AdventureTaco - turbodb's build and adventures

Absolutely, glad you enjoy them!

And to be clear, I can't walk after a 17 mile hike, apparently. I hobble. A I hope I don't have to get up to pee in the middle of the night.

 

@Tubrodb, The family and I are going to Seattle, (Manchester SP specifically) in a couple weeks towing the Tacoma. Any off-road routes you might recommend in the Olympic NP / NF area? You can give me destinations and I can figure routes. I'm usually good with charting my own routes but this area is completely unknown to me. Thanks. Edit, hikers were are not.

 

This is a bit embarrasing, but I know almost nothing about any trails within less than about 8 hours of the Seattle area. You can of course check out my Washington state index for ideas, but most of my (non-family camping) trips end up being out of state.

Some possible ideas (not all trails):

• Hurricane Ridge over on the Olympic Peninsula is very cool. Touristy, but cool. Really nice views. All paved to get there.
• Mt. Rainier is similarly cool to check out if you've never been. Again, paved, but absolutely worth a visit. Personally I like the route (from Seattle) that goes through Greenwater, then make a slight detour to Naches Pass before going to Sunrise. If you have time, you could also hike Kelley Butte, for a fantastic view (and there might be wild blueberries there right now)
• For a super extreme trail (IMO) where you want to well prepared and ready for some body damage (narrow trail), the Naches Wagon Trail is fun. Note: my photos of this don't really show the difficult parts, b/c I was driving, but it's the closest I think I've come to body damage.

Hope that helps a little bit, and if you find a good spot, I'd love to get a PM from you so I can go check it out

 

Thanks. That helps. We looked at doing Hurricane and the whole Olympic peninsula loop. Long day trip but should be scenic. The Rainier side definitely has some dirt trails to look into.

 

While we're on the topic... We're going to be visiting Anacortes next weekend. Just three days. Family will be showing us around but anything specific we should check out? Wanna do a few hike/nature walks up there

 

I already shared everything I know about WA, hahaha!

Actually though, two things near Anacortes.

1. Your family will take you to Deception Pass, I'm sure, because the bridge, and the pass over which is spans, is pretty cool. There's a little state park there, and while the camping (etc) is south of the bridge, the nicer walks (IMO) are north of the bridge. There are (at least) 3 loop hikes around little points that stick out into the sound; all of them are nice.
2. Request a trip to Snow Goose Produce in the Skagit Valley. Look it up if they don't know where it is. Stand in the long line for an ice cream and make sure to get it on a waffle cone. Revel in the size. Cash only.

 

Maybe check out Mt. Erie,the Anacortes Community Forest lands and Washington Park in addition to what Turbodb said. Lots of hiking/biking/horse trails. If you're willing to drive a little there's tons of great hikes around.
I can smell the waffle cones and ice cream that turbodb speaks of.

 

That's the kinda info I wanted. Thanks so much man!

 

Will add those to our list of possibilities! Thanks. This trip is with the kids and we're only limited to 3 days. The wife and I plan to come back next summer to do some real exploring without them

 

Hey Dan, sorry if it's already been stated, but I couldn't find it...

Where did you get your license plate cover, and how does it mount?

Getting sick of editing out the tag number in all my photos!



Editing to add (as I catch up): Unless you want to go full OEM new, I would recommend taking your rack to a local machine shop to get it rebuilt, rather than buying a reman and dealing with core BS. This is also your chance to have urethane bushings installed if you want, otherwise it's just stupid trying to strong-arm out brand-new rubber bushings on an OEM or a reman.

Mine was like $150, took a couple days. But I wasn't smart enough to give the urethane bushings to the shop. Doh!

If you're driving the peninsula, and you like cool bridges, consider checking out the Vance Creek and High Steel bridges northwest of Shelton. I put some pictures here.

 

Headed South, We Dive Deep into the Past - NMBDR Prologue
Part of the New Mexico Backcountry Discovery Route (Jun 2021) trip.

It was four years ago when we ran our first Backcountry Discovery Route (BDR) - or at least, we attempted to run a stage of the Oregon BDR and failed miserably. Later that same year, we successfully conquered the route, and since then we've tackled one BDR every summer - Washington, Idaho, and Nevada now under our belts. This year, we decided that New Mexico would be a good state to tackle on what has become a fun tradition.

