Made it from Denver back down to Raton NM yesterday. After a restful night I ignored the GPS's pleas to turn south on I25 and instead headed out York Canyon Road. The views were fantastic.
I had taken a look at the map and it appeared I'd be able to take York Canyon Road along with some other FS roads and head in a general South West direction. Soon the road turned to dirt and I hoped I was on the right path.
Unfortunately not long after the change from blacktop to gravel my arch nemesis "The Locked Gate" showed up and ruined the day.
I later found out that this is Vermejo Park Ranch, one of Ted Turner's expedition ranches where for the low price of $15,000 a night you and 9 to 13 of your closest friends can have complete exclusive access to the 25,000 square foot house and 585,000 acres of wilderness. If you'd like a guide it'll be another $1500. But hey, you get to sleep here:
Now Ted Turner and I are old friends, I grew up watching the Atlanta Braves on TBS, so I assumed they'd let me right through the gate to explore the property. Apparently Ted must not have been home because that didn't happen. I turned around and decided Interstate 25 would have to be my route for the day...at least for an hour or so anyway. Man those views though.
Wandering in style.
So after heading south for a bit I saw a sign for the Fort Union National Monument and jumped off I25 onto 161. Fort Union was an Army fort that was used to supply troops in the area as they protected travelers along the Santa Fe trail. It was rebuilt several times depending on different needs. During the Civil War earthen barricades were constructed to hold up to cannon fire. Later it became a hub of trade and transport in the south west. Many parts of the adobe structures are still standing and there's a self guided walk through the structures with informational boards along the way. It was amazing to stand in this huge open valley and imagine the sounds of hundreds of men working, wagon trains rolling in and out and the sounds of troops going about their daily routine. A very, very cool place that you should visit if you're given the chance.
While checking out the area where wagons and equipment would be repaired I made a small furry friend. We weren't friends for long though as he dashed off with a puff of dust at his heels.
After soaking in the history (and buying park service patches, it's an addiction) I hit I25 south again and took in the scenery from the drivers seat. The rental Dodge Ram had been getting about 21 mpg up until this point where a VERY strong headwind had brought things down into the 13 mpg range. Silly wind. Random scenery:
I tried to check out another national monument near Cochiti NM but it was almost closing time and they didn't accept credit cards for their entrance fees. Guess maybe I should carry cash? Anyway, I went back through Cochiti and on the way out of town stopped to read a sign that I was certain I had misinterpreted on the way in. I had read it correctly though...anyone know why this is a thing here:
After standing outside of town and taking that picture (that's legal right?) I headed back toward I25 snapping pictures of the landscape.
After changing over to I40 I decided to hit up Route 66 for a while and came across a few cool turn offs that went back up into the hills. Many of these roads ended up being access to Indian communities or small clusters of houses. I generally backed out of these areas before I got too far or ended up in someones front yard.
These folks live in a beautiful area.
Before long I was missing the trees of the Appalachian mountains...there's nothing to block out the sun here!
Found an overlook off of Route 66 near the Continental Divide. This is a beautiful part of the country.
Tomorrow it's on to Tuscon.
For some reason these two pictures below refuse to be removed from the post. Can an admin help?