NM Adventure Series

It's not that bad.. oh wait.. it's pretty bad

As long as you are aware of where you are and what you leave in your truck you should be fine but sometimes it's just completely random no matter where you are

 

Had a nice little trip out to diablo canyon/buckman trails this afternoon.

 

Is the trail stock friendly ?

 

I would say yes, there a couple really steep and rutted hill climbs but as long as you have good tires there shouldn't be a problem. The whole area in general is really nice and private. Miles of blm land to get lost in.

 

Thanks

 

Has anyone been to any of the southern NM trails and know if they are still open or not?

 

Some on those list are closed... La Bajada recently got gated and locked. Monticello Box road also got shut down. Chaves county wants to close more roads:

http://krqe.com/2018/02/28/poor-road-maintenance-leaves-residents-wanting-closure-hunters-upset/

Not good...private citizens are using a trick to close it...sign the petition:

http://nmwildlife.org/news/sign-petition-keep-public-lands-open-chaves-county/

 

Lame. I signed that petition. I wanna go hit up some trails but don't know where to go.

 

It is what it is. With a rig that draws attention, once in 8 years is not too shabby.

Nice. Did you guys do all the river crossings? I have been curious to see what you thought of that 4th crossing where I broke.

There were no tractors in there the day we went.

Nice trip! I'm glad to see you get out and use your stuff! I haven't been out that way in a long time. Did you check out the sinkhole?

 

I try to stay away from stinkholes...

 

Not on that day, although the sinkhole is awesome. We just ran the power lines trails then headed out to the rio grande. Rode dirt bikes out there for years so it's always a fun time.

 

I'm going to head down to Mt. Withington tomorrow if anyone is interested. Probably head out by 10am, hit the top of Mt. W, then check out the west side of North Baldy and some mines in that area.

If anyone is interested, let me know. I need to prove out the 4Runner before a long trip next week.

 

there is a possibility. will let you know tomorrow.

 

No, we just did the first and went and set up for camp.

 

crap. just realized you meant tomorrow tomorrow, not this weekend.

 

Right on, nothing wrong with taking it easy. I'd like to do some hiking in there someday.

Yeah, it was a last minute invite, but I figured I'd throw it out there.

 

My cow-orker is out on vacation, so I can't call in sick. Have fun, Nick!

 

Would've been down for sure! Was out camping with the kids showing them bandelier. Send me a pm anytime you want to head out on a Tuesday-Thursday.

 

Epic day today, guys.

I learned a lot about the area and have a proposal for the next run that should interest at least a few of you. Pics coming soon.

Sounds like a good time, too. I'll keep you in mind for those days in the future.

 

Ghost town of Kelly, NM > Mt. Withington, NM

With spring upon us, I had one more summit in southern NM that I wanted to check off my list before the area gets too hot for me. There are hundreds of mines in the area, but the grandest and most well preserved are found near the ghost town of Kelly, NM. Mining started in this area in 1866, and by 1884 there was town with 3,000 residents surrounding the operation, eventually leading to the establishment of the town of Magdalena. For anyone who loves history, geology, photography, or wheeling, this area is a must see.

The rig parked next to the shaft at Grand Tower.











Headed back down toward Pascal shaft and the head frames of the main shafts. The town of Magdalena in the distance at photo right.





The refractory, boiler, and assay structures.



There were huge nests in the tops of the old structures. The sticks were 2-3 feet long, so I'm guessing they were made by raptors of some sort, or large owls.



The main Kelly headframe, with a shaft 1,000 feet deep extending into the earth below it, with 30 MILES of mine shafts at the bottom.





To my amazement, the shaft had nothing more than a waist high fence surrounding it, and the fence was in disrepair. My stomach was turning over a bit while taking this shot. A fall would be certain death.



They built things to last back then.





The old Kelly church, which has been renovated over the years.



I did some recon on another trail in this area that looks like it could be one of the more challenging trails on FS land in the whole state. I am going to be in need of a few good men, with a few good Toyotas to go back and run it with me.