Re: TORCH 300 - Adventure ride to Cloudcroft, NM - June 14-20, 2008

[Clayton]

We now need to start gathering a list of folks who are committed to
this ride.

Please let us know if your going and what days you'll be riding.

I'll start first.

Clayton and Aaron Walther (June 14-20th) - staying at Antler Mountain
Cabins - driving Suburban w/ trailer (cabin and trailer are now full
w/ 6 people)

On Apr 22, 7:44 am, Clayton <cvands...@austin.rr.com> wrote:
> For those interested in finding out more about the TORCH 300 Adventure
> ride in CloudCroft, NM from June 14-20, come to the meeting tonight.
>
> Here's the details and location of the meeting:
>
> http://www.torchriders.org/TORCH_Meeting_04_22_08.htm
>
> On Feb 26, 5:03 pm, Clayton <cvands...@austin.rr.com> wrote:
>
> > TORCH is planning its 2nd Annual Adventure ride to Cloudcroft New
> > Mexico, June 14th through 20th, Called the TORCH 300..! (300+ miles
> > of off-road riding)
>
> > If your calendar is open, we would like to have you join us for a week
> > of fellowship and riding.
>
> > This trip is open to all riders, however we recommend this for riders
> > with some experience, since the mountain trails vary from easy to
> > extremely difficult.
> > If enough less experienced riders attend, we'd have some easier
> > mountain trails to ride (but still loads of fun).
>
> > We ride this as a group, keep an eye on each other, take care of each
> > other and help each other out, so there is no need to worry about
> > getting lost or holding the group up. This ride is as much about
> > sightseeing and fellowship as it is for riding.
>
> > The following is an itinerary of the trip:
> > Saturday - June 14: Drive to Cloudcroft, NM
> > - Leave at 5:00 am
> > - Arrive at 5:00 pm
> > - Unload @ the Antler Mountain Cabins
> > - Eat dinner
> > - Hike the Osha trail (2 mile hike)
>
> > Sunday - June 15: Ride 60+ miles of desert
> > - Drive down to Alamogordo BLM land in the early morning
> > - Ride all day in the desert (find the 30+ mile loop and hammer the
> > high speed sand whoops + dirtbike sand surfing)
> > - Get more gas at Alamogordo
> > - Eat dinner in Alamogordo
> > - Install clean air filters
>
> > Monday - June 16: Ride 60+ miles of desert
> > - Drive down to Alamogordo BLM land in the early morning
> > - Ride all day in the desert (find the 30+ mile loop and again hammer
> > the high speed sand whoops + dirtbike sand surfing)
> > - Get more gas at Alamogordo
> > - Eat dinner in Alamogordo
> > - Rejet bikes
> > - Install clean air filters
>
> > Tuesday - June 17: Ride 40+ miles of mountain trail
> > - Ride Rim Trail - T105
>
> > Wednesday - June 18: Ride 50+ miles of mountain trail
> > - Trails TBD
>
> > Thursday - June 19: Ride 50+ miles of mountain trail
> > - Trails TBD
>
> > Friday - June 20: Some will either return to Austin or ride 50+ miles
> > of scenic Jeep trail
>
> > IMPORTANT NOTES:
> > In order to ride in the forest, each bike will require a US Forest
> > approved Spark Arrestor.
>
> > You will also need a 2008 Off Hwy. Vehicle (OHV) sticker on your bike.
> > You can get the sticker at:
>
> > TJ's at 6208 N. Lamar,
> > (512) 453-6255 for $8 cash,
>
> > or
>
> > call the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department Customer Service Center
> > (CSC) at (512) 389-8917. The decal cost is $8.00 and can be paid by
> > credit card.
>
> > The decals are valid from September 1 to August 31 each year.
>
> > Many of us will be staying at the Antler Mountain Cabins (in
> > Cloudcroft, NM).
> > You can contact Antler Mountain Cabins to make your reservations:http://www.antlermountaincabins.com/
> > Phone Number: (432) 563-5114 or (800)890-4102
>
> > Make your reservations early because this is a beautiful time of year
> > in the mountains and rooms go fast.
>
> > Please RSVP if you will be able to make it along with the number of
> > people, so we can get an accurate count.
>
> > If you have any questions about this ride, please email us at
> > i...@torchriders.org.

