A note for Sunday riders and all-day smokers:   New Mexico's "blue" laws keep bars and restaurants from pouring alcohol on Sundays, but you can buy bottles and cans and the winery is open for tasting after noon.  In Colorado, they'll pour you a drink on Sunday, but you can't buy a bottle or can, and don't try lighting up in bars or saloons on any day in Colorado - it's a smoke free state now.

Your researchers:  Dave, long-time ABATE activist, rider, history buff and Ignacio Bike Week events coordinator; Ann, co-owner of Moon's Custom Cycles, Inc., rhetorician and fact-fool; Ron, partner of Maria, good guy, sly humorist and excellent hot chocolate maker.

The Route in a Paragraph without the History and Quirks

Head south on Goddard Avenue/Highway 172 in Ignacio toward the New Mexico state line where the road becomes New Mexico 511.  NM 511 follows the San Juan River to the Navajo Reservoir Dam, and then drops below the dam along the San Juan Quality Water to the intersection of 173 where The Sportsman Inn (1810 Highway 173, Navajo Dam, NM 87419), store, flyfishing headquarters and grill is. The Sportsman is the home of astoundingly good green chile cheeseburgers. Don't go down 173! Instead, make your way along 511 past Archuleta to Turley and to the Wines of the San Juan Tasting Room (233 Hwy 511, Blanco, NM 87412 505-632-0879)  This is an unpretentious, delightful winery whose vintners make wines for both members of a motorcycling couple: the wine connossieur and the beer drinker.  Just past Turley, 511 ends at 64, and the route continues west to Blanco and then past the intersection of 575 to Bloomfield.  At Bloomfield the route turns north on 550 to Aztec, where you'll find Rubio's for Margaritas and pretty darn good Mexican food, and the Highway Grill, which  can't be missed (it's got a big pink car on its roof).  The route then follows Ruins Road (take time to stop and visit Aztec Ruins National Park - it's a half-hour walk through the amazingly preserved homes of Native Americans who were doing their thing at roughly the same time that the Normans were invading England-to-be)  on the west side of the river, meets 550 again near Cedar Hill and continues on to Bondad.  After the Bondad Hill Saloon, pick up 318 on the east side of the road and head back to Ignacio.

Shades of Gray - We start in Ignacio with a Little History of Color 

"The First White Man" on the Los Pinos River, or Pine River which runs through Ignacio, was John Taylor, an ex-slave and Buffalo Soldier who enjoyed his status as the first non-Indian in the area.  The short version of Taylor's story is that he had 15 wives, for $5,000 sold the Southern Ute Agency the land that became Ignacio, was a Civil War veteran, was a poly-linguist who interpreted for Ute-, Navajo-, Apache-, Hopi- and Spanish-speaking residents and died in 1934, according to Abbott Fay in More That I Never Knew About Colorado on pages 9 and 10.

Old Spanish Trail -  On to Navajo Reservoir and Dam 

 Our route starts in Ignacio on Goddard Ave./Hwy. 172 and heads south along the route that the Dominguez-Escalante Expedition took north from Santa Fe starting on July 29, 1776.  Francisco Atansio Dominguez was 36 years old and and Francisco Silvestre Velez de Escalante was about 26 when they began their explorations.  According to James Crutchfeld in his book It Happened in Colorado, the two Franciscan friars reached the Colorado border on August 5, "crossing the San Juan River near the lost town of Carracas, close to today's Navajo State Recreation Area." (Crutchfeld p. 6).  Escalante described the area (now laying beneath the waters of Navajo Reservoir) this way: "...there is good land, with facilities for irrigation and everything else necessary for three or four settlements, even thought they might be large ones....there are dense and shady groves of white cottonwood, dwarf oak, chokeberry, manzanita, lemita, and garmbullo.  There is also some sarsparilla, and a tree which looked to us like the walnut."  (Crutchfeld, p. 6)The friars camped in Ignacio on their way to Monterey, California.

Bootlegged Bourbon in Rosa - A Modern Day, REAL Atlantis

Colorado Hwy. 172 turns into NM 511 at the state line.  As you ride down NM 511, you'll eventually pass Navajo Reservoir, which filled with the waters of Rio Los Pinos, the San Juan and the Piedra rivers, in 1961, washing away the once-thriving town of Rosa.  Rosa was an Hispanic settlement that served after Colorado's 1916 Prohibition laws as the bootlegging capital of the New Mexico/Colorado border area along the San Juan River.  According to Frances Leon Swadesh in Los Primeros Pobladores, Rosa had seven saloons in 1916.  "Tradition holds that bourbon whiskey from the stills of Rosa eased most of the thirst of Durango and may have traveled as far as the Colorado mining center of Silverton."(Swadesh, p. 24).  Ignacio and nearby areas are filled with folks who grew up in Rosa, and have fond memories of a hometown where everyone helped each other and the kids put bear grease on the rails to slow down the train and hop it into town.

