Ladron Peak area Exploratory Ride . . February 4, 2023

We had 14 4x4's gather up at Love's Truck Stop in Belen, NM. Nice weather all day. Airing down at I-25 and Hwy 60 intersection, we met William Crawley from Datil, NM. 

Off we went for a dusty ride on CR 12. This route goes north around Ladron Peak. We took a road off of this route to go over close to the base of Ladron Peak to see an old abandoned ranch house.

Back onto CR 12 and down into Riley, NM. I stopped, for a few moments, and talked to an old man and he said he had lived in this area for 91 years!!

We went into the back country for a nice lunch break and explored rugged roads on BLM and NF lands, ending up at a beautiful box canyon with a running stream of water falling down the cliffs.

Back to Riley via arroyos and dirt roads. We spent a little while exploring the ruins of Riley Ghost town. We were running late and had to drive back down CR 12 in the dark and dust. Dodging a few cows, too. The full Moon was beautiful. A good day all around.