Weekend Dirt Biking

Stown going fast!!

Yeah, for BLM!!

From our house we headed south to Glade Run in New Mexico for the afternoon. Contrary to it's name, there is no glade nor will you find runners. (OK, maybe the latter but I've never seen them.) Glade Run is a ... Well , just read the sign. There are oil wells dotted through out the entire area, which make for nice parking areas. They aren't too noisy, like white noise, the sound seems to go away after a short while. There are plenty of jeep roads for beginners and single track for the more advanced riders. This nice new sign reads "Eagle Scout Project 2005 Kurtis Donisthorpe" along them bottom. They must have created this one be cause the old one was used for target practice. Thanks Guys!! For more information on this great area click on the link :

http://www.blm.gov/nm/st/en/prog/recreation/farmington/Glade_Run_Recreation_Area.html

Despite the fact that it states "Discharging of firearms is prohibited" this old sign was riddled with shotgun blasts.

Speaking of shot guns, I did some clean up work while the guys were out riding. I was meditating and doing yoga in the middle of the flats, when I peered through my feet during a wonderful downward dog to see bright red shells littering the hillside. Upon further investigation I found remnant of the computer they took out their anger on. Trust me, there are days I, too, would like to fire of a few rounds at my 'puter - but not in the middle of a beautiful area surrounded by native plants and critters. Finishing my series, I grabbed a plastic bag from the truck and gathered all the trash I could find in the vicinity.

(Click on photo to enlarge)

Jim is enjoying some of the single track up on the ridge line.

Doug

The dogs and I hiked up to the crest of a nearby ridge to survey our surroundings.

We really enjoy this area. It's vast options of parking places and lack of people make it ideal for a beginner, like Stown, to get used to his bike with out the worries of traffic. Jim found a four mile loop that Stown was able to practice on by himself. Shifting gears and getting the feel for the bike we hooked up the GPS and he managed to clock almost 25 mph. Not bad for only his second day! It's amazingly clean despite it's public use. We were discussing how graffiti would cover everything if it were near a more populated area. For now we left it cleaner than we found it until next year. As of this week, the dirt bikes will find a home in the shed for the winter. It was overcast and in the low 40's while we were there and the wind was making it feel even colder.

Snowboard season is on the horizon - Time to switch sports again!!