Pie Town/El Malpais Ride

"Live to Ride, Ride to Pie"

***DATE CHANGED FROM AUGUST 3***

Lead Road Captain: Raymond "Moses" Chavez

Rear Road Captain: Jeff "Hero" Velasquez

Lunch stop at The Gatherin Place II in Pie Town! 

Harley Ride Planner Link Click Here

Pie Town is located along U.S. Highway 60 in Catron County. Its name comes from an early bakery for making dried-apple pies that was established by Clyde Norman in the early 1920s. Pie Town is the location of a "Pie Festival" on the second Saturday of each September. Pie Town is also located immediately north of the Gila National Forest and not very far west of the Plains of San Augustin, the location of the Very Large Array radio telescope, which is also located along U.S. 60.

Another way to get to Pie Town is by way of the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail. For cyclists, equestrians, motorcyclists, and hikers, Pie Town provides a number of services including lodging, supplies and unique flavors of pie on request. In June 2007, three residents of Pie Town, Nita Larronde, Don Kearney, and Kathy Knapp, were awarded the Curry Trail Angel Award by the Adventure Cycling Association in recognition for their kindness and generosity.

The area of Pie Town is rich in Native American history. Many Ancestral Puebloan and Acoma pottery shards have been found in the area, along with grinding slicks, an ancient axe head, and petrified wood. Some fossilized bones have been found on the ground. The ruins of Ancestral Puebloan communities, which consist of one to a few dozen structures, are also found here.

We will leave from Thunderbird Harley-Davidson KSU at 8:30 a.m. Please be sure to have a full tank of gas. Moses will lead us out to I-25 south to I-40 west for 80 miles. Our first gas stop is at the Phillips 66 at NM 117. After our stop we head south to NM 36 for 80  miles to Quemado for gas stop #2 at the Rio Quemado Store. We will head east from Quemado on NM 60 for 22 miles into Pie Town for lunch.

Cheryl with the Gathering Place II (5603 US-60) is super excited to host our group for lunch. They have plenty of seating inside as well as a deck with picnic tables outside. They are offering hamburgers/cheeseburgers, BBQ pulled pork sandwiches, quesadillas, tacos, enchilada and nachos, sides and drinks. But the best thing of all is the freshly made pies. All their pies are hand made with the tenderest, flakiest crust around; delicately handled for each pie to insure the pie’s perfection.

After lunch, for those who wish to ride back as a group, we will continue east on US 60 for a gas stop in Socorro, 105 miles from the stop in Quemado. From Socorro it is 76 miles north on I-25 back to Albuquerque.