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This herd of New Mexico pronghorn antelope seem surprised to see a tourist so early in the morning (first rays of morning light). After driving NM highway 72 in the dark and passing through the almost deserted town of Folsom, New Mexico - - they were a welcome greeting committee to me.

I found a great place to camp as I left Utah and entered Colorado. It was called the Lower Piedra River campground. It was a mile dirt road trip up the river off a two lane asphalt highway. Peace and tranquility under the pines, next to the river, and just a mile off the "beaten path".

My plans were to drive to Colorado's Great Sand Dune park, camp there and hike there in the evening and early in the morning.

I took my time making the drive over to the sand dunes. Stopped in Monte Vista, Colorado to read my Mind of the Raven book, while i did laundry (hoping I wouldn't screw up the job, and have to confess to my wife, why I now owned a pair of pink blue jeans).

Things changed at the Great Sand Dunes. A strong wind storm came up; there were more tourists than I could imagine; the campground was full early; and the only camping available required high clearance four wheel drive travel and I had O.D.'d on rough dirt road travel at Nine Mile Canyon in Utah.

So, I took some photos at the Great Sand Dunes and promptly bailed out. I chose a route that I had never traveled before (always a strong draw for me), called Cuchara Pass in S.E. Colorado.

The road started at La Veta, Colorado and ended up over at Trinidad, Colorado. I had plenty of daylight and the map showed LOTS (yeah right), of campgrounds along Cuchara Pass (Colorado highway 12)..

Well the drive was spectacular but campground were closed and I just didn't end up stopping. The campground at Trinidad (state park), was a joke in deplorable condition, so I drove well into the night to Raton, New Mexico. Here I found an "overflow" (their campground was full too) camp, at Sugarite. It was a cold windy night but I slept well.

With me predilection for visiting historic places and driving back road highways (especially those I have never before driven) - - I decided to head for Folsom, New Mexico. Why? Because in college I remember studying the Folsom points and Clovis points of ancient man in North America, so I wanted to see where they found some of these points.

Trouble is I woke up long before dawn and since "breaking camp" consisted of shifting from my bed in the back of the pickup truck to the driver's seat, that is what I did. I headed toward Folsom, New Mexico under the stars.

Nevada says their highway 50 is the "loneliest road in America". They are wrong. Highway 72 between Raton and Folsom, New Mexico is the loneliest road.

The only vehicle(s) I would see was like a segment out of the Twilight Zone. Three big rigs (cattle haulers), were parked on a high plateau, with their engines running, stopped in the highway, with all their tractor and trailer lights on. They were in the oncoming lane, and I thought I was coming upon a UFO, parked for the night in the outback of New Mexico.

Well folks (this story is almost done), I got into Folsom, New Mexico - - just before sunrise (it was pretty darned dark actually). Oh how I would have liked to of walked the streets and take photos in the early morning light, but God gave me no patience, so I hopped out of my pickup truck and took some eerie photos of the old abandoned (half in town fitted that description) buildings in Folsom.

What seemed even more surreal, is that there were several homes (no lights on) around the main street, and it must have been odd to see a pickup truck with Washington plates, parked in town, engine running, while some odd old guy with a camera, ran around town taking flash photos. Not one light came on. Not one dog barked.

Got to go see Folsom, New Mexico another day (and see what highway 72 looks like in the light of day). Dawn came and hundreds of pronghorn antelope stared at me as I drove toward Texas.

OldManTravels - Road Trip May 9 -21, 2009
Washington-Idaho-Montana-Wyoming-Utah-Colorado-New Mexico-Texas
Oklahoma-Kansas-Nebraska-Wyoming-Montana-Idaho-Washington

WA: Palouse Falls - Starbuck. ID: Lolo Pass. MT: Gallatin River.
WY: Yellowstone National Park - Jackson Hole - Togwotee Pass - Wind River - Popo Agie River - Sinks Canyon - South Pass. UT: Green River & Flaming Geyser dam - Myton to Wellington [Nine Mile Canyon petroglyph] - Arches National Park [Double “O” arch hike] - Cedar Mesa [Road Canyon cliff dwelling hikes]. CO: Piedra River -Treasure Falls - .Wolf Creek Pass - Great Sand Dunes National Park - Cuchara Pass. NM: Raton to Folsom on highway 72. TX: Quail to Wellington. OK & KA: passing through & family visit. NE: North Platte River.
WY: Guernsey Oregon Trail wagon ruts - highway 270 -Devil’s Tower
MO, ID & WA: passing through on way home.

The photographs in this set were taken on a two week “road

Here you go dreamscape,Gert with a little fiberglass and bondo is as good as new.There's a few empty 22,410 and 223 shells on the floor boards,the power door-locks don't function anymore,the seat is a little warn from my fat butt,LOL,300,000 miles and 9 years of backroading, being charged by a moose which left a few dents here and there on the passenger side, outside of that she's cherry.LOLTell me that isn't a truck with character.:P