New Mexico

A collection of 40 posts

Classic Roads Premium Content

The Turquoise Trail National Scenic Byway

Appearing in opaque shades of blue, bluish green, green, and yellowish green, turquoise is a mineral that has been a treasured gemstone for thousands of years. The stone’s value derives from its use in jewelry and other decorative applications. It is usually found in dry climates, which is why

Travel Guide

5 US Destinations for an Early-Season Spring Motorcycle Ride

The winter puts an end to the riding season in many places across the U.S. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, since the cold months are a great chance to maintain your motorcycle or perhaps read that motorcycling book that’s been sitting on your coffee table. Eventually,

City Escape

Riding the Sandia Mountains—Albuquerque, New Mexico

In the high desert of New Mexico you will find one of the state's largest cities, Albuquerque. A city that weaves together a rich tapestry of culture, history, and natural beauty. With a backdrop of the Sandia Mountains and a skyline painted in hues of adobe, Albuquerque captivates visitors with

Classic Roads

The High Road to Taos, New Mexico

New Mexico has a colorful history, stretching thousands of years and covering Native American, Spanish, and modern U.S. settlement. The High Road to Taos takes you on a trip through the state’s past—and onto a stunning motorcycling road. While it is well-known, the High Road rarely makes

Destinations

A Year In Review: Our Favorite Destinations of 2023

At RoadRUNNER, it's about more than just the motorcycle. It's about where you go on the motorcycle. Simply put, we are addicted to exploring new places and experiencing new things. We often share short articles highlighting specific places across the country that might be of interest to riders passing through.

Travel Guide

4 Unique Desert Rides

Deserts possess a unique magic, but their serene beauty often masks inherent dangers. Yet, when you’re equipped for the ride with plenty of water, sun protection, and working high-quality maps, they can deliver unforgettable moto trips. Deserts offer properly prepared riders astonishing vistas and amazing landscapes, with sunrises and

News

How to Find the Aliens Among Us on Two Wheels

Sometimes you want a grander objective for a motorcycle tour than simply enjoying the open road and curves. If you’re after a truly otherworldly experience, why not hit the asphalt to look for proof of alien life? After all, the Congress recently got the most compelling testimony to date

Destinations

UFO Capital of the World—Roswell, New Mexico

Hear the name Roswell and images of secreted-away debris of a 1947 flying saucer crash and a clandestine cover-up cordoned off from the public with chain-link fencing and armed patrols start popping up in your head. There are even dubious, grainy black-and-white photos of surgeons performing autopsies on slit-eyed aliens.

Roundtrip Tour Premium Content

MotoGP 2023

Way back in 2005, my good friend Andrew Ferguson and I witnessed Nicky Hayden win the MotoGP race at Laguna Seca. What a glorious day it was for both him and Colin Edwards, who placed second ahead of Valentino Rossi. Hayden rode Honda and the Yamaha bikes were colored yellow

Travel Guide

10 Best Places for a Moto Stargazing Trip in America

The night sky has always fascinated us. Our ancestors saw the constellations and signs from ancient gods in the stars, while our modern knowledge and technology lets us gaze at distant planets—or look for flying saucers. Motorcycles are excellent vehicles for accessing fantastic stargazing spots. But where should you

Destinations

In Pursuit of Wildness: Petrified Forest National Park

I’m on historic US Route 66 heading east for a small village nestled next to the Rio Grande in New Mexico called La Joya. Each year, I make this journey across the wild west, past little communities and towns with interesting names: Newberry Springs, Oatman, Cool Springs, Valentine, Peach

Destinations

Destination: Acoma Pueblo, New Mexico

The picturesque desert landscape some 60 miles west of Albuquerque, NM, is home to one of the oldest continuously inhabited communities in America—Acoma Pueblo. The pueblo, founded in 1100, is a component of the Acoma Indian Reservation and is perched atop a 357-foot-tall shear-walled sandstone mesa. Before modern times,

