OTRATTW to New Mexico from Atlanta

[Nobody16]

Over The River And Through The Woods- New Mexico Edition

Starting on Monday I am headed to Cebolla, New Mexico from Atlanta, GA on a solo trip partially for work. I am ‘delivering’ the gear and guns for a group going elk hunting, and have the opportunity to make a small and simple adventure out of it.
The plan is to never hit an interstate and camp on the way out, and 100% interstate and hotels on the way back. I expect minimal offroad, but I would love to have a decent day of trail riding in NM to see some sites, if possible. Main priority is getting the gear to these guys, and their gear and elk(hopefully) back home without a hitch. Timeline is up to 2 weeks away from home.

So why should you follow along? Uh, I don’t know…
But after reading ride report after ride report on here and ADVRider, I figured you have to start somewhere, so here we go. Plan is for less talk, more pictures and drone footage. A picture is worth a thousand words, so frankly I would rather post a photo than type 1,000 words.

Got suggestions? Post em. Got complaints? Aint nobody got time for that. Like elk hunting? You might catch some action here. Let’s see what we can get ourselves into.

The delivery/adventure vehicle will be my 2011 Tacoma:

Stay tuned for updates...

 

[Pappy]

Bring it on. Northern NM is drop dead gorgeous country. Good luck with the elk.

Southern NM last weekend on the NM Backcountry Discovery Route.

 

[Nobody16]

Bring it on. Northern NM is drop dead gorgeous country. Good luck with the elk.

Southern NM last weekend on the NM Backcountry Discovery Route.

I am really looking forward to it. Would you recommend riding a few miles of the NMBDR near Abiquiu(Section 7)?

 

[Pappy]

I am really looking forward to it. Would you recommend riding a few miles of the NMBDR near Abiquiu(Section 7)?

Yes, though I haven't done it yet.

 

[Nobody16]

Loaded up and headed out in the morning!

 

[Nobody16]

And we are off!

OTR(on the road): 9:55 EST
DFTD(done for the day): 6:17 CST

High/Low temps for the day: 81/63(so far)
Miles driven today: 359
Total Miles: 359

Best song of the day: Hocus Pocus by Focus. I was listening to other classic rock and this song was just such a surprise from everything else that had come on.
Best food of the day: Jacks...I dont think I have ever been, and it was worth the stop for a chain

Started the day in Acworth, GA at 0.0 miles

Had a quick trip through AL without much action. The theme of Alabama is auto shops and storage building for sale lots.

Hit a roadblock from a train stopped on the tracks shortly after crossing into Mississippi. Found a quick way around and was back on my way.

The theme for Mississippi was cotton fields. I happen to hit it at harvest and was able to see a few in action. Cotton seems to line the roads everywhere in MS from where it has been blown off the crops or out of trucks.

I was able to spend some time on the Natchez Trace Parkway. This was a really nice break from the 4 lanes state highways as it had some beautiful country and many different sites to visit. If you are passing through MS in a east/west direction, this is worth the small detour.
This the bridge over the Tennessee–Tombigbee Waterway near the John Rankin lock. I had never heard of this waterway, so it was cool to see in person and see the lock from the bridge.

This is the "Twentrymile Bottom" that overlooks what used to be swampland through the NTP. Now it is cultivated for farming.

And this is where I am done for the day. Enid Lake in Mississippi. All settled in for what looks to be a windy night.

I would say that the first day was a success! On to day 2.

 

[krick3tt]

Great to hear the play by play. Safe trip.

 

[Nobody16]

Day 2

OTR(on the road): 8:15AM CST
DFTD(done for the day): 6:11 PM CST

High/Low temps for the day: 54/44
Miles driven today: 364
Total Miles: 723

Best song of the day: All of Alt-J's albums.
Best food of the day: This pizza I am currently eating at Grateful head.

Started the day waking up early to the rain...needing to go to the bathroom(again). Thank goodness for the new tarp to keep the rain and wind off of me through the night.

Today's theme was cotton and water. Cotton was everywhere. Water was everywhere too. A day full of rain, rivers, hot springs, and lakes.

More cotton through MS:

Came up to this right before crossing into Arkansas. Isle Capri casino. Seemed very random after traveling for hours through open farm land.

Crossed the Mississippi river and got a few good shots of this awesome bridge. The Mississippi is one heck of river compared to anything else I have seen.

Had to visit the infamous Mack's Prairie Wings. If you are a wingshooter of any kind, you will appreciate the selection of anything you could want that they have on the floor. I had visited here a couple of years ago when duck hunting in Arkansas, but it is always a site to see.

Ran across this minor 'oops' somewhere in Arkansas:

Made a stop at Hot Springs National Park. It is nowhere near the grandeur most other national parks, but was nice to check off the list.

Most the history of the park is centered around how the hot springs were used for a spa in the bathhouses:

Had an awesome rueben at this restaurant that is in one of the old bathhouses:

Went to the top of the hill to see the observation tower and gift shop. No time to go to the top of the tower.

Reached the end for the day in Broken Bow, OK. Staying in a teepee for the evening. Hows that for different!?

Just wrapped up dinner at Grateful Head Pizza, and is worth the stop if you are in the area. Great atmosphere and even better pizza. Sorry, i ate the pizza before I got a picture with the camera.

On to Texas tomorrow!

 

[Nobody16]

Day 3

OTR: 7:30AM CST
DFTD: 4:15PM CST

High/Low temps for the day: 50/42
Miles driven today: 407
Total Miles: 1130

Best song of the day: Not much music today but I wrapped up listening to "Wild at Heart" by John Eldredge. I would highly recommend this book, especially for the type of people who are on this forum.
Best food of the day: The huge beef burrito from Gutierrez Mexican restaurant

I started the day waking up in the teepee and getting some love from the camp dog.

I got started on the road and made it into Texas within half an hour or so. The terrain quickly changed to wide open green fields of mostly cattle or farmland. The vastness of Texas was mind blowing to me.

The wind turbines were pretty regular on my trip and added an extra 'wow' factor to the open country.

Once on the more western side of TX I started to see the oil wells all over the place. Liquid gooooollllld

I arrived at Caprock Canyons State Park for my nights stay. They are home to a bison herd that was protected by the Native Americans while the other herds were being killed off across the country. Bison in Texas? Who knew.

After driving the past two days in flat and open land, I was shocked to come around the corner in the park and see these types of views:

This was a really great state park and really nice change to the flat scenery. They have a good variety of camping spots throughout the park as well, from backpacking in or RV spots.

I did some exploring after setting up camp.

Headed to New Mexico!

 

[ITTOG]

Did you explore the lake or any other places around Broken Bow. I love that area but of course I am from Oklahoma so maybe a bit more partial to it than most.

 

[Nobody16]

Did you explore the lake or any other places around Broken Bow. I love that area but of course I am from Oklahoma so maybe a bit more partial to it than most.

Unfortunately I didn’t have the time to explore the area. I was surprised with the amount of outlets for adventures like boat/kayak/jet ski rentals, rafting, and guided trips. It seemed like an awesome area to spend some more time in.