New Mexico ADV loop - Day 5

As promised, we did not get going early, departing around 11. I didn’t help the cause by missing a turn; it looked on the map like we could recover by continuing ahead, but the road kept getting worse and then turned into a sandy wash, so we had to backtrack.

We eventually arrived in Winston, by way of an exceptionally scenic little paved road, and found the one (and only) store offered make-it-yourself pulled pork sandwiches, just in time for our lunch! We then rode a couple miles out to see the hamlet of Chloride, which has a charming museum and several historic structures.

The “harder” BDR route continues up Chloride Canyon, with about 100 creek/wash crossings; I might have gone for it, but Will’s bike is not quite as off-road oriented as mine and it also would have added time to the already-late schedule (which the museum visit didn’t help either.) So, back to Winston we went, and onward on more amazing little roads which eventually turned to dirt.

We arrived at Snow Lake around 3:30, with another 50-something miles to go to reach Reserve; the computer estimated arriving at 6:45, and the campsite I was aiming us for was a bit past town. We opted for an early camp, knowing that we could manage something tomorrow.

“Dipping Vat” campground is not the most inspired or charming name, but the campground itself is just fine, above the lake in some nice Ponderosas. It has potable water (!) and clean restrooms. Yesterday’s find of camping funds paid for the night’s lodging!

We had another nice little campfire, and listened to the many calls of the local wildlife. Definitely several kinds of bird, all making interesting noises, maybe an elk (not the usual bugle, more of a single cry; need to look up what cows and juveniles sound like) and several wild sounding screeches that were unidentifiable!

Mileage for the day: 114 (not counting missed-turn detour)
Trip mileage: 614
Google maps Route