​

Starting in Dell City, Texas - finishing some 1,200 miles later in southeastern Colorado - the NMBDR is unlike any route we've driven in that it begins more than 24 hours - of highway driving - from home. We were going to need a full two days of driving just to get there!

Day 1, 2, and 3

For that reason, we decided that we should take advantage of some of the places we'd otherwise just "pass by," on our way to - and from - our primary route. And so, on a Sunday morning we headed south under sunny skies, our goal to make it just south of Salt Lake City by the time we stopped for the evening.

Soon enough we were in Oregon. Splendid weather continued, and we listened to podcasts as we were passed by all manner of vehicles that are speedier than Toyota Tacomas.

If this driver only knew... 88mph - not 75mph - is the optimal speed for a DeLorean.​

Ten hours or so into our trek - a little more than halfway for the day, we crossed into Idaho. And a few hours later, Utah.

So central. A good place to live if you're an explorer. Though, I hear it's full.​

Utah really does have the best border signage. Unfortunately, also a full state, apparently.​

It was just after midnight when we pulled into our creek-side camp site - one that we frequent on long trips south - and just after 6:00am when we packed up the tent and pointed ourselves toward New Mexico. It was already hot - the middle of one of the hottest heat waves to hit the southwest and west coast in the last decade; the haze hanging heavy across the landscape.

We could barely see the Book Cliffs north of Green River, UT.​

The haze did make for a peel-back-the-onion view of the layers of cliffs.​

We pulled up to our first pit stop at the south end of Cedar Mesa just before 11:00am. It wasn't a month earlier that we'd hiked much of this area as part of our Forty-One Miles of Mesa trip, and I'd visited the main rock art panel at this very location just a month prior to that (Utah, Re-Ruined). But this time we were at the Sand Island Petroglyphs for another reason - the Upper Petroglyphs.

​

We found a spot to park in the shade, and nearly had the wind knocked out of us by the heat as we exited the truck. It was already in the mid-90s °F and would only get hotter. We grabbed our water and set out along the trail towards the panels.

These glyphs are nearly invisible again, the years and patina taking their toll.​

Some of the panels were more than 40' off the ground!​

Quite the array of anthropomorphs. A band of dancers, and earrings on several of them!​

Bird in the belly.​

The highlight - by far, at least for me - was a panel that's reasonably well hidden from the trail, and we only happened to catch a glimpse of as we were walking along. Ultimately, I maneuvered for a better angle and found myself face-to-face - literally - with some of the most interesting glyphs I've ever seen.

Faces, bright against the sandstone.​

Hunchback.​

We continued along, hurrying due to the heat and yet not wanting to miss a thing - these rock art images depicting over 3,000 years of history by people who lived, farmed, and travelled through this land. Archaic (3000 BCE - 400 CE), Puebloan (1000 BCE - 550 CE), Navajo (1500 CE), and Ute (1500 CE) people left their imprints etched in stone, preserving their memories through centuries of time.

Eventually though, we were ready to turn back and find respite in our air conditioned cab as we headed into Bluff for lunch at the Twin Rocks Cafe where we ordered our first ever Navajo Tacos. It was our first time eating at an establishment in 15 months, and to ease ourselves back into the experience, we opted to eat outside.

The fried bread was fantastic. I think we could have done a better job with the toppings we ordered however.​

An unfortunate story unfolded in front of us while we were partaking in the local food. The restaurant - run by locals, but of course getting most of their business from tourists - still had a "masks required until seated" policy for those eating inside the establishment. This caught nearly everyone who came to the door by surprise, but most of them understood and respectfully returned to their cars to grab a face covering. However, one older woman stood outside the door and complained loudly that, "We should've bombed China a long time ago!" Interesting that she felt that way, given the country of origin of the purse she was digging in for her (internationally sourced) mask and the (made in China) sneakers she was wearing.

