Cibola National Forest - Pueblo Ruins

 

Large wall on the second ridge

Gallinas Mountains

Double wall on the second ridge

I don't remember exactly how came to know about this particular site. Most likely I was reading about some other site and there was some brief mention which sparked my curiosity, which usually leads to me trying to figure where the site actually is using Google Earth and further research. I had placed a lot of pins near Indian Tank ( a kind of giveaway just like Ruins Windmill over on the far eastern part of the Cibola). Then, I kind of put it on the back burner. My interest was rekindled after watching a talk given by an archaeologist from the Arizona State Museum who theorizes that the larger public architecture ruins in this area ( known as the Lion Mountain Community, it's not really a big secret as you might have guessed) have many characteristics in common with Chacoan great houses.  Many of my speculative pins on Google Earth were confirmed and I began to feel a bit of urgency about visiting the site.

The Lion Mountain Community site is about four miles west of the better known pueblo ruin at Gallinas Spring which we had visited back in 2020. I remembered the road out there came up pretty quickly on the left once I had turned onto NM 169, but as I approached the first turn off I saw a blue street sign that said "Montoya Ranch Rd." which I did not remember, so I thought I was mistaken. I should have trusted my instincts. Instead I wasted 15 or more minutes looking for the turn-off for  FR 10. Oddly enough, several of the other forest roads that connect to NM 169 have signs right on the highway,  whereas FR 10 (one of the more well used roads in this part of the Cibola NF) does not. I finally made up my mind that the Montosa Ranch Road is FR !0, which was confirmed upon turning and seeing a small sign that indicated  as much attached to one of the gateposts.

  FR 10 is a reasonably wide, maintained road for the first 10 miles or so. Just past a major fork where the left branch heads towards private property and FR 10 crosses a dry creek bed and ascends a ridge , the driving conditions change significantly. The road bed narrows to a single lane, while its surface changes from dirt and gravel to cobble sized rocks. I had been cruising along, probably averaging  over 30 miles per hour,  but now I was lucky to hit a top speed of 15.  Piñon and juniper thickly lined the winding roadway on the ridge, obscuring long range views. At one point though, when the route skirted the very edge of the ridge, lovely views of the hills and valleys of this Gallinas range opened up for few moments to the northeast. The sandy ravines that we crossed had ponderosa pines that were quite stout, in fact they were larger than might be expected given that these lower elevation mountains are without permanent streams or even very many perennial springs. I passed the road that took us town to Gallinas Canyon (and the ruin) five years ago. It was in horrendous shape then, and now it had heavy locked gate and Road Closed sign. In fact, on the return drive, I noticed that FR 10 had been re-routed through this section most likely due to flood damage.

Not counting the time wasted finding FR 10, the drive of approximately 18 miles to Indian Tank took about one hour, which should give any of you out there who are thinking of visiting whether or not it will be worth your while.

 I parked near the tank, which had a decent amount of water from several good November rains. I quickly assessed the two ridges (where a good number or the larger ruins are located, although there are many sites for several square miles in the vicinity of Indian Tank) in front of me. My plan was to visit both and I opted for the one on  my right first and began hoofing upwards at a good pace as I really wasn't going to have a lot of time if I wanted to make it to the cabin at Horse Mountain before dark (I had driven up from Las Cruces that morning, and it was now already the lunch hour). Shortly, I came upon one and then another small ruin made of unshaped locally derived rock. Room blocks were vaguely discernible. There were many, but very small pottery fragments ( much of it varied corrugated types) and lithic fragments visible in the sandy areas that were free of grass.  I continued up the slope threading through the pines.

Smaller ruin

 Second smaller ruin

 On top, it wasn't long till I was at  one of the so-called great house ruin areas. The only wall work rubble that I could see was on one side backing up to a length of bedrock outcroppings. There were great views off to the west from this point which I did not, but should have photoed.  The extensive area of red dirt and bedrock in front of the wall was s mostly devoid of grass ( perhaps given that there was only a very thin veneer of soil left).  Once again the  pottery fragments were very small, dull colored corrugated pieces. I tried to imagine the outline of a curved wall before me that would give this site the D-shape of a great house, but, although there were sunken stones visible in places, it was definitely not obvious. I moved on, crossing the gully that runs between the two ridges, finding a few stray painted sherds along the way.