Classic Roads

Classic Roads: Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway

Destinations

In Pursuit of Wildness: Abo Ruins

In the 2009 documentary The National Parks: America’s Best Idea, Director Ken Burns spoke about the grandeur of a world known as Yellowstone National Park, as well as less familiar National Park Service areas, such as Abó Ruins, an integral part of Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument in New

Travel Guide

Top 10 Winter Motorcycling Destinations in America

Winter can be a dodgy time for motorcycling. There are places where the thought of rolling out on two wheels is an absolute impossibility. That said, there are a host of routes that you can enjoy even in the winter months. It may entail some planning and even require you

Travel Guide

Top Fall Color Motorcycle Rides to Plan Right Now!

One of the best things about motorcycle touring is experiencing an area with all of your senses. You hear, see, and feel more than you would from inside a windowed vehicle. At RoadRUNNER, we always feel more connected to an area after a bike tour. Fall is one of our

Sep/Oct '22 Premium Content

New Beginnings and Mystery in Arizona and New Mexico

I dispensed warm goodbyes to riding friends in Arizona, saddled up, and turned the key in the ignition with a growing reluctance. Internalizing my petulance in the process, I was happy where I was. A heavy sigh betrayed a sadness in parting from the place. Our stint in Yavapai County

Roundtrip Tour Premium Content

Wild Winds Across the Badlands of New Mexico

Rarely do I heed a warning before a long-distance ride. This message, however, is from my nephew Ruben, who is a wildlands firefighter stationed in Silver City, NM. A credible source. His message is, "It's supposed to be very windy across New Mexico, starting tomorrow." He is also a rider,

Roundtrip Tour Premium Content

A Colorado Plateau Odyssey in America's Four Corners Region

It’s early September and the summer tourists have abandoned the 130,000-square-mile red rock landscape known by geologists as the Colorado Plateau. It contains the largest concentration of scenic wonders in America. Roughly centered where the states of New Mexico, Colorado, Utah and Arizona meet, the plateau was once

Jul/Aug '21

City Escape: Sante Fe, New Mexico

> Route names like “The High Road to Taos” and “The Enchanted Circle” give you some indication just how special this city escape north of Santa Fe is. Mix in some great New Mexican towns like Taos, Angel Fire, and Red River—with several significant historical sites—and you have a

Nov/Dec '20

City Escape: Albuquerque, New Mexico

> This day ride stretches out through ancient ruins and historic mining communities in Albuquerque. With little traffic, it all but guarantees solitary motorcycling bliss. The tail end of the route includes a ride up and down Sandia Crest to take in some astounding views before returning to the city limits.

Mar/Apr '20 Premium Content

New Mexico: Land of the Ancients

Some of the earliest humans who migrated to North America occupied the high desert region of Northwest New Mexico. Remnants of ancient structures and other historical artifacts bear testimony to the presence of the Ancestral Puebloans, a pre–Columbian Native American civilization dating to about A.D. 100. The area

May/Jun '19 Premium Content

Gallup, New Mexico Shamrock Tour®: Heartland of the Ancients

Northwest New Mexico is home to several of the state’s 23 Native American tribes: the Navajo, Jicarilla Apache, Acoma, and Zuni are among those who reside in the region. Despite westward expansion in the late 1800s and the federal government’s efforts to “Americanize” the native people, Indian culture

Mar/Apr '17 Premium Content

New Mexico Backcountry Discovery Route: The Desert Crucible

The purest art of creating Damascus steel, that extraordinary blade with the wavy design seen in antique knives and swords from the Middle East, is lost to mankind. Speculation suggests multiple layers of metals were forged, folded, and welded together to form a single blade of exceptional quality. Certain aspects

Nov/Dec '16 Premium Content

Continental Divide, Part 2: Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico

Our route out of Rawlins, WY, takes us through the city’s center before turning south and heading out of town. It is a great day for riding, with mostly clear skies and cool temperatures, as we enter the Medicine Bow National Forest. Not far from the Colorado border we