Seriously though - the world would be a much better place if we all showed just a little more respect for one another, no matter what our beliefs. If we looked for common ground rather than conflict. Hope and happiness over hate. I wonder if a visit to Manzanar would benefit Americans who have forgotten how good we have it, and what we can become.

Off my soapbox, we finished up lunch and headed about half a mile out of town to one final petroglyph panel that I'd not gotten around to seeing the last time I was in the area. Only a few feet from pavement, we arrived at the Atlatls Panel with the sun in a terrible spot for good photos, but I climbed up anyway to get a better look.

Most everyone just drives on by.​

The atlatls held by these two figures were spear-like hunting implements.​

And with that, we pointed ourselves toward New Mexico, crossing the border a little more than one hour later - to perhaps the most appropriate border crossing sign I've ever seen.

We never saw any "Welcome to New Mexico" signs until the very last day of our trip. Seemed appropriate though.​

Still pounding the pavement, we continued south and east - doing our best to carve a path through the state that wouldn't overlap too much with the BDR that we'd be running over the coming week.

New Mexico's colors were looking promising!​

Ultimately, we found ourselves tiptoeing over the border into Texas as we pulled into the Dog Canyon Campground - part of Guadalupe Mountains National Park - a little after midnight. We climbed into the tent exhausted, the temps still in the low 90s. This was definitely going to be interesting.

As morning dawned, we were up with the sun - a full day ahead of us. I'd planned to get a couple additional stops in before lunch, and then kick off the first stage of the NMBDR by noon at the very latest.

Fantastic fog rolling over the Guadalupe range.​

Eager to get going, we skipped breakfast for the time being and pointed the Tacoma towards Sitting Bull Falls. Located not far off the first leg of the BDR, I'd wanted to make the detour as part of that leg, but was convinced that the more efficient route would be to visit the falls - and our second stop of the day, Carlsbad Caverns - prior to actually starting the official trail.

As we wound our way back along NM-137 - having seen essentially nothing in the dark the night before - we reveled in the morning sun, the yucca and agave reaching for the sky.

​

Even at our leisurely pace, it was only 8:15am or so when we arrived at the gates to Sitting Bull Falls - a few minutes before the gates opened. We ate breakfast in the shade as we waited for the NPS ranger to grant us access, our day use fee covered by our America the Beautiful Pass!

A quick hike from the parking lot - a quarter mile or so - and we reached the falls. #WorthIt.​

I nearly had to drag @mrs.turbodb away from the falls - this was, I think, one of her favorite parts of our entire journey. But drag I did, and soon we were underway again - though still towards another "distraction," rather than the BDR.

In fact, we never even made it that far. As we sped along a gravel road, I noticed a lizard scurry out of the way. This, however, wasn't just any lizard - the body shape wasn't right - and I may have stopped a bit too abruptly for my passenger. Again however, it was worth it.

Doesn't look like he's a morning guy. Little grumpy generally, perhaps.​

Finally, 90 minutes after leaving Sitting Bull Falls, we reached Carlsbad Caverns. I'd always heard that these were cool, but I really had no idea what to expect. Actually, I was a bit worried, since I'd only been able to secure one (the last) reservation to see the caves and it was going to be a bummer if only one of us could go in.

Screwing up the BDR schedule again. Oh well, adventure! ​

After waiting in line for a few minutes - it turns out that the reservation simply allows the reservation holder to reserve a ticket into the caves - we approached the NPS agent and I explained our situation and asked if there was any way for us to both go in. To our delight, not only were we both able to go in - again, for "free" with our America the Beautiful pass - but we were able to get in an hour ahead of our scheduled time! Maybe we could get back onto our BDR schedule after all. (Spoiler: nope.)

Down, down, down. The entire path through the cavern was rubberized asphalt - a pleasure to walk on.​

Goodbye daylight.​

Soon, we were in another world. A fantastic world. For nearly two-and-a-half miles we wound our way through stalagmites and stalactites - wondering if the path and lighting built nearly a century ago by the CCC would even be contemplated today, or if preservation of such a cave would win out. Surely, anyone able to visit this cave is lucky to have it in our folio of National Parks.

