Madrid, pronounced the American way with the stress on the first syllable, is one of the more unlikely success stories in New Mexico. It began as a coal-mining town, with company housing strung along a narrow canyon in the Ortiz Mountains, and for a while it was known for its extravagant Christmas lights, which the coal company strung up each year and which could be seen from miles away. When the mines closed, the town was nearly abandoned. Artists began moving in during the 1970s, buying cheap cottages and turning the old storefronts into galleries and workshops, and the place found a second life.
Today the main street is a lively, slightly shabby, thoroughly enjoyable row of galleries, craft shops, cafes, and a saloon that has become a regular meeting place for motorcyclists. The town was used as a film set, notably for a comedy about a group of riders that did no harm to its reputation among them. On a sunny weekend the street fills with bikes, and the porch of the old tavern is a good place to watch them arrive.
The road is the Turquoise Trail, New Mexico 14, running between Albuquerque and Santa Fe along the east side of the Sandia Mountains. Between those cities it is a gentle ride rather than a technical one: rolling high-desert country with piñon and juniper, big views, and a surface that is generally good. Traffic is steady on weekends, and the speed limit drops sharply through the villages. Be careful of the gravel at the junctions and of wind gusts across the open stretches, which can be strong in spring.
Madrid is small, and fuel is not something to plan around. The reliable plan is to fill in Santa Fe or Albuquerque, or in one of the bigger communities on the way, and treat the village as a place for lunch, coffee, and a look around. Pastries and a decent cup are easy to find; a proper meal takes a little longer on busy days. Summer is hot at midday, so mornings and evenings are best, and winter brings occasional snow that closes nothing for long but can leave patches of ice on the shaded bends.