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Published: November 13th 2018
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From Flagstaff I could not bear to drive home on Interstate Hwy 40. The weather is getting colder here in late September and snow is possible. I drove US Hwy 64 across Northern New Mexico especially to see the Rio Grande Gorge, in the BLM (Bureau of Land Management). I think now part of that is a NM State Park.
It was cold and raining in New Mexico. When I got to Tierra Amarilla on US 64 it was snowing fairly hard. I had enough driving for the day and would look for an emergency camp when I reach the Carson National Forest.
When camping in the back country, it is best to plan on anything especially bad weather. The paved US 64 had not frozen yet but the driving in the snow was bad. It looked worse for the cowboy riding a horse in the snow by the highway. I feel that cowboy was hardy enough to get to his destination.
I got to the first Carson National Forest sign by a FS road and made my emergency camp there for the night.
The next morning I made a stop at a nice emergency camp in
tall trees a few miles West of Tres Piedras. Most people go East on US Hwy 64 to see the Rio Grande Gorge. They have large parking lots on both sides of the bridge with BLM facilities. There is also a walking bridge across the gorge for a great view. (Been there, done that.) I wanted to drive the bottom of the gorge that had been closed for about a decade. (no pics)
I drove South from Tres Piedras on US Hwy 285, then East on New Mexico Hwy 567. I passed the small town of Carson, NM and quickly got to the BLM (Bureau of Land Management) for their trail down the switch-backs down the Rio Grande Gorge where the Sangre De Christo Mts can be seen in the distance from the top of the Gorge.
In the 1980s there was a big scenic overlook with parking on the West Rim of the Rio Grande Gorge. (now gone)
The BLM road down to the Rio Grand Gorge, and river, was a good dirt road that I liked to drive. I crossed the river on their new bridge and drove South, by the river, on a paved
US Hwy 64
cowboy in the snow road. I made stops at the small parking areas and got out to enjoy the Rio Grand River at the bottom of the gorge. There were nice inexpensive BLM camp grounds near the Rio Grande River bridge that I passed cuz I planned to camp in the trees of the Carson N Forest in the Sangre De Christo Mts.
So, in the 1980s things were very different at the Rio Grande Gorge. Everything was free including camping. (Thats OK.) There was a third access, NM Hwy 570 from the Rio Grande bridge up Rio Pueblo De Taos, and on to the City of Taos. Later they had a hudge avalanche that permenatly closed and burried NM 570 in large rocks and boulders. Then a flash flood took out the old concrete bridge over the Rio Grande River. New Mexico closed the three access routes to help with their construction repairs. I had not been back there for over 12 years, so I do not know when the roads re-opened.
Finally at Pilar, NM I took NM 75 to get to my camp in the mountains by a small river by NM 518; and I was off to a
US Hwy 64
cowboy in the snow new adventure in my last camp in New Mexico.
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