I'd defer a lot of comments to those further east from here, but central
Arkansas can be nice.  Very scenic.  Very eastern Oklahoma is similar, but
quickly changes.  At that point I'd rather be quite a bit further south.
As in gulf coast.

If you can figure out a route to get you to Del Rio, TX, you can have a
nice ride to Las Cruces.  Highway 90 to Dryden or Sanderson would be a
decent stretch.  Then to Alpine, and take a northern route on highway 118
and 166 to tour the Fort Davis area.  Highway 17 could get you north to
Belmorhea--which has a natural spring popular with divers, and is where I
did my certification dive--but then you're pretty much on the freeway.

North from I-10 on 54 will take you up to the Carlsbad Caverns area, and
through the Guadalupe mtns.  Fun area.  The caverns are worth a tour if
you're wanting to do non-moto stuff whilst traveling.  Pretty neat place.

Coming into Las Cruces from TX will pretty much get you into El Paso, not
a great drive.  Just a city.  A better way to go is into NM, and across
from Carlsbad via 285 to 82 through Cloudcroft.  Road down from Cloudcroft
to Alamagordo is sometimes the victim of draconian patrols, watch your
speedometer.

There's an obscure road from the east edge of Cloudcroft that will take
you to Ruidoso.  This road goes across the Apache reservation, is light to
moderate in traffic, and has some nice stretches.  You can drop down to
Tularosa instead of the canyon to Alamagordo.  Watch your speed on the
stretch down into Tularosa, though, patrols can be especially nasty
through some of those parts.  Oh, the road across is #244.

A side tour into White Sands Nat'l Monumemt would be fun and not add much
time.  Wear sun glasses.

If you do come in through El Paso instead, definitely get off I-10 and
come north on the old highway.  As you exit El Paso, take the Mesa street
exit and head west toward Sunland Park.  Head north on highway 273 to
highway 28.  You'll get a tour of farming communities, chile fields, and
pecan orchards, and pecan orchards, and Chope's Restaurant, and pecan
orchards, and chile fields.  Oh, and lots of pecan orchards.

Chope's is in La Mesa, and is a local favorite.  Limited hours for lunch
and dinner, is actually two buildings, the restaurant and the bar.  Expect
to take your time.  Cash only.  Family place, kitchen is visible through
the door, whole big clan will be working.  I don't generally recommend
mixing beer and bikes, but if you decide on a beer, be warned that the
difference in price between a 12 oz beer and a quart of the same is 25
cents.  Locals can be identified by the quart bottles on the tables.

Highway 28 brings you into Mesilla, interesting little town, plaza is
worth a visit.  Excellent restaurants, including El Patio, where you can
eat.....on the patio!  See how that works?  :)   This is one of my
favorite places.  Bar in the front is a Harley hangout, but really isn't
as rough as it looks.  Family-owned place, currently in family-feud mode,
so the bar and the restaurant don't talk to each other and keep the door
betwixt locked.  Decent live music in the bar at night, including the
wonderful blues band once in a while.  Or folk/folk-rock stuff.

This is the point where you need to look me up, and we'll do the local
scene.  I'd really like to show you the great roads that Kelly never
manages to get to ride.  Contact me off list.

Phil Benson