Letterboxing Road Trip~ West Central NM

Whoowee! I don't think I realized how many photos I took from our road trip adventure. I've even deleted half of them! And I've still got bunches to share here, of which I'll do in two parts, so noone's eyes glaze over. hah!

My horse riding friend/letterboxing buddy, Val of Fantastyk Voyage invited me to join her on a road trip/letterboxing adventure along with her Mom and Sister-in-Law(SIL). The plans were originally just to drive out to Pie Town to find a letterbox and enjoy a slice of the famous pie, but we discovered that Pie Town is completely shut down on Sundays, so we decided to focus on letterboxing.

Our first letterbox was called New Mexico in a Box placed in the perfect locale. We found the letterbox and it's very appropriate hand-carved stamp and clever logbook, in a box canyon not far from Socorro, NM. I was a little envious that Val was able to do some rock scrambling and exploring as that is something I enjoy, too. But she was a good sport willing to pose for pictures. (Thanks Val!)
After leaving The Box we decided to listen to our tummies that had been growling very loudly and we headed into the little prairie town of Magdalena, NM, which is surrounded by National Forest and Wilderness.

I noticed this little fiber shop and just had to get a picture. See the llama and angora goat, and the cute sheep?
This house also caught my eye. Many of the buildings and homes are historic and beautifully unique.
We enjoyed driving down different roads all around town. We just never knew what we might see.
(His tummy was empty, too)
Hmmmm. Very anatomically correct.
I thought this adobe wall, literally 'hand'made, was beautiful.
We were all tickled to stumble upon this cowboy, whom we fondly named Rusty. Val finally found her a rough and rugged cowboy. Though, she may need a tetanus shot if she goes any farther with the relationship. (Jeez, that baggy shirt and those wrinkly pants make me look so fat! Yukko!)


Sorry Rusty. It just wasn't meant to be.

I was very impressed with Magdalena's re-use/recycling efforts of turning the old train depot into a handsome, historic library.

Well we just couldn't wait any longer to satisfy our hunger and we stopped at the only restaurant open in town.
First on the table was a plate full of delicious handmade tortilla chips and spicy, flavorful salsa. Yummo!
Val's SIL ordered fried shrimp. (I know! Who orders seafood in a middle-of-nowhere restaurant in New Mexico? Days away from any ocean, no less! hah! SIL said they were yummy, though. I took her word for it.)
Because I ordered the best Navajo Taco I have ever eaten in my life! The sopapilla was soft and wonderfully handmade. I ordered it with 'Christmas', which in "New Mexico Speak" is red chile and green chile served together. Oh my gosh, talk about a 'food-gasm'. I was right there, baby!
(Wipe that drool of your chin my friend!)
Val ordered a Green Chile Cheeseburger, which she said tasted great. The cheese was a little weird, though. (Click photo to bigefy)
Val's Mom ordered a scrumptious Enchilada, also with 'Christmas'. Mmmmmm!

After we finished our meals (my first restaurant meal since my injury, by the way) we waddled out of the Ponderosa Restaurant and explored Magdalena a little more.

The old bank building on Main street.
I saw a sign for the Old Stock Shipping Yards and was so excited to check it out. (Click pic to biggefy)
I swear I could almost hear the sounds and smells of the cowboys, horses, sheep and the cattle along with the steam and whistling sounds of the train still lingering like ghosts.
There were a few horses at the far end that were being kept in one of the pens. So cool!
The place was just sprawling more than an acre. Unfortunately I wasn't able to climb down in there to explore, but Val did and even posed for a picture in one of the ramp chutes.


We left Magdalena and drove a little farther on to find a letterbox and visit the famous Very Large Array (VLA).
I've been here a number of times over the past 18 years and Ranchman John's father even spent time here years ago working on site. It's always very windy here on the Plains of San Augustin.
It's quite a spectacle to see as you drive across the plains.
A very unique place, definetely a location to place on your Bucket List.

We always see lots of wildlife when we visit, including herds of Pronghorn Antelope.


I'm very grateful for my camera's zoom...zoom!
This is where the NRAO works on the huge radio telescopes. Can you see Val and I down there?
The machines used to move and work around the telescopes were very cool.

It's impressive to get up close to these huge structures.

Near the visitor center we noticed a coyote on the prowl.
Everywhere we looked we saw Jack Rabbits being flushed out of their hiding places. The coyote kept his eye out for an easy meal.
He moved on across the tracks that are used to move the radio telescopes across the plains. (click pic to biggify)
This guy said, "Whew! Coyote's gone"

When it was time to leave the VLA, we experienced some traffic.
A Bovine Train
This little one was so cute! Y'all know how much I love me an 'orca-colored' critter.
And just check out this guy. I named him Norman (Remember City Slickers?)


Looking in her pretty doe eyes, I could hear her thinking, "Ok lady, can you move on and stop pointing that black box at me? Sheesh. Hooomans!"

We were finally on our way driving west on 60 towards Pie Town. There were the typical beautiful New Mexico vistas everywhere we looked.
(Click any of the pics to biggify)


We crossed over the Continental Divide at 8,000 ft elevation right before we scooted into Pie Town. Only two restaurants serve Pie Town and they both serve pie....but not on Sunday. (sob)
I was still a good sport and pretended to eat pie.
We found the cleverly hidden letterbox, and it's lovely hand carved stamp easily and Val even posed for a photo on "main street" in front of Daily Pie Cafe. There were only 3 buildings on 'main street' an two served pie. (we did find a broken Easy Boot on the ground in front of the truck. Do you see it below the 'R'? It was nice to know horses had been there.)
We were all surprised to find out that, when the restaurants are open their pies cost $5-6 a slice and $20.00 a pie. Whew! It must be some good pie! I do look forward to coming back for some one day.

We left Pie Town and headed North West towards Quemado, NM where we stopped for a snack and a photo of this attractive stone church.

To be Continued...........