That’s about what it averaged, eight miles in a little over an hour.
Sometimes I want to get out into the boonies real bad, but there isn’t time to make it a big project. That’s when the forest roads beckon. I took one today after lunch and followed the Rio Grande del Rancho — which flows through the Talpa valley just below where we live — as far back into the mountains as time would allow. I gave myself an arbitrary turnaround time of 4:00 p.m., which delivered me back to our rented adobe in time to drive to Sonic Drive-In for our supper. I know, I know… but there are some times when all a man can think is, “Jesus, I need some onion rings and a bacon cheeseburger!” — and this was one of them. There’s just something about crashing along a rocky road miles from anywhere that generates a craving for fried food. Trust me.
At one point I surprised a couple of blue grouse beside a huge ponderosa pine. One of them flew up into a tree about 15 feet away and just sat there, cooperating long enough for me to change lenses and get a nice close-up, which you’ll see later this week at FotoFeed. That was pretty hilarious. A little farther down the road, I discovered the quintessential beaver dam and pond, also slated for a FotoFeed slot in a day or two.
The photo above shows a section of the road that’s halfway decent. There were some other stretches that need dynamiting to smooth them out, definitely 1st-gear territory. Heading into the back country in an ’87 Ford F-150 is always something of a leap of faith, but then, why not? It hasn’t ever broken down and left me stranded. I’ll tell you what I do think about, however: tires… What I have on there now are oversized 6-ply macho truck tires that have never failed, although you have to wonder, considering the pounding and banging over all those sharp rocks and deep petrified mud ruts.
No problems, though, so here I am.
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Nice find – I love those forest roads off 518 back there. Thats where I went to chop firewood last winter. Might be time for a summer trip up there in the Jeep.
Have you driven up the Rio Chiquito road? That one goes all the way up to over 10,000 feet, then drops back down and lands you on another paved road back to town. But there were at least two really awful stretches there the last time I tried it, looked like a mastodon wallow or something.
I haven’t done that one – where does it start?
Jeez John….just to have such options available to you WHENEVER….is enough to make me wish even MORE that we lived there….SIMPLE Pleasures for Sure…But GOD do they make Life worth living!!! Once again….and I hate to say Envious….as I am happy for you – just wish I had your options…..Thanks for sharing though…..I will settle for living vicariously for now….HA
Steve
Tomorrow morning my hubby and I are heading to El Norte for five days. Time to re-charge my soul and my senses. I hear it’s green chile roasting time! Portland, Oregon is beautiful, but…
It’s all about population density. If you want to be able to run down to Office Depot twice a week, you can’t have deserted forest roads.
There is no workaround for this.
You’re right, John. That’s why we’re checking out some available acreage in densely populated places like Medanales and Abiquiu. Any good digs in Dixon?
Dixon is a gem. Reminds me of a village in Vermont, except it’s not.
Flannel shirts, organic gardeners, potters, almost no stores. No vistas there — it’s in a canyon — but the river is beautiful. Lots of trees, very peaceful feeling.
Yo, David! Got distracted and couldn’t get back to you: the Rio Chiquito road is actually Forest Road 437, the first left (north turn) heading out of Talpa. It winds around, goes up and up, passes some gorgeous meadows and such, eventually passing Garcia Park (another huge meadow) at around 9,500 ft, then up a little more before dropping down into Valle Escondido. From there you take 64 back to town.
I just saw the Valle end of it, as went up to Angel Fire this morning. How bizarre – might have to give it a shot in the Jeep.
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