Atomic 1000 - Trinity Test Site reminder

Brian Thorn

Premier Member
#1
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kwthom

=o&o>
Premier Member
IBA Member
#2
I'm going to give this attempt in April an honest opportunity to happen...as long as that date stays clear on my calendar.


EDIT: For giggles, it's on my Ride Calendar in Google. My wife has access to this calendar as well; we'll see how long it takes for he to say something to me about it.
 
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Brian Thorn

Premier Member
#3
I'm going to give this attempt in April an honest opportunity to happen...as long as that date stays clear on my calendar.
If my calculations are correct from reading the Certified List, you would be the 9th rider to complete it.

I show me & Brenda in 2017, then Donal and Jason in 4/18, and Matt / Mark / David / John in 10/18.

You need to do it just to be part of the first ten. :)
 

MarkG

Premier Member
#4
I did the ride last year from Chandler AZ to the Trinity Site. With a simple SaddleSore there is no reason to get in a hurry. I spent about 2.5 hours looking around before heading home. I did not arrive too early and still waited around 45 minutes before clearing the gate. Take along some extra water and snacks to have while you're waiting.

As many have discovered Google Maps and others do not cooperate because the road is normally closed, but there is a workaround. Change the map from driving to walking and it allows the routing. This is last year's map starting from the highway turnoff. https://goo.gl/maps/jLfchayiPDq 50.2 miles and of course considerably less than the 16 hours 13 minutes predicted. :) When I sent in the ride I included the map link getting to the turnoff and the link above. Made it a lot easier to determine my mileage.
 

kwthom

=o&o>
Premier Member
IBA Member
#5
Coming from Tucson means I have to pad a couple hundred more miles onto my route...but I do like the Google trick of walking for getting the routing to the site accurate - clever! :)

On the way there, I go to Las Cruces, then to San Antonio. From Trinity, I then head east to Hondo, then south to Chaparral, NM - then home. A huge loop around the range.

I really don't want to deal (much) with the waiting to get in, so I think I had it planned so I'd get there closer to 11am local time. I'd be willing to bet the place starts emptying out a bit so people can actually get someplace to get a meal around then.

Looking forward to doing it.
 

Brian Thorn

Premier Member
#6
I really don't want to deal (much) with the waiting to get in, so I think I had it planned so I'd get there closer to 11am local time.
We hit the Stallion Gate right around noon local time, and our wait was probably less than 15 minutes to get in. The slowdown is the checking of IDs for everyone in the cars. The General Store was REALLY busy with tourists so that may slow you down more than the gate wait will.
 
#7
From my local gas station to the Trinity site and back up to Sante Fe is 1015 miles. It's definitely on my list, but other obligations in April will count me out. Maybe next time.
 

kwthom

=o&o>
Premier Member
IBA Member
#11
My wife quizzed me about this ride...

"Still doing it?"

"I'd like to...wanna come along?"

"Overnight somewhere?"

"Naah - doing it in a single day."

"I'll pass. You have fun, though!"

"I love you too!" Ahahahaha...


My probable routing - not including the 50-odd miles from the gate to Trinity & Back.

https://goo.gl/maps/uvcYw1MiDsu

Thanks to @MarkG post #4 in this thread on how to show the Trinity routing.

https://goo.gl/maps/jLfchayiPDq

So, an estimated 7.5 hours of travel time to get to the center access road. Figure a total of three hours (travel time in & out of the facility, plus visit time), then another 8-ish hours home.

That'll be a long day. I really need to be moving by 0300 MST (AZ time) / 0400 MDT (NM time) to make it work for timing.
 

Rickr96

Premier Member
#13
I lead a group of 24 riders from my SoCal riding group to Trinity last October (2018). Not an IBA ride, rather a leasurly multi-day ride. We spent the night in Socorro, NM and made our way to Stallion Gate arriving at 8:45am to find a mile plus line of cars, RV’s and other bikes ahead of us. It took about :45 minutes to reach the gate. Check-in was a couple question and a wave through. We spent a few hours at the site and left via the same gate around noon. There was just a couple cars at the entry gate, literally no line at all.
 

kwthom

=o&o>
Premier Member
IBA Member
#14
A good opportunity to check my notes from last year to ensure I could get a route into the Goldwing's GPS...amazing that I'd managed to do a good enough job that I could go thru the process (Google My Maps - GPS Visualizer to make into a GPX - Basecamp to make a route - filter using GPS Babel to change waypoints into routepoints - load onto SD card & import) with no hiccups!

::whew::

 

Brian Thorn

Premier Member
#18
Nope, nothing special. Just make sure you're there before they close, that you have appropriate identification, that you get a receipt at the closest place (San Antonio General Store) within the 24 hour window, that you have plenty of photo documentation, and that preferably you have a good Spotwalla track.

Reminder to anyone that's going. Please check to see if the souvenir shop can provide an electronically printed DBR and then post that up for future riders to know.