There are lots of ways to get to Taos, New Mexico. Most folks (and by that I mean skiers) fly into Albuquerque, rent a car and take the route recommended by their GPS device. That means north on I-25 to Santa Fe, north on U.S. 285 to Española, and then north to Taos on U.S. 68.
But for motorbikers there’s a better, and decidedly more exhilarating, way to go north to Taos and beyond. But first let’s eat.
The little enclave of Tesuque, just outside Santa Fe, is a wacky mixture of ultra-upscale haciendas tucked into beautiful cottonwood groves, hidden behind gated pseudo-adobe walls, and pure Santa Fe downscale funky. One of the funkiest spots in this little funkiville is the Tesuque Village Market. Yes, it’s really a market, with a small deli/dessert counter, a big cooler full of upscale beers and a fine little wine section. But mostly it’s a restaurant and bar. It’s got seating both indoors and out and is open seven days a week for all meals.
On a Sunday morning it’s very busy, but for the diner, the pace is leisurely, which is nice. The food is excellent. The huevos rancheros al fresco comes with eggs cooked perfectly over-easy, just the right amount of cheese, and a well softened blue corn tortilla at the base. Bacon at almost all breakfast spots is usually limp, if not outright raw, but the bacon that comes as a side dish at the Tesuque is crisp and crumbly — mmmm, bacon, the perfect start to a day-long ride.
Those out-of-towners headed north are probably going to blow right by the exit to State Road 503 at little town called Pojoaque. This is the road to motorbike bliss. SR503 is very twisty, very scenic and goes through a bunch of little villages that make northern New Mexico what it is. The road weaves through Nambe and Cundiyo, and then a turn onto SR76 goes through Truchas, Trampas, Chamisal and Peñasco. Then State Road 518 heads right into Taos. What a way to go, not a lot of cars, but a lot of adrenaline-producing hairpin curves, cool forest temperatures, and beautiful landscapes.At Taos it’s onto U.S. 64, the lower half of the “Enchanted Circle” a road that motorbikers from all over North America crave to ride. The road
twists east toward the Angel Fire ski area and unless you’re stuck behind a horse trailer or some other slow-mover it’s just a blast. Heading north at Angel Fire you stay on U.S. 64, looping around Eagle Nest lake and heading down through Cimarron Canyon — fly fishermen literally line the roadside stream that runs through the canyon's State Park — to the primary destination of the day, the Santa Fe Trail waystation of Cimarron and the St. James Hotel.The St. James is a remnant of 1880s westward expansion. The hotel was a major stop along the Santa Fe Trail and host to a long list of famous names from the period, wild west trailblazers, lawmen, and gunsligers. According to the hotel’s website guests included Buffalo Bill, Annie
Oakley, Kit Carson, Frank and Jesse James, Wyatt Earp, and Billy the Kid.The hotel’s current marketing scheme includes selling the idea that the place is haunted — if you believe in hocus pocus and the supernatural then check in for the night, maybe you'll see a full-torso floating apparition wearing a big handlebar mustache, a striped waistcoat, and a tin star. The closest most people are going to get to touching the ethereal plane though is an expertly grilled green chile buffalo cheeseburger at Vera’s Café inside the hotel. Served with thin, crispy french fries the burger is a perfect motorbike lunch — not the kind of gut buster that you feel for hours, but a tasty morsel that simply satisfies.
During the summer the little town of Cimarron and the St. James hotel are going to be crummy
with Boy Scouts, both young and old. That’s because they come from far and wide to experience the quintessential Boy Scout experience at Philmont Scout Ranch and training center, just south of Cimarron.So visit Cimarron and the St. James, and go there the back way thorough Taos. You’ll enjoy peg scraping curves, delicious New Mexican dishes, and just maybe you’ll see a ghost, for sure you’ll see more merit badges, olive drab knee socks, and colorful kerchiefs than anywhere else on Earth.