Painted sherd

Painted sherd

The three fragments above look like they could come from the same pot but they were found in widely spaced locales.

Climbing up the hill, I passed some massive stone piles, but couldn't make up my mind whether they were human-generated or natural. On top I found the long semi-circular wall ( part of it is double wall) that is visible on Google Earth. There were very few readily visible  surface artifacts again. I found a few more wall remnants, and decided I had done what I had I come to do, and began to head down. Now there's whole lot more to the story of this trip, but I will leave that for another blog.

Mangas Mountain Fall Colors - Gila (Apache) National Forest

 

Mangas Mountain

FR 11, Mangas Mountain

Mangas Mountain

Horse Mountain

Horse Mountain

Horse Mountain

Horse Mountain

Oaks along North Fork Alamocito Creek

It seems that while staying at the cabin on Horse Mountain the nearest place to see aspens in relative abundance is on Mangas Mountain. Last October year we tried to get a peek at them in their fall color. There were plenty of aspens in  El Toro Canyon on the southeast side of the mountain but we were too early to see anything but green leaves.

We went out this time on the last weekend of October and we knew already the trees were going to be at their peak. Well, we didn't know for 100% sure, but we had real good feeling. So out we drove using the Patterson Canyon Road (County Road A 095) to access Forest Road 11 which goes all the way to the top of the mountain and then back down the east side where it eventually becomes the Alamocito Road  and returns to NM 12.  A  couple of words of caution should be given about the western half if FR 11 (the eastern half has some problems as well that I've discussed in previous blogs of which I will remind later). First, it is very narrow, basically one lane until reaching the top of the mountain. We were very lucky to have met the only car coming down off the mountain, along with a few of what had to be CDT hikers, at a section that allowed us to pass with relative ease. Once we started the switchbacking and sidehilling we just had to be hope for the best. Second, although it is shown as a maintained road on Forest Service maps, it is very rough in places and very steep as well. I had wished I had used four wheel drive and if there has been any moisture at all, I would strongly advise using it starting at the initial intersection.

Along the way we could see, albeit through pines and firs, beautiful pockets and clusters of golden leafed aspens. There just wasn't anyplace to pull over to even try and get a photo of them. When we finally got to level terrain at the top, after perhaps the scariest minute or two of the trip : a slippery little curve where road seemed little more that a scratch on the steep and lofty mountainside, the roadsides were lined with the yellow, sometimes tinged with red, leafed trees. It was perfect and just what we wished for.

I had a hike scoped out further down the road using two canyons that I felt pretty confident would have aspens as well. We did not visit the lookout. We parked at the intersection of FR 11 and FR 4191Q, crossed the road and went down the hillside to the abandoned road at the bottom of the little canyon. As we walked there was the occasional aspen or oak amongst the pines to brighten our outing.

 

When we got down to FR 11, we hike just short ways before turning up a second abandoned road that followed a second canyon. Both of these canyons are headwater branches of the North Fork Alamocito Creek, but this second  one, where Indian Spring is located, looks like it carries significantly more flow during wet times of the year. That being so, it also contain many more aspens than the first.  We ambled uphill, snapping pictures as we pleased.

 At the top we had to use FR 11 to complete our loop. It was open and sunny, a bit too warm for this type of road walking, and a little longer than we would've liked, but it was all good when we made it back to the 4Runner. We decided to head downhill and east on FR 11 rather than go back the way we came.  We had our lunch at a grassy clearing near Alamocito Tank. 