A brilliant hall.​

Whale's mouth.​

Cascading fountain.​

Cave bacon. (Actually called curtains.)​

Mirror Lake (note the reflected sign).​

A chandelier of stalactites.​

Sleepy dog (foreground).​

In the end, I think Carlsbad Caverns were one of the highlights of the entire trip for me. If you ever find yourself in the area, this is a must see place. Take your time as you walk through the caves, enjoy yourself. It's totally worth it. Oh, and don't forget your tripod. My shortest exposure was about 8 seconds!

Making our way back to ground level, we'd found that we'd spent nearly three hours exploring in the cool, damp caves - a great way to escape the 107°F temps outside! Now it was early afternoon and time for a quick lunch - in the shade - before our final push south towards the start of our route.

Texas is giving Utah a run for their money as far as border signs go.​

It was 4:30pm when we finally rolled into Dell City, TX - definitely not an early start to the first leg of the New Mexico BDR!

 

Looks familiar

 

Lol, this too.

 

Dell City to Ruidoso - Hot, Hot, Hot - NMBDR 1
Part of the New Mexico Backcountry Discovery Route (Jun 2021) trip.

Stage 1 of the New Mexico Backcountry Discovery Route - Dell City, TX to Ruidoso.​

It was 4:30pm when we finally rolled into Dell City, TX - definitely not an early start to the first leg of the New Mexico BDR! It'd taken us two-and-a-half days to get here, but we'd had a blast finding a few more petroglyphs in Utah, and wandering our way through Carlsbad Caverns before setting off on our primary journey.

It may appear that we've arrived to the wrong state, but of course we had to start in Texas to traverse the entirety of New Mexico.​

Dell City wasn't much to look at. This was expected - of course - as the primary criteria for a BDR start point seems to be (a) existence of fuel and (b) on the state line. Dell City definitely met those two criteria, and we topped off the tank before heading north.

That small town vibe.​

Only a minute or two and we were back in New Mexico on the first of many powerline roads.​

The first leg of the BDR - from Dell City to Ruidoso - was something over 250 miles. Quite long from a BDR stage perspective, we suspected that much of it would be nicely graded gravel roads, and we held off on airing down for the time being as we make good time on the flats of the Tularosa Valley. One of the things that stood out here to us was the proliferation of ocotillo cactus - something we've really only seen in these quantities in Anza-Borrego, previously.

Spidery plants, reaching for the sky.​

Winding our way towards the Guadalupe Mountains, we'd soon pass the campground we'd stayed at the night before.​

It took us about an hour and a half to wind our way up to NM-137 - the same highway where we'd started our day - and after our first dozen miles of pavement, we peeled off onto a road that traced Guadalupe Ridge north, our views significantly obscured by haze, clouds, and thunderstorms to our west.

We could have done without the haze closer to the ground, but the drama in the sky was fun to watch.​

Now nearing 7:00pm, we were looking for a campsite when a blooming chollo caught our eye. Highlighted by the long rays of the evening sun, we had no idea that this would be the first of thousands of vibrant chollos we'd see, so despite being hungry, tired, and hot, we got out to take a look.

Don't let the 107°F temps fool you, it's only just spring in the Guadalupe Mountains.​

Not much later we found camp. Actually, we found camp twice as the first site - with an especially breathtaking view off the edge of the rim - was infested with gnats and we opted for a site that was significantly less buggy but also a little less photogenic.

Our campsite was not quite the epitome of "function over form," but it definitely optimized on the function side of the equation.​

We made a quick dinner of tacos - as usual, a staple meal - and I deployed the tent with our heads facing east in the hope that we'd get to experience a light show at sunrise the next morning. It was probably 8:30pm when we climbed up the ladder, the temps still in the mid-90s °F; neither of us opting for covers as we enjoyed the gentle breeze blowing across our bodies.

I, for one, was asleep within minutes.

The Following Morning...

Hoping for a clearer sunrise than the hazy evening we'd experienced along Guadalupe Ridge the night before, I'd set my alarm for just right around 4:30am (well, I suppose 5:30am local time) and hit the snooze button a couple times before finally crawling my way down the ladder to an already-risen sun.

