Cimarron to Coyote Creek State Park

Last Day 12 – 40 miles, 3:10, 14.4 AVG

Hanging with the Oklahomans next door. Another lazy morning and some sun made this marginal site a pretty good place to hang out. The roaring creek 20 ft away was fun.


Blackjack Campground

I went down canyon a bit to check out the rock formations. It was pure bliss riding in this canyon; warm, no wind and flat. The idiot Oklahoman truck driver ruined all that, briefly.

It was a quick climb back over to Eagle Nest again, and I was headed right into another rain storm! So early today. I decided to head into it and not wait. It wasn’t long that I was through it and into the sunshine. Another blink of an eye and I was in Angel Fire. What a let down. I was expecting more, a bigger ski town than Red River. There was pretty much nothing except a Bald Eagle sighting.

A talk with Elizabeth and we decided that I should go south to Coyote Creek State Park (on the southern loop of the Enchanted Circle), due to the crowded highway toward Taos and weather patterns. What a great choice it turned out to be! Highway 434 was awesome and fun, even though I got pelted by hail on the technical downhill section. The road has no middle line it’s so narrow, and it snaked through the forest like a small trail. At one point I was weaving past an open pine forest, and the next I was cruising through a narrow cliff-lined canyon that held a creek and dense riparian trees.

It ended all too soon when I reached the State Park. I grabbed the last site with a ramada structure. This was key when the rain storm hit, and now everyone seems to want my site. Because I didn’t pitch a tent right away and only had a bike, people thought I might be just having lunch, even though it was like 6 pm. The “traffic” eyeing my site is almost unbearable. I kind of feel like I’m on display up here in my zoo cage ramada! There is a great view of the mountains behind the creek, though.

Elizabeth should be here soon and that will be the official end of the tour. Overall it was a great tour. All this rain has turned out to be very manageable. I’m also happy that the modifications I made to some equipment worked on reducing the pains I had last year. The route was amazing and it seems there are many other choices for a whole other tour!

BIRDS

Bald Eagle - Belted Kingfisher - Warbling Vireo - Mountain Blue Bird -
Lewis’s Woodpecker

TOTALS FOR TOUR:

Birds: 80 Miles: 675


Outside Angel Fire