NMSU motorcycle tour in northern New Mexico offers chance to learn about 4-H

NMSU motorcycle tour in northern New Mexico offers chance to learn about 4-H DATE: 07/20/2015 WRITER: Darrell J. Pehr, 575-646-3223, pehr@nmsu.edu CONTACT: Jon C. Boren, 575-646-3015, jboren@nmsu.edu The rugged landscape of northern New Mexico will provide a dramatic backdrop for riders in the third annual Ride for the 4-H Clover motorcycle tour Aug. 28-30. Along with the chance to ride among towering peaks and across the famous Rio Grande Gorge Bridge, the tour will include stops at New Mexico State University Cooperative Extension Service and Agricultural Experiment Station locations to build awareness for NMSU extension and outreach activities. Ride for the 4-H Clover is an awareness-building campaign first envisioned by NMSU Regents Chair Mike Cheney as a way for people to learn about the many opportunities New Mexico’s youth can experience through the Cooperative Extension Service 4-H program. Cheney and NMSU President Garrey Carruthers invite motorcycle riders and non-riders alike to participate in the ride. On Aug. 28, riders and other participants will get together for an opening reception from 6-7:30 p.m. at El Zocalo Event Center in Bernalillo. On Aug. 29, the group will gather again for a light breakfast and opening ceremony from 7:30-8:30 a.m., also at El Zocalo in Bernalillo. The tour will follow U.S. 550 from Bernalillo to N.M. 4. Riders will pass through Jemez Pueblo and the Jemez Mountains before stopping for a break at the Valles Caldera National Preserve. At 11 a.m., they’ll continue to Los Alamos for a fuel stop, then on to Espanola for lunch at the Rio Arriba County Cooperative Extension Service office and a program at the nearby Rural Event Center in Abiquiu. At 2 p.m., the group will get back on the road, bound for Taos, crossing the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge along the way. Participants may continue on an optional 83-mile Enchanted Circle Ride at 4 p.m., which will give riders a chance to see Questa, Red River, Eagle Nest and other scenic locations as they encircle Wheeler Peak, New Mexico’s highest mountain. The group will stay at the Sagebrush Inn, where they’ll reconvene for dinner from 6-8 p.m. On Aug. 30, participants will have a second chance to ride the Enchanted Circle Tour from 7-9 a.m. The group will depart Taos at 9 a.m., headed for the Alcalde Sustainable Agriculture Science Center, where they’ll stop for a program from 10-11 a.m. Then, it’s on to Santa Fe, where the tour will conclude at Santa Fe Harley-Davidson with a fuel stop, lunch, program and closing remarks. All proceeds benefit Cooperative Extension Service 4-H youth programs. Registration fee of $75 includes reception on Friday evening, lunches along the route, dinner at the Taos County Extension Office, breaks and commemorative pin. Hotel arrangements in Taos can be viewed at ridefortheclover.nmsu.edu. For additional information call 505-983-4615. For more information or to register for the ride, visit ridefortheclover.nmsu.edu or call 505-983-4615.