Oct. 6th: THE BIG DAY ARRIVES!!!! Okay, everyone had been kidding me about waking up at 4:30 every morning, but this day it was true. I think I slept about 4 or 5 hours and I was chomping at the bit. I had been waiting on this day for months. It was pretty chilly outside so I put on all my cold riding gear which consisted of First Gear Kilimanjaro jacket and pants, insulated gloves, boots, and a balaclava under my full face helmet. Six-thirty arrived and our bonus locations were released to us. At 8 a.m. we depart. The first part of the ride was south on I-25 where we had to exit at a couple of places for an odometer check, then the guys I was riding with, Pat and Greg make fast tracks to Socorro. I thought I was moving at a pretty good pace until a guy on a R1 went by me. The bonus in Soccoro was on the town square, now remember this was a Saturday, and here are motorcyclists circling the town square like Erich von Zipper's minions while bake sales and flea markets are going on. As I'm writing down the answer to a question I hear Greg talking to someone behind me. I turn around and its a priest asking what we are all doing running around in our helmets. The next bonus is on Church street so I figure who better to ask where Church street is than a priest. He didn't know but I found it anyway. Back on the bikes to San Antonio, NM for a "Don't Go There Bonus". The "Don't Go There's" were towns that the rallymaster picked that had the same names as famous towns in other states, like Encino, Cleveland, San Antonio, etc. After San Antonio it was on to Carrizozo. Okay, the poker chips were labeled with your individual entrant number and at Carrizozo there was a poker chip drop in a caboose that served as the Chamber of Commerce. We then went  north on NM 54 where the posted speed limit is 55, and that's all I have to say about that. The bonus in Ancho was fantastic, it was in an old converted train depot that had been turned into sort of an antique shop. These are places you would probably never go unless there were some good bonus points involved. On to Las Vegas, NM where there were some juicy points to pick up. For those of you that saw it "Montezuma's Castle" was an awesome sight. Leaving Las Vegas, hmmm sounds like a movie title, Pat decided to try for the Fort Union National Monument bonus in Watrous, NM. Greg and I were concerned about making the Chama bonus before 9 p.m. so we parted ways with Pat. The Chama location wasn't mandatory but you received a 500 point deduction if you didn't make it to the check in that opened at 6 and closed at 9. The bonus north of Mora was kind of cute, I didn't know what Alpacas were before this rally but I do now. NM Highway 434 into Angel Fire is now on my list of favorite roads, WOW!! There were even some cowboys herding cattle right on the road and uh, needless to say there was some slippery stuff on the road too. The poker chip drop in Angel Fire was in a fancy hotel lobby, I can imagine that Greg and I were quite a sight as we tromped through the lobby helmets on and comm cords dragging, while looking for the drop tube. Heading to Taos was frustrating as we were on a tight, twisty road that hugged the side of a mountain with no way to pass the train of vehicles ahead of us, but west of Taos hwy 82 straightened out we made good time. West of Tres Piedras we stopped, cleaned our windshields and Greg put the liner in his jacket as it was starting to get dark and colder. A few miles later I was rounding a wide sweeper making good time when I came around the corner there was a HUGE cow standing in the ditch right beside the road. I searched the roadsides for fences but there were none, we were in open range country. I told Greg I was going to back down the pace awhile until I saw some fences. Right before we got to Chama, NM Pat caught back up with us and we let him go on ahead as he was bonus hunting and we weren't at that moment. It was during this stretch that I had a couple of close calls with deer. One of them just sauntered very slowly across the road while I stopped and waited on her to cross. As we came into Chama we saw Jeff Foster (the Rallymaster) flash his headlights at us from a store parking lot where we promptly pulled in and got our passports stamped. I believe Greg and I were the 5th and 6th riders to check in. We had originally thought about taking the rest bonus but changed our minds and kept on riding and of course Pat had caught up to us again. This becomes a recurring theme throughout the rest of the rally. In Antonito, Co we got the bonus there then rode to the CO/NM border where there was another poker chip drop, this one not so easily found. In Espanola, NM Greg and I stopped for gas at a station that was closed but the pumps were on for credit card purchases. While we were pumping gas we noticed a Porsche in the parking lot with the owner pulling a bunch of broken plastic out from underneath it. We found out later this guy had hit a deer after passing one of the rally participants. We rode through Santa Fe and stopped at Clines Corners at the intersection of 285 and IH 40 for a much needed rest stop. The rest stop probably contributed to my higher than anticipated finish. I kick my own butt for not doing it sooner as I missed a big bonus close to the base route while riding through Santa Fe and it was still early. We were in Clines Corner around 12:30 a.m. Before we stopped I was ready to bag it and just hit the last 2 poker chip drops and get back to Albuquerque, but after a cup of coffee and a bag of peanuts I was ready to rock and roll. 56 miles later we were at the poker chip drop at Denny's in Santa Rosa, NM, we bagged one more almost right across the street from Denny's then it was off to the "Blue Hole" bonus. This was an adventure, we were supposed to get some info off of a sign that was at the Blue Hole Recreation Area, which is a large swimming area for the public, but not at 2 in the morning. With flashlight in hand Greg and I jumped the low fence and started snooping around, finally about 20 minutes later I found it about 150 yds in the park behind some tree branches. Pat walks up about that time and writes down the info. He was still on his bike when Greg and I trying to find our way out of town spied a local police cruiser headed to the Blue Hole at a rapid rate of speed. I apologize to the other entrants if they were interrogated, heh heh. Back on IH-40 West and hammer down to Moriarty, NM for the last poker chip drop. We really got the nods on this flat, fast stretch of highway, but after Moriarty it was only 25 miles back to the motel. We got back to our room at 4:30 a.m. and slept for an hour as the check in didn't even open til 6. The only thing we trusted to wake us up was my Screamin Meanie. We got back to the Winrock a little before 6 where other riders were being checked in already. Jeff checked our ending odometer readings and took our passports and receipts. We met up with Pat and headed back to our room to sleep until the banquet started at noon. We had decided to leave after the banquet and try and get as far south as we could for the day, so we packed up the bikes and got a refund from the motel for leaving before check out as I had prepaid for Sunday. At the banquet Pat McClellan received first place. I have to say I was not surprised. I remember telling him while we were still north of Santa Fe to leave Greg and I behind and to go for it. Looks like he did.

 Only the top 5 finishers were announced at the banquet. A week later I found out that I came in 7th and Greg placed 11th. We're not sure how we finished 4 places apart seeing as how we rode together the whole rally, but I'm sure there is a discrepancy somewhere. I later learned that Jim Morin and his son missed the Chama checkpoint and bought gas at a station that was closed and the machine failed to give them their receipts. Greg, Pat, and I did qualify for a Saddlesore 1000, Greg's second and my second, and Pat's first. After the banquet we rode another 280 miles down to El Paso where we spent the night before the 770 mile ride home the next day. 

Map of My Route

I would like to thank those that made my first rally experience a fun one. My wife Jo Ann for her support and encouragement, Greg Yarborough for being my riding partner and not just on rallies but anytime I want to ride he's ready to go. Thank you Jim Morin for introducing me to the rally experience and to Janice Morin  for letting me bug Jim so much. Thanks to Pat McClellan who pulled me along well enough to a top 10 finish. I wouldn't have done this well without Pat's organizing skills. I would like those reading this to know that Pat had absolutely no long distance riding gizmos on his bike, no gps, 'stich or First Gear clothing, just an " I'm gonna win" attitude. A tank bag and a clipboard were his only additions and this was his first rally.  And finally thanks to Jeffery Foster and his hearty band of volunteers. You guys put on a heckuva rally. Thanks again.