Trip #147 (78): Billy in the Gila: Deming, Silver City, Apache Creek
October 15 - 22, 2025
RIP: Ace Frehley
Monday, October 27, 2025
Tuesday, September 30, 2025
Trip #146 (77): Bike New Mexico + Pie Town Pie Festival
Trip #146: BIKE NEW MEXICO: McGaffey Trails, Pie Town + "Socorro"
Sept. 9 — 14, 2025
Tuesday, Sept. 9
Drive to McGaffey, nice weather, no riding. she very tired. What is it with the first day drive? Always happens.
Wednesday, Sept. 10
Rode 10 miles, taking Quaking Aspen to Y2K, side path along road to McGaffey to get on Strawberry to the fire tower. Came back the same way. Had maybe 2 bars up at fire tower. Great downhill ride back. Weather about 80 with passing gray storm clouds. Some light showers. Arms are tired working them brakes. Came back to find out that Charlie Kirk was assassinated in Utah. Just a shock. Also learned my phone, our phones, can now use messenger via satellite for free for 2 years, so monkeyed around with that, figuring it out. Always wondered what that UFO-looking thing was on the phone screen...
Thursday, Sept. 11
Rode 14 miles, Quaking Aspen to Y2K, then down Danoff Road to unmarked and lucky turnoff (thanks to yours truly), after about 2 miles on Danoff we (I) picked the random turn to the right which took us to the Sheetrock Tank where all the trails merge. From there we went to Trail #8 to Lost Lake through a newly thinned forest, so it was a mess with brown branches everywhere, but we kept on hoping to see Lost Lake once again. Out of the blue up high I got a one bar signal to find out via the map that we were just .3 from the lake so on we went. guess what, no lake!!! All dry. And now I know it was only about 6 inches deep in the past. Got caught in a bit of rain but headed back the same way, almost taking Plush but with the gray clouds we stuck with the original plan. And judging by the sky, we got back just in time, gray out there.
Heard this weekend is Pie Town's Pie Festival, so no wonder we are out this way... This is our last night here, might head thru Gallup south to Zuni lands, then to Pie Town, and on to Datil. Might be rainy so we shall see.
Friday, Sept. 12
Some weather out there as I recall, on and off, and today we moved on toward Datil ("dattle" we soon found out). Tried to take a shortcut down to PieTown but after a half mile realized how BAD and bumpy the road will be so did an Austin Powers with the trailer and got back on the real road. After searching for pie in a new place cuz the pie-o-neer was closed, the guy suggested we camp in town. Took some convincing, but got Willard to stay FREE for the festival. Thought the large area would totally fill up, but it didn't, it was fine. After we set up camp, and I was stepping into the trailer when I noticed a woman walking down the path - didn't wave cuz it was just awkward timing, and she was a ways away so that was that. Later we went for our walk (where we saw those old crumbling cabins) and I noticed someone walking a bit behind us. No biggie. We were trying to get in position to get a photo of the pie festival sign and the Pie-0-Neer sign (that we know from the documentary film from the Durango film festival). SO. We jaywalk across the street and I says SAYS to Bill, you're cutting someone off... not really, but that person had crossed and now we are on the same side of the road. So as she goes by she SAYS, (I forget what, but probably something about pie) and I looked at her face and thought of Katy O'C. And then it hit me: and I said, Are you Kathy? She looked shocked like, who are you? And I said we know you from the film about Pie Town and she looked shocked. We made her day, none of us could believe it. So we chatted a bit there and took photos. She is going to send them to her friend who just made movie about pie in Iowa to show how deep this goes, so to speak, said we will make her day. So as we are chatting, I said, I think I saw you when I was getting into our trailer and she said, YES, she said she thought, look at that blond getting into an Airstream, what a great setup! Hahahaa She said she just came back from LA where her friend just made a film about Pie making in Iowa, called Piowa, and she just might have won at the festival (she did). So how about that. I got a second chance to figure this out. No way would Bill have remembered her, but I do/did. So she still lives here and is volunteering, helped make 1000 small pies for ther festival, something she never had time to do before. This ends my tale of serendipity.
Saturday, Sept. 13
Awake at 6, wth is going on lately? Wandered over to the pie fest about 9:30 and saw spoon carver and rocks! And pie! Typical cute small town festival happenings, like a sack race, did some corn hole. Pie O Neer finally opened and was lined up out the door so did that too. Sadly the antique store is now closed, got my tiffany lamp there. Just stayed the one night, dark clouds came along later in the day and we drove thru some hail-snow as we headed toward Datil. Dark clouds clung over the mountain valley cg Bill explored previously so we kept going, deciding to camp in Escondido ("Socorro", that place a bit north actually). Stopped at the little market where I got a ristra last time and this time she didn't have much. A dark place with no lights on, flies on the produce and the elder lady watching me, I am sure disappointed I left empty handed. The skies opened up as soon as we pulled in. Just a quick one-nighter to move on home tomorrow.
Sunday, Sept. 14
Returned home, probably early. No memory as I write this... : )
Next time:
Do Mike's Rippin' trail down from the tower, and also Plush, where I think you fly thru the pines.
Socorro's Mineral Museum / closed sundays of course.
