NM Arizona | seat

New Mexico/Arizona ride

Bill Flannery

My brother-in-law Eric Gittings from NH just completed a two week visit with Liz and I in Sahuarita. Eric keeps his 2023 GS 1250 bike at our AZ home and of course we try to squeeze in some rides while he's in town. On very short notice we had an opportunity to take a four-day ride around AZ and NM on many roads, mountain passes and visit many towns Eric had never experienced. Jim Philips joined the ride as well which was awesome. We thoroughly enjoyed the ride in perfect riding weather/temps and had an absolute blast together. A brief ride report:

Day1 Wed, 11/5: Sahuarita to Kingston, NM, 377 miles. The route took us out through Tombstone, Douglas, Animas and Deming to Kingston.

- Route: https://maps.app.goo.gl/k8z9tFxgqx7BYFNd7

- Lodging: The Black Range Lodge. A stay at the historic Black Range Lodge is always enjoyable and interesting. After Jim called and talked with them they offered to serve us a fantastic dinner (for a fee of course) upon arrival. The offer was happily accepted because although they always offer a great breakfast, they normally do not offer dinner. The hosts Catherine Harvell and Gary Wanek are wonderful folks and are very hospitable. Gary is one of the most interesting people I've met as he has many stories about his life and has a very unique and intriguing perspective on life in general.

- Ride highlights:

- Lunch at the Adobe Deli in Deming. This restaurant is off the beaten path and doesn't look like much from the outside but inside is a wonderful display of most everything you can imagine, and the food is superb. Well worth the ride for lunch!

- The Black Range Lodge

- Relive video: AZ/NM loop day 1: Black Range Lodge, Kingston, NM | Relive

Day 2 Thurs,11/6: Kingston, NM to Hannagan Meadow, AZ: 246 miles

- Route: https://maps.app.goo.gl/9KgHmRu3tPHBMT8NA

- Lodging: Hannagan Meadow Lodge. This is a very wonderful, historic Lodge in a very serene, beautiful area and the rooms and restaurant are excellent. Oh, and the three-year-old dog/lodge mascot is beautiful, loving, gentle, friendly and has quite the personality. Just GOTTA LOVE dogs!

- Ride highlights:

- Emory Pass: What a fabulous motorcycle road, eh? The scenery is stunning, the road conditions excellent and the fun factor is way up in the high range

- Lunch: The Little Toad Creek Brewery in Silver City is a perfect destination for lunch.

- Unique stop: The Last Chance Pizza and Liquor Store is always worth a stop. There's not much of an inventory of goods inside the store but it's definitely worth a stop if in the area and the bottled soda pops are fabulous.

- Catwalk Recreation Area: A fairly short hike along the trail allows one to experience and fully appreciate the history of the area personally. It's an amazing reconstruction which catches the essence of its fascinating history.

- Hannagan Meadow Lodge

- Relive video:Day 2: AZ/NM loop: Hannagan Meadow Lodge in AZ. | Relive

Day 3 Fri, 11/7: Hannagan Meadow, AZ to Jerome, AZ: 315 miles.

- Route: https://maps.app.goo.gl/8h5kTYCWqwrUFe5q7

- Lodging: The Connor Hotel. A rather expensive hotel on a Friday evening but worth every penny in order to experience an evening in a unique, historical hotel/town and appreciate the very talented musicians that perform there.

- Ride highlights:

- Sedona: The natural beauty and colors of the rock formations are absolutely amazing.

- Chapel of the Holy Cross church. It's built into the rock formation and is quite a sight to behold.

- The Connor Hotel

- Dinner at the Haunted Hamburger restaurant with a great view of the town

- Relive video: Day 3 loop ride: Hannagan Meadow to Jerome | Relive

Day 4: Sat, 11/8: Jerome, AZ to Sahuarita, AZ: 365 miles.

- Route; https://maps.app.goo.gl/PBuV1bGeaNN1gRUKA

- Ride highlights:

- Overlook views

- Historic Gillespie Dam Bridge

- Arriving back in Sahuarita and a long stay in the pool with family and friends. A great way to end and reflect upon an awesome four-day ride.