I missed sunrise, but the haze still made for some cool light as the sun climbed into the sky.​

Sure hope the whole trip isn't this hazy...​

A few photos taken, we were still pretty tired from three full days of driving and not-a-lot of sleep, so I climbed back up to bed for another couple hours of shut eye. That still got us out of the tent by 7:30am, and we ate a quick breakfast of Cheerios and blueberries as I put away the tent and @mrs.turbodb packed up the back of the Tacoma. Soon enough, we were on the road, the hilly top of Guadalupe Ridge stretching into the haze.

Not what we expected when we thought of New Mexico.​

Along the ridge.​

The road here was well graded. Piles and piles of rocks - which appeared to have been cleared by hand, as opposed to a grader - lining the sides of the road. We made good time, and a bit more comfortably, as I'd aired down while we were in camp to make the ride a bit softer.

Evolution. This well was originally pumped with a windmill, then a derrick, and today features a diesel generator powering a submersible pump.​

The road followed the undulations - away and towards the ridge - as it made its way north. There wasn't a lot to see here, given the territorial views along the top of the ridge and the haze in the valley - a bit of a bummer given that under clear conditions, we'd have been able to see more mountains in the distance, and whatever was in-between.

Pea soup.​

Finally found an angle that wasn't hazy. Can't take these photos all day though!​

Middle aged. This well still has the Aermotor from Chicago perched atop the metal base, and a gas generator was powering the derrick.​

It took us an hour-and-a-half to wrap up the ridge, civilization slowly making itself known as we reached the final miles of dirt. A few days before Independence Day weekend, there were already - and may have always been - plenty of flags waving in the breeze.

Always nice to see the stars and stripes flying as we drive by!​

Soon, we were on pavement and on our approach to the tiny town of Pinon, New Mexico. We had one final stop before reaching town, however, as I'd noticed several blooming prickly pear cactus as we'd come off of the ridge, but I hadn't wanted to slow down since I was sure there would be more, in a more convenient location. At this point, I wasn't sure, so I slammed on the brakes and hopped out of the truck to take a look. Man, it wasn't even 10:00am and it was hot!

Vibrant yellow and full of hundreds - at least - of gnats before I cleared them out for a photo.​

We have arrived. There is nothing here.​

With nothing to attract our attention in town - really, just a crossroads - we were soon on our way, still on pavement. We'd end up travelling 33 miles of the stuff, just a preview of what was to come on this trip. It was, without a doubt, the most pavement we've encountered on a BDR.

Pretty, but more pavement than we expected - especially with this being the first stage.​

Eventually, we did turn off onto the dirt again as we wiggled our way through the Lincoln National Forest - to our delight, the haze clearing a bit as our elevation climbed to 8,000 feet.

What a fabulous meadow... as long as you ignore the cows in the distance. Really though, quite beautiful.​

The dirt lasted forty-five minutes of so, and then we once again found ourselves on pavement. This time, we were on NM-6563 - the Sunspot highway - and we had a decision to make. The route followed the highway for a few miles and then peeled off - thankfully on dirt - to the west. However, if we kept going several more miles on pavement, we'd have the opportunity to visit the Apache Point and Sunspot Solar Observatories.

It's not like we had anywhere to be, so of course we opted for the side route!

A fun sign. The Sunspot Observatory has setup signs <span class="TextRun BCX8 SCXW209661778" lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US" data-contrast="auto"><span class="NormalTextRun BCX8 SCXW209661778">along the road according to their relative distance to one another, at a scale of 1:250 million.</span></span>​

At a fork in the road, we opted for the Apache Point Observatory first, and were able to wander the grounds when we arrived, though none of the telescopes were in operation - what with it being smack in the middle of the day!

The Sloan Digital Sky Survey 2.5m (shed building), and ARC .5m Small Aperture (round building) Telescopes.​

With nothing really open, we were soon on our way to the Sunspot Observatory - only a few minutes away, and clearly with a sense of humor.

Whoever was in charge of signage around here was the true hero.​

Unfortunately, the observatory and visitor center were closed on Tuesday, with the road gated about a mile before we could see anything, so we tucked tail and headed back the way we'd come - back down NM-6563 and to our turn off that would continue the BDR. Almost immediately we lost about 1,500 feet of elevation, and were right back in the thick of the haze, the forest - and whatever else was out there - fading into the distance.

