September 27, 2021

Greenie Peak And Cabresto Canyon

Another chilly morning and another good walk! First along 127, a small country road, and then on Main Street. 3.5 miles!

The prairie dogs chattered as I walked by.

Later this morning, we packed our picnic and headed back to Red River for our 4WD adventure.

We started on the trail to Greenie Peak. This trail took us from 8,750 feet to over 11,220 feet at the top. The aspen trees with their gleaming white trunks, are just now changing colors. Golden coins dripping from branches and quivering in the breeze. The tall spindly conifers stand sentry and smell heavenly.

At the peak, we were treated to spectacular scenery.

We took another way back down the mountain to Cabresto Canyon.

We had our lunch by the creek.

We saw lots of wild turkeys, lots of chipmunks, lots of raptors, and a squirrel…no mountain lions, no bobcats, no bears, no elk, no deer…they all live here though! Oh…and range cattle…

There was another steep 2-mile road that took us to Cabresto Dam and Lake. It seemed odd to go up the mountain for 2 miles to get to the lake…but there it was!

The road took us to the town of Questa. Eagle Nest, Red River and Questa are villages on New Mexico’s “Circle of Enchantment.”

The sky became gray and heavy but it never really did rain.

We had a great drive! We were tired this afternoon and rested. Tim took a bike ride this afternoon. He quickly realized that pedaling a hill at more than 8,000 feet of elevation challenged his lungs!

Tomorrow we will travel to Taos on another scenic route.