NEW MEXICO
Photos
US Interstate 25 (Mile Marker 90)
US I-25 runs north from Las Cruces to Exit 300, intersecting US I-90, Exit 56B, just northeast of Buffalo, Wyoming.
August 2000
US Interstate 25 (Mile Marker 114)
August 2000
US Interstate 25 (Mile Marker 114)
Paraje De Fra Cristóbal: The mountain range seen along the east bank of the Rio Grande is named after Father Cristóbal de Salazar of the 1598 Juan de Oñate expedition. An encampment at the northern edge of the mountain, whose profile is said to resemble that of the good friar, was a place of rest for caravans on the Camino Real as they entered or exited the Jornada del Muerto.
August 2000
US Interstate 25 (Mile Marker 114)
Espejo's Expedition on the Camino Real: In 1582 and 1583, Antonio de Espejo and his party paralleled the Rio Grande north to the Bernalillo area. He was trying to learn the fate of two Franciscan friars who had stayed with the Pueblo Indians after the Rodriguez-Sanchez Chamuscado expedition returned to Mexico in 1581.
August 2000
US Interstate 25 Rest Area (Mile Marker 114)
Mesa Del Contadero: The Chihuahua Trail passed by the large volcanic mesa on the east bank of the Rió Grande, marking the northern end of the Jornada del Muerto (Journey of the Dead Man). "Contadero" means "the counting place," or a narrow place where people and animals must pass through one-by-one. The Jornada del Muerto was named by the Spanish because of the countless travelers who lost their lives along the 100 miles of desert between the Paraje de Fra Cristóbal to the north and the Paraje Robledo to the south. This route was also utilized by the American Army, the confederates in 1862, and the railroad in 1881.
Magdalena Mountains, to the northwest, and San Mateo Mountains, to the west, are mainly thick piles of volcanic rocks. San Andrés Mountains on southeast horizon are of older limestones and shales. Elevation: 4,810 feet.
August 2000
US Interstate 25 (Mile Marker 127)
April 2000
US Interstate 25 (Mile Marker 128)
April 2000
US Interstate 25 (Mile Marker 167) - West Side Rest Area (sometimes the DAV offers coffee)
April 2000
US Interstate 25 (Mile Marker 167)
April 2000
Rio Salado Sand Dunes: Sand blown northeastward from normally dry bed of Rio Salado forms dunes along this part of Rio Grande Valley. Rio Grande is in deep down-dropped trench with uplifted Los Pinos Mountains to east and Ladron Mountains to northwest. Rocks on crest of Ladrons are 4 miles deep below sand dunes. Elevation 4,850 feet.
Sevileta-Campbell Foundation: The 228,000 acres of desert plains grassland surrounding this area were once a major portion of the Sevilleta de La Joya Land Grant, bequeathed to Spanish settlers in 1819 by the King of Spain. This vast area is bounded on the east by the Los Pinos (the pines) Mountains, which rise to a height of 7,000 feet. The west boundary is marked by the 9,000 foot Sierra Ladrones. This name is Spanish for "mountain of thieves" and refers to their 19th century use by bandits and horse thieves. According to legend, the mountains still contain hidden gold treasures.
In 1936, Thomas D. Campbell bought the property from the County of Socorro. In 1973, in memory of Thomas D. Campbell, 220,000 acres of the Sevilleta were donated to the citizens of the United States by the Campbell Family Foundation, with the assistance of The Nature Conservancy as a natural area and wildlife sanctuary to be held forever in its natural state dedicated to ecological and wildlife research in a natural environment.
The property was conveyed to the United States of America to be administered by the US Fish and Wildlife Service as part of the National Wildlife Refuge System. Named Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, this area is being managed as a natural area for a variety of plants and animals and for scientific research and study by educational institutions and conservation agencies. The gift, the largest grant of land ever bestowed upon the Service, was recognized by a special citation from Secretary of the Interior, Kleppe, in December, 1975.
US Interstate 25 (Mile Marker 167)
April 2000
US Interstate 25 (Mile Marker 167) - East Side Rest Area
April 2000
Acomilla: The Camino Real wound its way below the black basaltic buttes of San Acacia, seen to the southeast. Named Acomilla, or Acomita (little Acoma) by the Spanish, these buttes form the walls of a narrow passage for the Rio Grande, along which hostile Apache frequently waited in ambush. Travelers had to organize into well-armed caravans to assure their safety along this section of the Camino Real.
US Interstate 25 (Mile Marker 174) - Polvadera Peak (Ladron Mountains)
March 2000
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