[Rick Paul]

Hey, this is Rick Paul.
I will be bringing my son who is 7 yrs old and I will
be bringing 2 of my neighbor and good friend's sons.
They will not be REAL good but I am hoping to get them
some practice in before June arrives. I am hoping
there may be someone who will be going but possibly
not riding with the guys so that if need be they could
hang out with my 3 boys going with me. I would like to
enjoy some of the fast paced action if possible but if
nobody will be hanging back then we will cope just
fine within the 4 of us. The other 2 boys are 15 and
16. I am pretty sure I will have all the necessary
gear for them to ride and toys although if anyone has
a kids toy they could share or rent me I would take
full responsibility for anything harmed on it but
seriously doubt there will be any issues. I would
prefer a 100 to 300cc atv for one of them but a bike
would be good. I will be bringing my atv and dirt bike
and my girlfriends 100xr for one of the boys and not
sure what for the other boy yet. My son will have his
MZ 50 atv.
Any advice would be appreciated also! There will be 4
of us total and we will be staying at the Alta Vista
Motel in Cloudcroft, NM. She may still have rooms
available also. Very nice lady! I have been to
Cloudcroft many times and know it pretty well as well
as Alamogordo. I may have room on my trailer for a toy
if anyone needs help carrying theirs.
Thanks,
RP
--- Clayton <cvan...@austin.rr.com> wrote:

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[Dave]

Friends,

The TORCH 300 in Alamogordo and Cloudcroft scheduled for June 14-20 is
cancelled. The Forest Service has closed the area to offroad vehicles
due to drought. It could be late summer before it reopens. We are now
looking at alternative riding opportunities and are considering
Colorado, among others. If you have a recommendation or can assist in
identifying a new place to ride, please let us know. We want to keep
the same dates, just change the location.

>       ___________________________________________________________________________­_________

> Be a better friend, newshound, and

> know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile.  Try it now.  http://mobile.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

[ma...@homeresourcegroup.com]

Bummer. California is a long road trip but Kennedy meadows in the sierras is a great place to ride.
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

-----Original Message-----
From: Dave <david_...@dell.com>

Date: Tue, 29 Apr 2008 15:15:02
To:Texas Off-Roaders under CHrist - TORCH <torch...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: [Spam] [TORCH] TORCH 300 - Adventure ride to Cloudcroft, NM - June 14-20,2008

[Rick Paul]

I hear on the border of OK and TX there is a good
place and apparently there is sand dunes somewhere in
texas and CO has plenty of forests and trails. I
believe there are dunes in Arizona which isnt too bad
of a drive. Woudlnt any national forest work?

RP
--- ma...@homeresourcegroup.com wrote:

=== message truncated ===

____________________________________________________________________________________

[C. L. Fry]

I could make tons of suggestions for Arizona, but that would be a hard
drive in a day (done it a couple of times) and you'd be looking at the
same potential problem where forest closures are concerned that time
of year.

Anyone considered Arkansas? Won't be as cool temperature-wise though.

I have some friends who ride in Mexico a lot and know the mountains
and canyon trails really well. They just got back from a trip last
week. It's not a long of a haul as you'd think... high elevations,
great riding, good food, cheap accommodations and no fear of
closures... I'll post up when they get the ride report posted.

> > know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now. http://mobile.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ-Hide quoted text -

[David_...@dell.com]

I would consider Mexico. However, have heard nightmare stories of
robberies and even deaths in Mexico as of late. I heard many folks
backed out of the Baja races this year for that reason.

___________________________________________________________________
David Flowers
Dell Inc. | World Wide Enterprise Services
Program Manager - NAS/IDM/Solaris
Phone: (512) 723-4077
Email: David_...@dell.com

How am I doing? Please contact my manager Brandon Canaday with any
feedback.
Dell Values: trust, integrity, honesty, judgment, respect, courage and
responsibility

-----Original Message-----
From: torch...@googlegroups.com [mailto:torch...@googlegroups.com]
On Behalf Of C. L. Fry
Sent: Monday, May 05, 2008 10:33 AM
To: Texas Off-Roaders under CHrist - TORCH
Subject: [TORCH] Re: TORCH 300 - Adventure ride to Cloudcroft, NM - June
14-20, 2008

___-_________

[Sean_...@dell.com]

How about Terlingua? It's a blast and they have a great place to stay
(Terlingua ranch). Been there many times and it's a blast!

Sean

[Aaron_So...@dell.com]

Do you need a dual sport to get the maximum benefit out of a Terlingua
trip? I think the terrain looks like a lot of fun but my bike isn't
street legal.

[Sean_...@dell.com]

Negatory good buddy! I have a lot of it mapped out on my GPS and we can
ride for days with minimal street crossings... Of course, we will need
someone to haul some fuel but anyone with a rhino should be able to fill
that bill..

[C. L. Fry]

Baja could be a problem especially during race time as there are
trailer and truck loads of nice equipment; the harvest is great...