Pie Town toaster house
RIP: Charlie Kirk
Wednesday, July 9, 2025
Trip #145 (76): Big Beautiful 4th of July - Elk Creek Horca CO & Heron Lake NM
Trip #145 (76): Big Beautiful 4th of July in CO etc
Southern Colorado near Antonito, then farther south to Heron Lake near Tierra Amarilla, NM
July 1 - 5, 2025
Left Tuesday, July 1. First three nights at Elk Creek (outside Antonito CO) boondocking site #2. very good weather sort of warm but not bad took Sheila two days to get with the program for some reason tired and slow. Arrived about 1 PM and after set up did the very bumpy road ride to the gift shop and the red bear whatever, not much in there but they have Wi-Fi on the patio took it easy the first night didn't even carve. About 42 in the morning the only cold night
Wednesday July 2 - took a bike ride on the road behind the campground of course running into a forest service man who was surveying for a future potential timber sale about two years off. Pick the man's brains got a lot of info but mostly we noticed his satellite device called a geode we want one OK I do. Continue to ride the bike on the rocky and bumpy trail full of horse shit because the branch nearby takes people out for horse rides nice day but there were a lot of bugs up there so we had to keep moving. went until the road ended and came back, and after lunch took the drive up the road 23 miles to Platoro, the old mining camp up the road named for silver and gold. Very weird little place visited a weird little café and hotel Lodge and drove over the washboard road back - unbelievable scenery everything looks gorgeous except I see some trees are starting to die up above, forest service man did mention a bug is moving in. Played the game outside I won't talk about who won I'm not talking about winners for the rest of this trip for obvious reasons, but did that and not as cold this night oh yes we were both so tired it was lights out by 9:30 me included. Of course I had to wake up at 3:30 for two hours but there you go. Bill was talking to himself the usual but he didn't punch the nightstand.
Thursday July 3 - the plan was to take a hike so we did, drove over to Elk Creek trailhead (which we camped at once though he doesn't remember, but I will prove it), did very very beautiful hike about 4 miles really really nice enjoyed it but I should get real hiking shoes next time. An extra cool part of the hike was some weirdo who came down the trail with four or five very curious llamas, they were so cute they saw us from far away and kept poking heads up to see what we were. We did a hike many years ago in Durango with llamas it was so much fun, anyway Mr. weirdo kept walking no chatting OK keep going but he had those llamas loaded up like an old prospector. Came back in time for some sprinkles sat outside in carved until the rain came. Did coerce Bill to go out with me to chop down some Aspen, every time I try to go somewhere to get pay dirt or a log, someone has to come by - I can't sneak anything. Sprinkled on & off, played the game again (again not discussing winners), and (try not to roll a three) tomorrow we move onto Heron Lake. Must also say today was the day Congress approved the big beautiful bill and it's going to be signed and so we watched the Trump rally in Iowa good to see the country getting its bearings straight once again; we could not stay that other course much longer.
Friday July 4 - we got a very slow start leaving Elk Creek campground because check-in is very late at Heron. So I get up early surprisingly, and around 8:20 saw my chance to rape the forest, well I dug a couple shovels of mud that I call pay dirt, and took my bike back up that camp road to look forw downed Aspens. Found several, had a small saw, and loaded up the bike with spoon fodder. It's the Fourth of July and the campground filled up a little bit more but not too bad but lots of more families. We took this morning opportunity to also ride bikes toward the Duck Lake Trail just riding basically on the washboard bumpy road to the trailhead and back. Headed for Heron I don't even know what time, maybe 11? Stopped in the town of Chama to see a potential wildlife area Boondocking in case we ever wanna ride the train. It's a nice day, but getting warmer as we are descending in altitude, we drove over a 10,000+ pass leaving the Last campground, many boondockers for the holidays. But warmer here, warm enough to run the air once we get here, why not. We have electric and water. Thought I would sit down outside and try to carve up a nice green aspen when the itching started, turns out I'm sitting under age July Juniper no see um patch so that was the last of my outdoor sitting. Itching and mini hives like a mofo I am so sick of those bastards. So because of them and the heat we stayed inside until later in the day when we took a great bike ride in this shitty looking park down toward the half empty reservoir, tomorrow we plan on doing some more. Watched Washington DC's Fourth of July display rather than doing anything locally because we are lame-o's and too far to travel for fireworks. Having electric and water is so nice to have, but we have shit for a signal as in none, one bar that is useless so no researching of any kind. Did some indoor carving try not to make a mess, but man this wood is hard. Trying to use this no Internet time to study the Texas maps. And on that note there was a huge flood in Hill country Texas and people are missing, many of them, not good. Kerrville to be exact.
Saturday check out isn't until two so we may get back out on that bike trail before we head out and go home going to be a hot week but what the hell why wouldn't it be, it's July. Our next trip will be without the trailer going to Florida to load up and bring it on home, and help Vic with her back procedure dual duty.
Saturday, July 5. Did indeed get up and ride more of the lakeside bike trail, it's actually quite nice except for the rock they chose in certain places had planned to go to the end because it wasn't that far but didn't count for the extreme steepness, and the warning on the tree about mountain lions Because all of a sudden there's tall pines strange how the landscape changes so quickly. Anyway maybe next time when we have a full charge because there's no hill we can't climb that is for sure about a 2 Hour Dr. to get home plenty warm there but yeah it's July. Went to Maria's for dinner that night 👍🏼