Navajo Dam

Note Navajo State Recreation Area on your left (look at the houseboats!) set in juniper, mesa and butte country, and then continue down and take NM 511 down below the dam (NOT NM 539!) to the Quality Waters that hold prime fly-fishing opportunities and leads to the Sportsman's Inn, home of a most wondrous green chile cheeseburger and a bar plastered with dollar bills holding messages from fishermen, bikers, wayfarers and always, locals.  On your way past the little church building on the right near the Cottonwood Campground and before the Sportsman, notice to your left an American flag high up on the bluff-side.  It's an annual tribute from one Vietnam veteran to servicemen and women and veterans.  The flag may be tattered, or it may have been freshly replaced, but it's one man's way of expressing his gratitude and honor for those who serve and who have served. The waters corralled by the dam provided much-needed water to the Navajo nation to the south, and with those waters grew NAPI, the Navajo Agricultural Products Industry.  You can see the green circles of NAPI potatoes, grains and other crops as you fly or drive out of Farmington.  NAPI just last year secured a contract with the nation of Cuba to provide NAPI goods.   http://www.emnrd.state.nm.us/PRD/navajo.htm http://parks.state.co.us/Parks/Navajo

The Sportsman's Inn

1810 Hwy. 173, Bloomfield, 505-632-3271.  Stop, eat your green chile cheeseburger, read the dollar bills, enjoy the warmth and cosiness of the light-wood bar, drink (responsibly), enjoy, buy some jerky at the mini-mart next door, ask about fishing, hire a fishing guide through Sportsman Guide Service for a return trip with your fly rod and then head down NM 511 to the winery.  On your way, watch for wildlife along the river, including white-tailed deer, Golden eagles and other raptors and all kinds of waterfowl.  You'll pass through Las Vegas de San Juan on your way to Turley.

 Ron, with bottle of yummy Wines of San Juan wine and the "I've told you and told you and told you, Drink New Mexico Wines" sign in the tasting room.

Wines of the San Juan

Turley is where you'll enjoy the homey setting of the Wines of San the Juan tasting room that holds some mighty fine wines, both for the true wine appreciater and the beer-preferer.   You'll feel like you're in an upgraded AirStream trailer, and if the vintner/proprietors are making their lunchtime chile, you'll feel like you're in the neighbor's warm, friendly kitchen.  The wines are sophisticated with many layers of flavor.  They make a surprisingly light and well-balanced muscat/cabernet blend called Blanco Rojo, a complex zinfandel called Manzanares Red that doesn't slather its final flavor, a lovely, light Muscat and two white wines that appeal to the palates of the beer-inclined: Blue Winged Olive and Girls are Meaner (a Gewurzemeiner).  You gotta stop here!   http://www.winesofthesanjuan.com/   233 Hwy. 511 @ Turley, Blanco, NM 87412  505-632-0879, fax: 505-632-8709

Turley No Longer in Long "Largo" Canyon

Turley was a town named for its postmaster after being called Alcatraz when it was on the north side of the San Juan River up the Largo Canyon.  Largo Canyon was settled by Hispanics in the 19^th century, and runs for more than 50 miles into the Jicarilla Apache Reservation east of Counselor, according to From Basin to Peak: An Explorer's Companion to the Colorado-New Mexico San Juan Basin (p. 107).  Largo Canyon was the "refuge for Puebloans who fled the Spanish oppression in Rio Arriba during the seventeenth century."  According to The San Juan Basin: My Kingdom Was a Country, Hispanic settlers from the nearby San Luis Valley settled along the green vales of Largo Canyon in the late-1800s, raising sheep and farming.

Pleistocene Terraces and Trout-filled Tailwaters

After the wine tasting, travel a final stretch of NM 511 to the intersection of Hwy 64.  Along Hwy. 64 to the west, especially where it crosses the San Juan River, we'll be traveling on a Pleistocene terrace (more than 3 million years old), and if you look south of the river, you'll see the Animas formation, according to Roadside Geology of New Mexico on p. 67.  Just to the east on 64 are fertile grounds for natural gas production, and wells are visible.  According to Flyfishing in Northern New Mexico:Revised Edition's San Juan River section, this river holds rainbows, occasional cutthroats and browns.   The book warns that these are picky fish which in a river that "offers some of the best dry-fly fishing in New Mexico." (p.212)  There's a wash somewhere along here that is said to be the actual way taken by the Dominguez-Escalante expedition, and they are said to have kept their eyes on the Knickerbockers - a set of peaks that now has a distinctive cell phone tower on the top.

