New Mexico Road Trip Jason Arsenault

By Jason Arsenault ew Mexico is a big state with lots of diversity. When you are from our area you get used to seeing mountains, mesas, desert, and the influence of Native American cultures. Once you drive east, it is amazing how much things change. You start to see these wide-open areas free of any mountains in the distance and the grass grows better and a little greener. This is ranching country and names like Bell Ranch, Maxwell Ranch, John Chisum, and Lew Wallace are names kids start hearing about at an early age. This is where the cowboys come from. You might say the most famous New Mexico cowboy of them all comes from these lands, Billy the Kid.

Fort Sumner is the burial place of Billy the Kid, if you don’t believe in the tale of Brushy Bill Roberts. This is where you also want to be so you can visit the museum dedicated to the life and death of Billy the Kid. Fort Sumner is

New Mexico Road Trip

also associated with the Long Walk and could be of interest for that reason alone. It is an N easy drive, mostly interstate highway, but it is a long one. You will be driving for about 4 ½ hours and might want to think about camping or finding a hotel; turning it into a two-day trip. Once you are in the town of Fort Sumner you are going to be pleasantly surprised. Small cafes and a real hometown feel welcomes you. Plus, you know, that this is Billy the Kid country. You will find him marketing the town on billboards as you drive in. You can visit his grave site and then receive your history lesson at the museum. If you are a fan of cowboy history and the old west this museum is for you. The museum has an extensive gun collection, saddles, western memorabilia and fascinating articles. Once you take the tour, if you are still wanting to learn more, the gift shop has some hard-to-find books on the subject. Just like the landscape, New Mexico has a lot to offer, get out there.

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STRAWBERRY TRAILHEAD Strawberry, Tampico Springs & Mike’s Rippin

the ups:

Each of these are individual trails but you really use them all together. Strawberry is always lots of fun on the ups because of the nice gradual switch backs. Tampico presents a little steeper terrain with some impressive views of the Zuni Mountains. You are eventually brought back to the National Forest’s fire tower.

the downs:

The name says it all, kind of. It is a fun trail you connect into at the fire tower to bring you back to the trailhead. You will not find an extended downhill but instead this rolling terrain that allows you to pick up speed. Tampico Springs and Mike’s Rippin are a work in progress and do require a little fence jumping.