Driving Around Northeast New Mexico

First, we need to fill our propane tank.  According to its reading, we have 11 percent.  We the propane tank on September 17 in New Mildord, Pennsylvania. Since mid September, Eric and I have been boondocking, except four nights,September 26 through 29.

Nighttime lows in southern Colorado and northern New Mexico have been in the high 30s and low 40s Fahrenheit during our 12 nights sleeping in parking lots and pull offs without hook ups.  Add a blustery day of solid rain with the thermometer not budging from the low 40s, and our propane is dwindling... fast.

We drive east through the
Sangre de Cristo
Mountains.







There are numerous pull offs along US Route 64.

Our route twists & turns

through the mountains.

This part of our drive, with curves and switchbacks, reminds me of the Sea to Sky Highway in British Columbia.

The elevation on our route
rises to over 9,000 feet.







Eric pulls over, when he can, to let those driving behind us pass.

What goes up does come down.  We start our descent.

This pull off is next to a

guide rail....

It's a long way down.

We descend into Moreno
Valley & pass Angel Fire
RV Resort.

Eric pulls into Monte

Verde RV Park.

We get 21 gallons of
propane at $3.00
per gallon.

Horses graze near

the road.

Wheeler Peak is the tallest
mountain in New Mexico,
at 13,161 feet above
sea level.

We enter Cimarron

Canyon State Park.

Cliffs tower over
US Route 64.

East of the park is the

Village of Cimarron,

Where the West is

Still the West.

We turn east onto
New Mexico Route 58.

A group of Pronghorn Antelope
enjoy the sun on the open plain.

The plan is to stay at a
pull off near Springer.







It's just after 2:00 pm, so we continue our drive.  I follow today''s drive on the New Mexico map in the Rand McNally Road Atlas.

After turning onto New Mexico

 Route 39 South, I look for Kiowa

National Grasslands signs.

We must be driving in the

grasslands.

There are no road signs for the

Kiowa National Grasslands.

This portion of New Mexico is desolate. We are all alone here.  I haven't seen a car since we turned onto New Mexico Route 39 South.

There aren't any roadside pull offs to stop at.  Eric is happy to keep driving.

Mosquero is proud of

their school sports teams,

the Pirates.

We drove an extra 60 miles,

or so, to find a roadside pull off

that we can to spend the night in.

We are parked next to a cell tower, yet

have no cell or data tonight.

Tomorrow, we drive to Tucumcari.