Blanco, the Lost Eye and The Church

As you pass through Blanco, look out for the tavern (could be Trujillo's Country Store now) where Maria's Tio Willie lost an eye in a bar fight.  If the Santa Rosa Church is open as you go through town, take a look inside.  It's a traditional Catholic church dedicated in 1931.  On your way to Blanco, look back from the point where 575 comes in, over your shoulder, and you'll see the Largo Canyon Wash - Escalante Wash.  Here's a warning - the route between Blanco and Bloomfield, Hwy. 64 is a tad dull.  Fortunately, it's not that long.  You could take old 64 from Blanco to Bloomfield, but we haven't explored that option yet, so can't recommend either way. Research before riding.  You'll be following the San Juan River from Blanco to Bloomfield.

Bloomfield's Blancett Saloon and Salmon Ruins

Bloomfield was home to Blancett's Saloon, according to AAA's Arizona & New Mexico Tourbook.  Blancett's was a gunslingers' headquarters in the 1880s that terrorized the area after a gang lead by a local sheriff went defunct.  See the notes for Aztec for more details about the topsy-turvy and terrorizing state of law in that period of time. Salmon Ruin, named after 1880s homesteader George Salmon, is an eleventh-century, massive home of the ancient Puebloans that was abandoned in 1285, according to From Basin to Peak: An Explorer's Companion to the Colorado-New Mexico San Juan Basin (p. 169).  The ruin and Heritage Park (which features examples of ancient houses and cultural artifacts) are two miles west of Bloomfield on US 64 (505-623-2013).   Places to chow and wet your whistle in the area include the Wooden Nickel and The Wagon Wheel.

Loser's Loop

Speaking of the Wooden Nickel and the Wagon Wheel, Loser's Loop is the locals' affectionate name for a quickie loop through Aztec, Bloomfield and Farmington for folks who want to get out on their scoot but don't have time for a "glamour ride" like the one we're describing here.  Aztec, Bloomfield and Farmington are earnest towns that have all the travails and triumphs that small and regional towns do, and they also have the typical strip malls, industrial areas and wide streets of growing towns.

Billy the Kid Sidekicks and Aztec Gangland

According to a number of sources written about Aztec history, Aztec and the Farmington area were refuges for Lincoln County war gangsters who left that area in the late 1800s when the going got tough.  Notorious names with connections to the infamous Billy the Kid were the Coe and Stockton families - groups of brothers who shot, stole and stirred up trouble in this area.  The Aztec Museum Pioneer Village (125 N. Main St., 505-334-9829) has among its holdings Francis Hamlet's cabin, where innocent George Brown was shot by a stray bullet fired by Stockton and his gang members who arrived uninvited to an 1880 Christmas party and then started a fight outside the cabin, according to From Basin to Peak: An Explorer's Companion to the Colorado-New Mexico San Juan Basin on p. 84 and 85. That incident was reportedly the spark for more gang rivalry and the April 12, 1881 morning shoot-em-up in Durango between the Farmington-based, Stockmen's Protective Association and the Stockton-Eskridge gang (p.82,83).  According to Howe in From Basin to Peak: An Explorer's Companion to the Colorado-New Mexico San Juan Basin, bullets flew all up and down the Durango streets, but no one was killed and just two were injured.  Some of the shooters were random Durangoans just joining the party....(p.82).    For eats and drinks in Aztec, try Rubio's in the traditional downtown area on your right as you enter from Bloomfield, and the Highway Grill, which is just past Ruins Road, the route you want to take.  Word is the Aztec Restaurant on the left on Highway 550 past the Highway Grill has some mighty fine breakfasts.

Ruins to Ride

Don't miss Aztec Ruins National Monument, just north of Aztec at US 516 on Ruins Road (505-334-6174). The Great Kiva was reconstructed in the 30s and is the only one of its kind in the nation.  One of the largest and best-preserved Ancestral Puebloan ruins in the Southwest, according to the AAA Arizona & New Mexico Tourbook.  It's a short, self-guided tour, and if you're a holder of a National Parks passport, they have a stamp there for you.  Take Ruins Road past the National Monument rather than Hwy. 550 north to Cedar Hill.  Ruins Road is much more scenic, and you'll be riding along the Animas River, which has some Gold Waters sections in Durango's downtown area.  If you don't have time to stop at the Ruins, you can still see unexcavated mounds and glimpses of the ruins to your left as you curve your way along Ruins Road paralleling Hwy. 550.  Ruins Road becomes CR 2900.  Watch your speed as you ride, there are blind corners and it's a twisty residential area.  http://www.nps.gov/azru/

