The Quebradas Back Country Byway is a 24 mile unpaved road through desert wilderness. This is a great drive for anyone with even the mildest interest in geology. There are banded rock formations, limestone, sandstone, red and purple shale, and varied colorful soils. To get to Quebradas, exit I-25 at Escondida, just north of Socorro*. Turn east through the tunnel under the interstate and follow the frontage road to the turn for Escondida Lake. Go past the lake (actually a large puddle stocked with fish) and cross the Rio Grande. At Pueblito (a handful of dwellings) turn right and head south for about a mile. When you come to the fork in the road, go left. Look for the Byway signs, this is where it officially starts (note your odometer for a side trip later on). To most people this area seems pretty barren, yet it teems with a wide variety of wildlife. The Quebradas area is home to everything from longhorn cattle, jackrabbits, mule deer, bobcats and porcupines to ground squirrels, red-tailed hawks and a variety of snakes (plus many more, but I'm trying not to bore you- aren't I wonderful?). A few people have claimed to see aliens and UFOs out there. I didn't see either, but then again, I wasn't on my eighth straight hour in the sun and on my 17th beer like they were. Due out for summer 2008 is a geologic guide brochure available from the BLM Socorro Field Office to take along on the drive. The road will have numbered markers coinciding with the brochure so you can read about what you are seeing. This Byway is a maintained road but does cross several washes and arroyos that can contain ruts, small boulders and sandy patches. A truck or SUV with reasonable clearance is recommended. In my younger days I skillfully (and somewhat brutally) plowed my way across these washes, sometimes leaving the ground all together for a bit, in a Chevy Nova, my first car. The Nova took the abuse, but I wouldn't try it in a recently made car. Although you're never too far from Socorro, Quebradas feels extremely remote, which can be either exhilarating or mildly terrifying, depending on your point of view. It definitely makes you appreciate what people went through in the past as they passed through this area on horseback and even on foot. I like to stop at several places along the Byway and take short hikes through various rocky canyons.
An interesting side trip along the Quebradas is Arroyo del Tajo (not Del Taco as one website listed it). About 11 miles into the Byway at the top of a hill on a curve you'll find a road leading off to your right. Travel this road for about 1/4 mile to another right. Cross the cattle guard and drive about a mile or so until you come to a windmill. If you park at the windmill and hike down the trail you'll be at the canyon in about 7 minutes.
The small canyon is made up of a good deal of conglomerate rock, which is a sedimentary rock comprised of sand, small rocks and dissolved minerals compressed into a solid mass by erosion and pressure. I also discovered by way of demonstration that conglomerate rock removes an alarming amount of your skin when you fall on it. It was a bright day and the sun was at an angle that created dark shadows from the rocks and shrubs. I was climbing up out of the canyon when I realized that the handhold I was reaching for in the shadow was in reality a rattlesnake. The snake coiled up ready to strike. I quickly let fly a manly sound like a Girl Scout being tasered, and did a backflip-break-dancing-kung-fu move that would have impressed Jackie Chan, and landed sliding and spinning on arse and elbows towards a steep drop off. Luckily I stopped just before going over the edge. I jumped away from the ledge and made a quick check for snakebites, of which there were none. I limped my way up out of the canyon, bleeding and possibly dribbling a little urine, but filled with a certain sense of self-satisfaction that comes with deftly escaping something deadly or extremely painful.
I drove the rest of the Scenic Byway, stopping occasionally to take photographs. I joined NM 380 near the turnoff for White Sands Missile Range and headed west the 11 miles to San Antonio, NM, birthplace of hotel kingpin Conrad Hilton. NM 380 between Quebradas and San Antonio can be a fairly scenic stretch with some nice views. I have seen this area in many types of weather and lighting conditions and the landscape can look dramatically different in these varying circumstances.
After some dusty driving and hiking in the New Mexico desert, I was in dire need of a green chile cheeseburger and an ice cold beer. Two places in San Antonio are known for providing these life- sustaining provisions. First there is the well known Owl Bar, in business since 1945. The Owl is dark all day long and has a bit of a roadhouse quality to it. The menu is limited but the green chile cheeseburger is what people go there for. The walls are covered in written-on dollar bills and business cards left by visitors. I like the place. Across the street is Mannie's Buckhorn which is preferred by many locals. The two places have a bit of a rivalry going. This trip found me going to Mannie's. Mannie's has a small stage for a live band and a nifty antique piano. My green chile cheeseburger was excellent and the beer was cold. Many people will tell you that one place is better than the other. My experience shows them to be equal. There's a newer place around the corner from Mannie's to the south called Acosta's that I have not tried personally but I hear the burritos are good enough to trade one of your children for. Both Mannie's and the Owl are closed Sundays.
For more information on the Quebradas Scenic Byway visit www.byways.org/explore/byways/2090/
or contact the BLM Socorro Field Office (575) 835-0412
*For added scenery, exit I-25 at Lemitar and turn east under the interstate and drive about a mile or so to Chaparral Loop and take a right. Here you'll drive past some old false-front buildings and some scattered houses (look for one on the right side with a mission church dog house). Take this road to the Escondida Lake turn and follow the rest of the directions.
Cowbradas?
