First Leg of my 9,000 Motorcycle Excursion Northwest//Taos, New Mexico
DAY 1 of 32 on the road!!!
Hi loves! If you are already following along on my summer trek northwest, I hope you are enjoying it so far. I have seen some amazing country and of course am eating all the delicious things! If you are just starting to follow along, Lin and I decided last minute (very last minute) to jump on the BMW bike and head northwest. We typically hit Santa Fe in the month of July so this isn't completely out of the ordinary---as we go to Santa Fe every summer actually but decided to mix things up this year and cross some things off my bucket list!
I love motorcycle trips. I love the weeks of planning, (or in this case the three days..ha) the feeling of setting out for an adventure, being out on the open road in a new and interesting place with my love, and coming home with new memories and experiences, photos, and travel diaries! Road trippin' in general is just the best!! There is no reason why you can't take the routes we take in a car! I promise you will see so much more scenic views this way!!
So with so much planning (I mean we plan to be gone for 32 days out here) it's pretty tough, especially on the bike. (weather, exhaustion, bike service layovers can all be a tad tricky so reserving lodging accommodations ahead of time are just not practical so we plan three days at a time) And ps, if you are needing some help with moto gear, grab that list here. If you are needing moto packing tips, grab that list here. And so many motorcycle tips and tricks in this post here.
So first things first...
Leaving Oklahoma end June on a bike is going to be HOT! And it's a long way to the mountains...no matter what! So the trick is to leave as early as possible and get a head start on that heat. We left at 4:30. I suggest leaving early in a car too...I mean..more time to explore Taos and/or Santa Fe, right?!
We take 412 from Tulsa to get to Taos and I am warning you now..it's pretty boring until you hit Clayton , New Mexico. That panhandle is also super windy. Stop at Crossroads Cafe in Clayton and grab some lunch and coffee and stretch those legs. You will go through some more cute towns too like Angel Fire, New Mexico and there are some cute little cafe's there too. Once you hit Clayton, you still have three hours to Taos so just depends how you want to break up that time!! This leg of the trip is scenic and just simply gorgeous!
TAOS is one of my fave places on earth! Here at 7,000ft, the high desert meets the Sangre de Cristo range of the Rocky Mountains.
I have talked about Taos before and you can find all my favorites in this post.
This trip I just kept to those favorites as they are pretty hard to beat ! But I did some more walking around and exploring and I am adding a few places to that favorite list:
Elevation Coffee: Love this for so many reasons including great wi-fi. Had a serious deadline and TAOS is not the best for getting connected on line. Elevation saved the day. And delicious lattes and green chilé black bean burritos!
Op.Cit. Books: This gem is also located in San Fran and they specialize in a lot of first editions. They carry some great used and new books.
Ennui Gallery: Such a great vinyl collection here. They also host some great shows for some live music!
Chokola Bean to Bar: Small-batch, organic, crafted, bean-to-bar chocolate makers..need I say more?!
Next up..the high road to Santa Fe!!!
xoxooxoxox
SAM
Shop my faves here