Here is where the road, now lined with aspens as well, begins to follow the stream course of North Fork Alamocito Creek. It is slow going, as the canyon narrows and the road gets rougher and rougher especially at the crossings where there is no more surface just bare rocks. It gets better once you reach a small inholding of private property and after to the Forest Service boundary.

The North Fork has permanent water after it crosses onto private ranch property. This gives life to a true riparian bosque. Huge cottonwoods and oaks in full fall color made for a very scenic drive as we headed back to NM 12

Horse Mountain Wilderness Study Area - Horse Mountain Gorge

 

Horse Mountain Gorge

 I did two hikes back in mid-October in the Horse Mountain WSA which is conveniently located adjacent to my cabin property in Teepee Ranch. Technically I began both my walks on intervening non-WSA BLM lands,  but they really are just a de-facto extension of the WSA parcel. On the Saturday I did a loop following the canyon that runs through our parcel back onto BLM lands. When I reached the intervening ridge, I began to circle around the upper part of Log Canyon. There was some scrambling at first getting down off the ridge a bit, but then I hit on a great wildlife trail that brought me all the way around to the plateau that's centered between the two ridges of the mountain and at the top of two canyons running in opposite directions.

 I got a much different look at a massive rock pillar that we had seen last year when doing loop hike using Nance and Log Canyons. It was even more impressive. This time, unlike last year, I found the wildlife drinker at the top of Log Canyon and so used the old road route to connect to the main canyon which took me back to the WSA entrance just down the road from the cabin, where my wife picked me up. It was a good hike although a bit warm for October. The fall color was hardly evident throughout most of hike which was a bit disappointing (we would return the following weekend to find it peaking).

 On Sunday, I left around nine beginning the same way, but then migrating over to the canyon just to east. It was cool and shaded as I made my way along the old trail that winds through the pines, oaks and tall grasses. 

Pine cones were so abundant on the ground they became a bit of nuisance at times. I took my time zigzagging up the steep slopes to get to the top of the ridge, but I was pleased when I checked the time to see that less than a half hour had even elapsed. I came off the ridge on some very steep gravel patches among the piñons and junipers, all the while drifting to the east to catch the canyon that I knew would lead directly into the gorge. At the head were thick grasses just beginning to fade from their summertime green, and large well-spaced ponderosa pines. An enchanting scene that seemed to beckon me downward to my destination.

A couple of deer ran across this scene adding to the magic.

I felt pulled as if into a funnel and gravity took over lightening my steps through this welcoming passage. Abundant downfall, brush and boulders in the now enlarged dry creek bed ended my idyl, but I pushed on scrambling my down and down as cliffs rose at the sides of the ever-narrowing defile. The pines stretched ridiculously higher and higher toward the sun. Crenulated bare cliffs of crusty volcanic rock where many hoodoos emerged were in the near distance as I approached the point where the two branches of the gorge meet. Nearer at hand were isolated towers and pillars stretching directly overhead. I carefully rounded the vertex to have a look up the other canyon. On my left was massive wall of gray rock looming over the canyon bottom thick with green shrubbery.  On my right a treacherous slope of crumbly white rock that precluded further advancement.

 I retreated and carefully got myself down to the stream course and began heading down. Here there were some nice oaks beginning in their fall color, plus more formations above and the tallest ponderosa pines I've ever seen close at hand. I turned around when I caught site of an old well because I knew I was at the boundary between private and public land.

 Before leaving altogether I explored up the south branch. Vegetation was thick and green and there was even a couple of puddles where small dams had been built into the natural cascade in an effort to retain any bit of water possible. A little further upstream I came to some large boulders wedged into the narrow cliff opening, where it appears on Google Earth that a waterfall sometimes occurs. It did not seem readily scalable for this 64 year old and I quickly decided to explore the area above another day. 

The return trip had me marching up the long "arm" that comes down from the ridge between the two branches. This much more gradual ascent (as opposed to returning the way I came) made the uphill both ways truth of the hike a little easier to swallow. It was all over and done in a total of almost exactly three hours, but down in that wonderful canyon, time stood still for a little while.