Cedar Hill Wines and Races

You'll exit Ruins Road/CR 2900 and head up Highway 550 toward Cedar Hill and Bondad.  On your right, you'll be following the now-abandoned tracks of the Durango-Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad. You'll see the Narrow Gauge Railroad Bridge over the Animas River - that was the route of the Red Apple Flyer that ran from Durango to Farmington in years past.  Look on the right for the Cedar Hill School House just after your entry on to Hwy. 550.  The mesa above Cedar Hill (and you may see a sign for Dutchman's Hill) was home to "an old Dutchman named Bushelberger" who at the turn of the 20th century grew wine grapes and held horse races on his mesa, according to The San Juan Basin: My Kingdom Was a Country on p.36. ‘Under the influence of old Bushelberger's wine, the men tested their horses' speed on the straight-away track.  Three hundred and fifty to four hundred yard races were run between fast quarter horses...Gamblers placed their money on a blanket spread out on the ground.  Wagers were protected by a stakeholder and betting ran into hundreds of dollars."

La Posta

The La Plata Mountains will rise into view again to your left as you climb to Bondad.  Look for the twin bridges and the old railroad water tower on your right (maybe your passenger should do this part) as you head up the road. Before reaching the Bondad Hill Saloon, take a look on the left for the La Posta Road - turn down the road just a tad and look on your left for an example of the adobes that were prevalent in the area.  The first adobe you see was the La Posta Store. The narrator in  The San Juan Basin: My Kingdom Was a Country , remembers peeking through the stained glass windows of the "old adobe church at the south end of the village" in the early part of the 20^th century to watch penitentes flagellating themselves in a demonstration of their devotion.  The narrator remembers "yucca blades being whipped and white walls flecked with blood."  He also recalls the Old Ute Trail visible "looking back toward the mesa around its base toward the south."

Have a Beer and think of the Bondad Land Rush

Hit the Bondad Hill Saloon on a Saturday, and you're likely to find the cowboy and ranching crowd.  Slide in on a Sunday and you'll find the bikers and their motorcycles.  The Bondad Hill Saloon (on your right as you top a hill on Hwy. 550) is now run by Guy, the nephew of Billy, the proprietor of the Iron Horse Saloon in Ormond, Florida, a legendary saloon that rose to notability in the milieu of Daytona Bike Week. Stop in to say hello and look at pictures of Uncle Billy and David Allen Coe.  Between Ignacio and the New Mexico border on NM 511, you'll be passing through the "Ute Strip," a fifteen-mile wide strip of land from the Continental Divide west to Utah.  This was an area of land into which the Weminuche, Mouache and Capote bands of Ute Indians were forced to live after the Meeker Massacre.  On May 4, 1899, the land office opened sections of land in the strip not alloted to Utes.  Land in the areas now known as Allison, Tiffany, Bondad, Ignacio, Oxford and the Florida Mesa area were opened to Anglos who rushed for land in an early example of bureaucratic confusion, according to Wesley M. Howe in From Basin to Peak: An Explorer's Companion to the Colorado-New Mexico San Juan Basin.  Howe's wonderful book is filled with bite-sized factlets organized alphabetically by location, topic and name keywords.

Back to Ignacio with Mountains in Your Eyes

Head back to Ignacio on CR 318 and enjoy the wide open mesa country, the ranchlands and the persistent, glorious view of the La Platas to your left the whole way back.  Turn left into Ignacio on Hwy 172 again, and if you're needing to wet that whistle again, or chow, there are a number of places - you can tipple at the TeePee, swallow at the SideKick, chow down at Rebecca's or Moe's Barbecue, or at The Patio.

Enjoy your Ride!

Book List for Maria and Ron's Ride - Many of these are in the Pine River Library in Bayfield, which has a wonderful local history selection.

& Bright, William.  Colorado Place Names Boulder: Johnson Books, 2004

&Chronic, Halka. Roadside Geology of New Mexico Missoula: Mountain Press Publishing Company, 1987.

&Crutchfield, James.  It Happened in Colorado  Helena, MT: Falcon Press Publishing Co., Inc., 1993.

&Fay, Abbott. More That I Never Knew About Colorado Lake City, CO:Western Reflections Publishing Co., 2007.

&Howe, Wesley M.  From Basin to Peak: An Explorer's Companion to the Colorado-New Mexico San Juan Basin Lubbock:            Texas Tech University Press, 1998.

&MacDonald, Eleanor and Arrington, John B.  The San Juan Basin:My Kingdom Was a Country  Denver, CO: Green Mountain Press, 1970.

&Martin, Craig and Lujan, Ron. Flyfishing in Northern New Mexico:Revised Edition Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 2002.

&Swadesh, Frances Leon.  Los Primeros Pobladores  Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame, 1974.