The High Road Across New Mexico - US64

Where We Were at Wal-Mart in Taos    Bob started the engine as I sat myself down in the passenger seat and fastened my seat belt.  We had gone over the departure checklist together and after paying attention to one last detail, we were ready to leave the Wal-Mart parking lot bordering US68 in Taos, New Mexico.  I had the computer up and running in front of me with Streets and Trips squarely showing our route towards Farmington.  Even our Garmin had been programmed to show us the way.   As Bob stepped on the gas and inched our home to the exit driveway, I asked him, "Do you know which way to turn?"  "I turn right", he answered.  "Yes, turn right", I said.   Well, we were a few blocks down the road on hwy 68 heading West (I just knew Farmington was West), when I noticed on the computer screen that the little red arrow indicating our position was getting farther and farther away from the green line on the computer screen showing our route.  Apparently, we were going the WRONG WAY.  We wanted to go West on US64, but in order to get there, we had to go East a ways on US68.   We were quickly leaving Taos without any opportunity to turn around.  Bob turned left on what appeared to be the last road available before our being on the long road back to Santa Fe.  We found ourselves on SR518 headed for the mountains and the Carson National Forest.  Good luck finding a place to turn around.  After a few @ # $ % ^ &; *, we calmed down and enjoyed the scenery for about 5 miles, when all of a sudden a pass-through side road to the right side presented itself and Bob was able to u-turn maneuver the rig.    We got ourselves going in the right direction and relaxed as soon as we passed through historic Taos on a very narrow road with little clearance from the historic structures.     Downtown Historic Taos   Soon we were committed to the 2 lane desolate US64.  There was no shoulder and in some places the right side boundary white line marker disappeared as the asphalt dropped away.  This could be problematic for an 8' wide vehicle if conditions persisted in the higher altitudes coupled with steep drop-offs.   US64 Towards the High Country of Northern New Mexico   It turned out that the road in the higher elevations was pretty good and we were very comfortable in this beautiful high country with no other vehicles in sight.  With all the bare naked (Nina I wonder if "naked" will work for me?) trees lining the highway, we could only imagine how beautiful it must have been several weeks ago.    Beautiful US64 Showing Some Snow, and Bare Naked Trees, but no Traffic     The higher we climbed, the more snow appeared and the absence of other vehicles was positively noted.   We decided that US64 was a pretty good secret, and we were glad we had chosen this route.   Snow in the Higher Elevations Supported our Decision to Extend Our Stay in Cimarron Canyon   After a few hours, we were ready for a break and welcomed this rest stop at 10,508'.  We assumed we were at Brazos Summit as per this For-Sale sign advertising the sale of Brazos Summit Ranch.    Brazos Summit Ranch for Sale - Rest Stop at the Summit   We had a beautiful view as we enjoyed an early lunch at one of the cabana covered picnic tables complete with hanging icicles.  (What a silly square-head hat!)       It was all downhill from Brazos Summit.  Eventually we found Navajo Lake State Park at the end of NM511 - a very long 15 miles on a non-maintained state road about 50 miles east of Farmington.  Narrow, bumpy, and full of deep potholes, it jolted us into a few more @ # $ % ^ & * as we tried somewhat unsuccessfully to retain our composure.    All is well that ends well as we found a desirable campsite with electric and water and a view of the gorgeous lake down below.       As of this writing on Sunday, we have yet to explore the area.  Navajo Lake is the 2nd largest lake in New Mexico, has 2 marinas, and a number of campgrounds.  Several of the campgrounds are closed for the winter, but Pine Campground (where we are) near the Pine Marina is open all year.  It has campsites with electricity and water for $14 and those without utilities are $10.    On this cool and cloudy Sunday we are truly enjoying Being Where We Are.  Football and NASCAR have dominated the day.  Life is good.