Marfa, TX to Santa Fe, NM to Tucson, AZ to ?
02-23-08, 10:30 PM
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Marfa, TX to Santa Fe, NM to Tucson, AZ to ?
Even though my departure is going to be in Texas, most of my ride pertains to the more general "Southwest," so I'm putting this thread here.
I'm just about done with my bicycle and I'm going to be heading to Marfa on March 2nd to begin my first solo tour. I'm based out of Austin, TX now but I've decided to leave from Marfa because...I'm not sure. Bus tickets are cheap and I don't really want to ride out of Austin at this point. And I've got to make it up to Santa Fe before the 14th of March and I don't want to be rushed.
Enough excuses. So far, the plan is to head to Santa Fe via 285. My first question deals with my route out of Marfa and boils down to this: should I take 17 north and hop on 285 as soon as I can? Anyone done this route? Should I consult the Texas forum?
Second question is this: How is 285 through NM? I hear there is quite a stretch of nothing between Roswell and Vaughn -- how bad is it? Advice? I'm carrying everything with me, and don't have the funds to be staying in hotels, motels; b&b's. Maybe the occasional state park, but I'm probably going to be stealth camping my way through this trip. How feasible is this on 285? Any advice? Any hidden towns/civilized areas not highlighted in The Roads of New Mexico? What's the elevation variance like? How's the "wildlife?" What do I need to be afraid of?
Once I get to Santa Fe I've got some friends I'll be visiting for a few days. Then I'm off to Tucson. I kind of want to explore New Mexico on my way, and was looking for places to stop. I think my general direction will be down 41 to 54 and I was thinking about dropping by White Sands. Then I'll head west and parallel I-10. Whatcha think?
I'm not going to lie, I'm pretty new to touring, but I've been riding day-in and day-out for a few years now and did a tour down to Mexico from Austin about a month and a half ago and had the best time of my life. Now I'm aiming to go a bit further and I'd like to ask your help.
Help!
I'm just about done with my bicycle and I'm going to be heading to Marfa on March 2nd to begin my first solo tour. I'm based out of Austin, TX now but I've decided to leave from Marfa because...I'm not sure. Bus tickets are cheap and I don't really want to ride out of Austin at this point. And I've got to make it up to Santa Fe before the 14th of March and I don't want to be rushed.
Enough excuses. So far, the plan is to head to Santa Fe via 285. My first question deals with my route out of Marfa and boils down to this: should I take 17 north and hop on 285 as soon as I can? Anyone done this route? Should I consult the Texas forum?
Second question is this: How is 285 through NM? I hear there is quite a stretch of nothing between Roswell and Vaughn -- how bad is it? Advice? I'm carrying everything with me, and don't have the funds to be staying in hotels, motels; b&b's. Maybe the occasional state park, but I'm probably going to be stealth camping my way through this trip. How feasible is this on 285? Any advice? Any hidden towns/civilized areas not highlighted in The Roads of New Mexico? What's the elevation variance like? How's the "wildlife?" What do I need to be afraid of?
Once I get to Santa Fe I've got some friends I'll be visiting for a few days. Then I'm off to Tucson. I kind of want to explore New Mexico on my way, and was looking for places to stop. I think my general direction will be down 41 to 54 and I was thinking about dropping by White Sands. Then I'll head west and parallel I-10. Whatcha think?
I'm not going to lie, I'm pretty new to touring, but I've been riding day-in and day-out for a few years now and did a tour down to Mexico from Austin about a month and a half ago and had the best time of my life. Now I'm aiming to go a bit further and I'd like to ask your help.
Help!
Last edited by ModeratedUser04122018; 02-24-08 at 10:50 AM.