For every thousand feet of elevation loss, the temps increased by 3.5°F.​

It was getting to be lunch time by this point, so as we cruised through the trees, we looked for - and eventually found - a spot with some shade, where we could be a little off the main road in case someone else came blasting through. No one did - of course - and we enjoyed our tuna sandwiches, chips, and a cold apple in the shade of a pinion pine. Then, with many more miles to go, we were back on the trail and making our way north towards High Rolls and Cloudcroft.

We were quite surprised by the landscape here; we expected desert and got what nearly seemed like California Sierras.​

Agave in full bloom!​

We hit High Rolls first, but only for a second as we turned onto the highway towards Cloudcroft. We'd been hoping to visit <span class="TextRun BCX8 SCXW1879682" lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US" data-contrast="auto"><span class="NormalTextRun BCX8 SCXW1879682">Mad Jack’s BBQ for lunch - with a </span></span><span class="TextRun BCX8 SCXW1879682" lang="EN-US" xml:lang="EN-US" data-contrast="auto"><span class="NormalTextRun BCX8 SCXW1879682">menu focuses on barbecue cuts by the pound, including angus beef ribs, pulled pork, and sandwiches, as well as the signature gut-busting Mad Jack consisting of sliced brisket, jack cheese and grilled onions and peppers (New Mexico Travel Guide) - but @mrs.turbodb discovered that they were only open Thursday through Sunday... a huge bummer.</span></span>

BBQed meats by the pound. What a bummer to miss that!​

One other thing I was excited to see however was the <span class="NormalTextRun SCXW147313263 BCX8">spectacular Cloudcroft Trestle. Also known as the Mexican Canyon Trestle, this gently curving arch is </span><span class="NormalTextRun SCXW147313263 BCX8">was built in 1890 for the on the Alamogordo and Sacramento Mountain Railroad. Promoters built the railroad to haul timber out of the mountains and carry tourists to an ornate resort hotel at Cloudcroft. Exhaustion of the wood supply forced abandonment of the line in 1947. (Echoes of the Past: New Mexico's Ghost Towns)</span>

​

Reminds me of the Goat Canyon Trestle near Anza-Borrego.​

The railroad climbed an average 5.2% grade on its way to Cloudcroft, with 122 wooden box bridges, 58 timber frame trestles and around 330 curves. Down the canyon from this point, the train had to maneuver a switchback, which required the train to travel in reverse for a portion of the track. Travelling up such steep terrain was unusual for a standard-gauge railroad and called for extreme caution by railroad workers. Train wrecks were common due to heavy loads, often slippery tracks, and weather which could wash out entire lengths of the railway.

Sweeping arc.​

​

A conductor once said, "If I go too slow I lose logs, and if I go too fast, I lose [train] cars." ​

Having explored the trestle, and with no ability to consume meat by the pound, we filled up with fuel in Cloudcroft and continued on our way - to High Rolls once again, but this time via a(nother) back route.

Along the way, we spotted a sign for u-pick cherries, and having missed our favorite u-pick at home - which started picking Bings on the same day we arrived in New Mexico - we couldn't help but stop in for a few of the tasty little morsels.

Cherries in New Mexico? Apparently, yes!​

After a quick chat with the owner, we were on our way with a couple coffee cans and fully canteens of water - it was 4:30pm and easily over 100°F at this point. The trees in the orchard were smaller than we're used to - no ladders were necessary to pick the fruit - and we'd later find out that they were only eight years old. Nevertheless, the Black Bings they contained were quite tasty, even if they were on the small side.

We were lucky that some of the fruit @mrs.turbodb picked made it into her coffee can. I can assure you that none of mine did!​

In the end, this turned out to be a fabulous stop, and we walked away with a pound of cherries at a reasonable - for being in the middle of nowhere - price. If you're ever in the area, and it's cherry season, definitely check out Cadwallader Orchards.