Mainland Mexico is vast and lightly populated with very little gringo
traffic. Just stay out of the larger border towns and crossings and
don't travel alone and you should be fine. Guys on www.TWTex.com come
and go all the time, in fact Tony (the KLR rider) is going soon with
his dad, who goes on a regular basis. John Morin (some of you might
know him from some of the early TORCH rides) and a group of guys go
down there several times a year. Enter at Presidio, it's closer to the
good riding anyway, and stay away from Eagle Pass, Laredo and the
crossings south of that.

If you do happen to run into banditos, tell them about Jesus, that's
all they need :-)

On May 5, 10:35 am, <David_Flow...@Dell.com> wrote:
> I would consider Mexico. However, have heard nightmare stories of
> robberies and even deaths in Mexico as of late. I heard many folks
> backed out of the Baja races this year for that reason.
>
> ___________________________________________________________________
> David Flowers
> Dell Inc. | World Wide Enterprise Services
> Program Manager - NAS/IDM/Solaris
> Phone: (512) 723-4077

> Email: David_Flow...@dell.com

[David_...@dell.com]

If you guys familiar with Mexico want to plan it for the group that
would be great. I would probably come along for that ride.

[David_...@dell.com]

Same goes for Terlingua.

___________________________________________________________________
David Flowers
Dell Inc. | World Wide Enterprise Services
Program Manager - NAS/IDM/Solaris
Phone: (512) 723-4077

Email: David_...@dell.com

[C. L. Fry]

It appears the ride report from the week before last is at Advrider
this time:
http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=337027

I'll get with John and Steve and see if they can provide some tracks
and other info. I won't be able to go though, don't have the $ and
have to save my vacation time for a longer than usual family vac this
year.

If any of you know Steve Smith (kind of a legend around these parts),
he's the ring leader for this group, along with his buddy 'Skinny'.

> ...
>
> read more »

[william...@sprintpcs.com]

Heres a good thread on riding in Mexico from KTM Talk:

http://ktmtalk.com/index.php?showtopic=259377&st=0&#entry2129592

I'll ride in Mexico if we can mount 50mm guns to the Rhino.

How about Sam Houston, Noacogdoches, or Red River? We would have
better attendance!

Brian

[propel...@hotmail.com]

You're right about the attendance and need for armament. I certainly
won't go to Mexico.

> ...
>
> read more »- Hide quoted text -

[ma...@homeresourcegroup.com]

I won't be going to Mexico riding either my friend had a bad crash and compound fractured his wrist and had some minor head trauma when he came to they had amputated his arm below the elbow. The medical care is not worth the risk for me. However any place that is in the good old USA and I am in. Dao was telling me about somewhere in ok.

Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

-----Original Message-----

From: propel...@hotmail.com

Date: Mon, 5 May 2008 14:18:16
To:Texas Off-Roaders under CHrist - TORCH <torch...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: [Spam] [TORCH] Re: TORCH 300 - Adventure ride to Cloudcroft, NM - June14-20, 2008

[Barry Cook]

For what it's worth...

 

Take what you hear about Mexico with a grain of salt.  Just did a 2000 mile dualsport trip from El Paso through Copper Canyon to Los Mochis, ferried to La Paz, Baja, rode the southern half of Baja, ferried back to Guaymas and cut through the mountains back to El Paso.  Never felt threatened in the least and thoroughly enjoyed the people.  Would do it again tomorrow if my wife would let me. 

 

Need to do your homework, so you have a clue what you're doing but I found the people in general to be much more friendly and accomodating than what you encounter in the U.S.  Most of the recent news has been in the border towns and directed at other drug cartels, or law enforcement.  There have been some tourist incidents in Norther Baja just south of the border along the coast.  If anyone is interested in Mexico trips now, or in the future please do not hesitate to contact me for info.

 

Also, I have lead mission trips to Creel/Copper Canyon and will be taking another group this summer.  A fun Mexico trip would be to base at Creel and ride all around Copper Canyon.  The YWAM camp where we base our mission trips would be a great place and would probably welcome a Christian group of riders.

 

Barry

 

BC Enterprises

Barry Cook

(915) 526-2404 cell

(866) 700-6710 fax

barr...@yahoo.com

[Clayton Walther]

At this point we’ve looked at several states for a TORCH Adventure ride alternative.

 

There are many pro’s and con’s but we’re narrowing down to 2 National Forests in …………..Arkansas.   The Ozark and Oauchita National Forests. 

 

There are  7 OHV parks through out these forests.  We’re narrowing down the 2 towns for lodging that we can use as base camp to drive to each of the forests.

 

There’s roughly 200+ miles of trail in these forests. (not including all the forest roads for those who want to venture out and do some Dual Sporting.

 

Arkansas is a beautiful place to ride and is only about 7-8 hours away from the Austin area.

