Louisville Library, Colorado
The road from Clayton Lake State Park, NM370, was mainly dirt & gravel - for 35 miles. And NM456 was also unpaved until I got closer to the Oilahoma border. These were the first houses I saw after leaving Clayton Lake SP except for a few isolated farm houses.
There was a fairly new NMDOT Maintenance Facility at the bottom of the hill from which I took both the above shot as well as this one; however, it appears to have been closed for at least 2 years. Not sure if the NDOT plows the road down to the upper end of the Cimarron River (Bed) or not. The nearest big town in Oklahoma is Boise City, a considerable distance away.
"Black Mesa is a basalt-capped plateau formed by the flow of an ancient volcano. It is about 45 miles long and extends from Colorado, where it is know as the 'Mesa de Maya,' through New Mexico to just inside the northwest tip of the Oklahoma panhandle," according to "Black Mesa Nature Preserve" brochure I picked up at the Capulin Volcano Natl Monument.
This shot shows Black Mesa in New Mexico.
Not too far from the Oklahoma border NM356 is paved; the route number in Oklahoma is 325.
This shot, taken on a Sunday well after services ended, was of Black Mesa from the Kenton Methodist Curch and presumably includes the highest point in the state of Oklahoma, 4973', which is marked by a native granite monument.
McNees Crossing on the Cimarron, named for young John McNees, who was killed by Comanches at the spot where the Cimarron Cutoff of the Santa Fe crossed the Cimarron River. An even more experienced traveler died on his first attempt to use the Cimarron Cutoff. His name: Jeddediah Smith. [See links below.]
Rabbit Ear Mountain as seen by travelers on the Santa Fe Trail. See the post immediately below for a view from US64/US87 on the opposite side.
Links:
- History of the Santa Fe Trail in New Mexico
- Wikipedia article on the Santa Fe Trail
- Wikipedia biography of Jedediah Smith
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Th 23 May Actual Route: Lafayette W/M - Boulder Carnegie Local History Museum - Louisville Lib - Lafayette W/M
F 24 May Actual Route: Lafayette W/M - Louisville Museum - Louisville Lib - Frederick - Platteville - Greeley W/M
Su 26 May Actual Route: Greeley W/M - Greeley Br Lib - Ft Morgan W/M
M 27 May Actual Route: Ft Morgan W/M - Ft Morgan Lib
T 28 May Actual Route: Ft Morgan W/M - Ft Morgan Lib - New Raymer - Ault Lib - Fort Collins - Harmony Rd W/M
W 29 May Actual Route: Harmony Rd W/M - CO Visitor Ctr - Council Tree Br Lib - Harmony Rd W/M
Th 30 May Actual Route: Harmony Rd W/M - Council Tree Br Lib - Cheyenne, WY, Main Lib - Cheyenne W/M - Chugwater - Wheatland - Jcn WY34 & US30/287 bd
F 31 May Actual Route: Jcn WY34 & US30/287 bd - Laramie W/M - Laramie Lib - Rawlins McDonalds - Truck Stop bd
Sa 1 Jun Actual Route: Rawlins Truck Stop bd - Rawlins P.O. - Rawlins Lib Pk Lot - RV World CG
Su 2 Jun Route: RV World CG - Rawlins Lib Pk Lot
Finding Campgrounds:
- RV Campgrounds from TrailerLifeDirectory.com
- Family Camping Directories from Woodalls.com
- Free campsites website
- Info on finding BLM Campgrounds
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