What an unexpected treat!​

From High Rolls, we were back on pavement for quite a while. In fact, we'd considered a side trip to White Sands National Park at this point, but with partly cloudy skies, the sun getting lower in the sky, and still having not completed the first stage of the BDR, we decided to pass. A bummer, as I later discovered that Brent @PcBuilder14 lives in Alamogordo, which we'd have passed right through!

A hungry blue burro on the side of the road.​

Instead, we continued on - finally making it to more well graded dirt, and eventually getting a few distant glimpses of the White Sands National Park. We were - both of us - ready to reach the end of the stage by this point.

Extreme trail (for stage 1 of the NMBDR).​

White Sands in the distance. I don't blame you if you can't see it.​

And then - in what wouldn't be the only time it happened on this trip - we came to a horse in the road. Of course, we're used to honking cows out of the road, but this horse looked up and saw us, and seemed to immediately think, "friends." He stood his ground as we slowly rolled up, and then as I stopped, he wandered up to sniff the front of the truck and get a sniff of my hand and a pet on the cheek. It was quite sweet, actually.

What have we here?​

Got anything for me?​

Carefully continuing on so as not to spook the horse and end up with a swift kick to the quarter panel of the Tacoma, we made our final push on dirt - if you can call it that - under cloudy skies, sun rays forcing their way through in the distance.

What's with these roads?​

A few dozen miles before the end of the stage, we hit pavement - first through the Mescalero Apache Reservation. Here, as we passed through town, the thing that caught our eye was the artwork on all of the retaining walls next to the highway. We're used to seeing graffiti, but on every single wall was a (series of) murals depicting the values of the local tribe.

Entering Apache lands.​

Refreshingly fresh and respectful roadside art. If only this were done everywhere.​

And then, 15 miles later, we reached the terminus of the stage - Ruidoso. Even with its length of 258 miles, I don't think either of us thought this stage would take an entire day, but in the end, that's exactly what it took - one of the longest legs I think we've ever run.

No question we've reached our destination.​

Already 6:30pm, it was time to start looking for camp. That meant getting out of town and into the woods - hopefully reasonably nearby - so we could make dinner and deploy the tent for a good night rest.

But even nearby campsites can be full of surprises, something we'd discover over the course of the next hour!

 

Well, the goofballs at this place didn't get the memo!



Awesome railroad trestle you found out there... I will have to hit that one someday too. Enjoying the trip report, even if the roads aren't rugged enough to throw you off schedule by day one.

 

Is that the Verry Large Array in NM or the Radio Observatory in Owens Valley? We were (ok, I was) bummed that New Mexico's VLA was still closed to visitors as we went through. I feel like for us in particular, covid hasn't had a huge impact, since we are so often just "in the middle of nowhere," and the places we do visit are usually outdoors and unaffected or just required masks. But, I suppose it gives a reason to return...

 

New Mexico has had its own problems with Covid both on and off the reservation. Friends who live out that way have been talking about the spread-not so much now. So maybe they're just being more careful?

 

This was at owens valley the other week ... haven't yet been to the VLA. But this dish is actually part of the VLBA, one of ten 25 meter dishes sprinkled around the world, run by the NRAO out of Socorro.

Still no public tours being offered here either. Hard to blame them though, covid aside, I briefly worked at a radio telescope and it was a magnet for idiots and conspiracy theorists.

So I was just parked at the locked gate, wearing a tinfoil hat and shouting at it, when it jumped to life.

A theme of our summer trips so far: unless it's public land or a for-profit place, public tours are still suspended. (And most of the former is quickly catching fire!)

 

Oh, I mean, I don't mind the closing for covid bit - makes total sense to me until this thing is totally under control. It was just interesting to me that in all our travels (over 60K miles of Tacoma driving since this whole thing started), this was one of the first times (on the road) that we were actually impacted. That was the crazy bit to me.

I didn't realize you could get so close to the Owen's Valley ones on public land. I'll have to go check them out next time I'm down there, even if they aren't moving. I've only seen them from 395 to date.

This winter is going to be interesting... I have my "always there" urge to get to DV as much as I can, but having "discovered" Owens last winter... now I have to make choices.

 

@turbodb , how's sleeping at night time in the sweltering heat ?