 

Stay tuned….we’ll be sharing the details soon.

 

Clayton...

 

---

[Barry Cook]

Check out Wolf Pen Gap near Mena, AR.  Lots of great trails.

 

BC Enterprises

Barry Cook

(915) 526-2404 cell

(866) 700-6710 fax

barr...@yahoo.com

----- Original Message ----
From: "tige...@hotmail.com" <tige...@hotmail.com>
To: Texas Off-Roaders under CHrist - TORCH <torch...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Monday, May 5, 2008 7:24:23 PM
Subject: [TORCH] Re: TORCH 300 - Adventure ride to Cloudcroft, NM - June 14-20, 2008

Don't know how the riding is at Oauchita, but took a boat out there
one summer. Very nice lake and beautiful scenery.

[C. L. Fry]

Clayton, you might post on TWTex about riding in AR, a bunch of those
guys ride there regularly, lots of good riding in general. Someone
might be able to comment and make suggestions on lodging etc. Do some
searches in ride reports too for pictures etc.

On May 5, 7:44 pm, "Clayton Walther" <cvands...@austin.rr.com> wrote:
> At this point we've looked at several states for a TORCH Adventure ride
> alternative.
>
> There are many pro's and con's but we're narrowing down to 2 National

> Forests in ......Arkansas. The Ozark and Oauchita National Forests.

>
> There are 7 OHV parks through out these forests. We're narrowing down the
> 2 towns for lodging that we can use as base camp to drive to each of the
> forests.
>
> There's roughly 200+ miles of trail in these forests. (not including all the
> forest roads for those who want to venture out and do some Dual Sporting.
>
> Arkansas is a beautiful place to ride and is only about 7-8 hours away from
> the Austin area.
>

> Stay tuned..we'll be sharing the details soon.
>
> Clayton...
>
> _____

> barryc...@yahoo.com

>
> ----- Original Message ----
> From: "propeller...@hotmail.com" <propeller...@hotmail.com>
> To: Texas Off-Roaders under CHrist - TORCH <torch...@googlegroups.com>
> Sent: Monday, May 5, 2008 3:18:16 PM
> Subject: [TORCH] Re: TORCH 300 - Adventure ride to Cloudcroft, NM - June
>
> 14-20, 2008
>
> You're right about the attendance and need for armament. I certainly
> won't go to Mexico.
>
> On May 5, 4:07 pm, williams328...@sprintpcs.com wrote:
> > Heres a good thread on riding in Mexico from KTM Talk:
>
> >http://ktmtalk.com/index.php?showtopic=259377

> <http://ktmtalk.com/index.php?showtopic=259377&st=0&#entry2129592>
> &st=0&#entry2129592

> ...
>
> read more »

[Brock Maley]

I’ve done Wolf Pen Gap near Mena with 2 other friends, ATV’ing. The national forest there is amazing, the folks in Mena were cool, and you can ride for days without going down the same trail. Was a fun trip we plan to take again this summer. The only downside was no motels available near the trailheads when we went. Had to trailer every day, but if planned well in advance, there are places that you can unload once and ride… Google Mena and you will see tons of info.

 

brock

[Barry Cook]

I believe you can ride from these... to wolf pen gap

 

http://www.atvcabins.com/index.htm

 

http://www.wolfpenatv.com/MainPage

 

http://www.campwolfcreeksprings.com/rates.htm

 

http://www.adventuretrailsretreat.com/

 

http://www.wolfpencabins.com/

 

here's a list of others close to wolf pen gap but probably have to trailer

 

http://www.ouachitaatvadventures.com/Accomodations/accomodations.html
 

[Rick Paul]

hhhhmmmm The more I read up on this Arkansas stuff the
more I want to go!! Look at all these options!
Cloudcroft has been done! Lets do something new!
Check out the options--If we get too hot we can go
relax on a canoe down a river! Thats sounds nice after
a long day or days of riding! This site is awesome---

http://www.ouachitaatvadventures.com/Trails/trails.html

Check it out! I need to make reservations somewhere I
am itching to get excited for a nice summer escape
into the wilderness--ANYWHERE in the US at this point!
Clayton, Dave what do you guys think of these places
near this rivers in Arkansas?
RP

--- Brock Maley <bma...@austin.rr.com> wrote:

> I've done Wolf Pen Gap near Mena with 2 other
> friends, ATV'ing. The national
> forest there is amazing, the folks in Mena were
> cool, and you can ride for
> days without going down the same trail. Was a fun
> trip we plan to take again
> this summer. The only downside was no motels
> available near the trailheads
> when we went. Had to trailer every day, but if
> planned well in advance,

> there are places that you can unload once and ride.

____________________________________________________________________________________