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May 18 - June 14 Trip to New Mexico, Arizona & Colorado Review:
We arrived home Sunday, June 19, 2008 after 29 days on the road. The trip was a huge success with those accompanying us pleasantly surprised by the diversity of our primary riding destinations and the trip in general. One gentleman said "the trip far exceeded all expectations" and everyone agreed that each stop eclipsed the previous one with regard to the beauty of the surroundings and the experience found there.
We arrived at Valle Tio Vinces about 90 miles west of Socorro, NM on the Continental Divide at an altitude of 8240 feet on Thursday afternoon May 22 after having been on the road for five days (four days of driving with a day of rest on the third day in Arkansas). We were greeted the next morning with approximately 7 inches of snow, which fell during the night. It was fluffy and beautiful and we used it as an excuse to rest until mid-afternoon, when we went for a short 5 - 6 mile ride in the snow. This also gave the horses a chance to rest most of the day and gave them another day to become accustomed to the altitude with the easy ride providing just enough exercise to loosen them up after the trip. The second day most of the snow had melted and we made a nice loop to the southeast down a valley and up to a ridge joining a portion of the trail we had ridden the previous day for a short distance before making another swing north of camp, where we saw elk and mule deer. The third day we rode a portion of the Continental Divide Scenic Trail up to about 9200 feet and made a loop back to camp seeing elk, deer and a fox along the way. The views from the top of the San Augustine Plains were dramatic and all agreed that it was "the best ride yet".
We then traveled to Aeroplane Mesa Campground (AKA Harleyville) near the Gila Wilderness Area and the Middle Fork of the Gila River on Monday, May 26 where we enjoyed camping at an altitude of 8000 feet and riding up to 9000 feet for the following three days. The first day we rode out of camp to the south, crossed into the Wilderness, crossed Aeroplane Mesa, dropped into the Middle Fork of the Gila River Basin and rode up stream for several miles before climbing out and circling back to camp. Everyone was thrilled with the experience and the 500-foot descent into the river basin was challenging enough to get the juices flowing with the climb out requiring several stops to "let the horses blow". The second day we rode a more leisurely ride to the north through a mixture of Ponderosa Pines, Pinon Juniper and grass lands where Harley, our wrangler, will be tending approximately 3000 head of cattle this summer and early fall. The third day we rode Southwest out of Camp, dropped into the Middle Fork and rode up stream to Snow Lake. It was a beautiful ride with lunch in one of the prettiest settings I have ever enjoyed, shaded by huge cottonwoods in the forks of the Middle Fork and Iron Creek with beautiful grass so green it was almost blue. We hauled the horses back to camp from Snow Lake in order to conserve the energy of both the horses and the riders for another day and agreed that it was "the best ride yet". We saw elk and mule deer each day while in the Gila.
On Friday, May 30 we traveled through the Petrified Forest and the Painted Desert en route to the Canyon de Chelly in Chinle, Arizona, where we met our Dineh (Native American) guides and prepared for a different kind of experience over the next two days. The Canyon de Chelly is a beautiful site rich in Native American history and we appreciated the sincerity of the guides and our host at the campground. It was obvious that they are people proud of their heritage with a very enlightened view of humanity. They explained that the Spanish named them the Navajo, but that they consider themselves Dineh, which means "the people", believing that all people are related. It was obvious that they held the Canyon de Chelly in high regard revering the Canyon as having been a spiritual center of their ancestors for thousands of years. The Anasazie ruins with petroglyphs, and pictographs made all feel rather insignificant and the ride while less challenging was historically interesting with very unique scenery.
We departed Canyon de Chelly on Monday, June 2 for Palisades Campground (8400 feet) near the Weminuche Wilderness Area north of Pagosa Springs, CO.. We were literally surrounded by beautiful snow-covered peaks, aspen and spruce. The first day we rode north into the Weminuche Wilderness encountering increasing levels of snow and downed trees (evidence of the record snow fall during the winter of 2008) before turning to ride on the mountain sides and valley around Williams Lake, an idyllic scene...green meadows with the surrounding snow covered peaks and rock outcroppings and plenty of game including chipmunks, mule deer and elk. The second day we made a loop out of the Poison Park Trailhead crossing a beautiful rushing stream several times and encountering numerous mule deer. The Ranger said the trailhead parking lot was covered with about 16 feet of snow 6 - 7 weeks before we arrived. On the third day the group hauled down to the Piedra Stock Trail, rode the Piedra Stock Trail down Trail Creek to the Piedra River and back up to the Piedra Trail head where we hauled back to camp. It was the general consensus that this was "the best ride yet".
On Friday, June 6th, we moved to the Chama River Basin at the Archuleta Trailhead just across the border in Colorado above Chama, NM at an altitude of 8,800 feet. Once again we were surrounded by snow covered peaks, spruce and more aspen, a beautiful rushing stream and a green valley which provided nourishment to the numerous (20 -40) elk and mule deer which were apparent each morning and afternoon from 250 to 500 yards from camp. The first day we rode up to approximately 9500 feet (where snow was becoming increasingly abundant) seeing a beautiful waterfall that dropped several hundred feet, numerous rushing streams and more elk and mule deer along the way before beginning to work our way back down to camp. The second day the group rode up the Chama River Valley to an old cabin and gained a better view of the waterfall before looping back to camp. All agreed that it was "the best ride yet" and lamented that we were scheduled to depart for home the next morning.
We left the Chama River Basin with considerable reluctance knowing that we were going to miss the cool air, the lack of insects, all of the beautiful scenery, Leah's food, Harley's dry humor and one another. The reality is that we would be glad to spend more time at any of these locations, especially those in the mountains at altitude where it is cooler and that all of the "best rides" were exceptional.
In fact, I think everyone in attendance recognized that we were fortunate to be visiting increasingly beautiful locations with the assistance of a great staff. They appreciated Leah Jones and her grand daughters, Mary Beth & Grace, who did an excellent job of providing our nutritional support in New Mexico, Arizona and Colorado. The food, which was varied and expertly prepared from all fresh ingredients, was enjoyed by all. Also, everyone appreciated my friend Harley Paul and his grandson, Dexter who did an excellent job as wranglers, accommodating everyone's needs in camp and on the trail. As a matter of fact, I think all would agree that all of those who assisted us on this adventure, as Harley would say with that infectious smile, were "perfect".
It should be noted that we had several non-riders on the trip. Of course, they enjoyed the scenery, but they also enjoyed hiking, fishing, riding the narrow gage railroad through the mountains above Chama and could have gone kayaking if they had chosen to do so. Also, it may be assumed that all enjoyed the shopping at various venues along the way, especially for the Native American/Southwestern jewelry.
Note: We were not permitted to visit the Argentina-Bonita/White Mountain Wilderness location in the Lincoln National Forest above Ruidoso, NM as planned; because of the drought conditions in the area and the associated risk of wild fire, which resulted in the closure of the Lincoln National Forest by the US Forest Service. The Valle Tio Vinces on the Continental Divide Scenic Trail was an alternative stop chosen to replace the White Mountain Wilderness stop and it worked well.