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Trains on the Way from Colorado to New MexicoOct 25, 2007
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Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad, Antonito, CO
Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad, Antonito, CO
Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad, Chama, NM
| I was heading west today and had to choose between two routes. The first was Route 160 over Wolf Creek Pass in southern Colorado, and the second was Route 64 in northern New Mexico. Two different people recommended the New Mexico route as particularly scenic and a good option since I had already experienced so many mountain passes in Colorado. One of the main appeals of the New Mexico route was the chance to drive the road between Antonito, Colorado and Chama, New Mexico, the route of a scenic railroad. So this is the way I decided to go. As I headed south, I made a slight detour in Conejos, when I saw a sign proclaiming the oldest church in Colorado. It was a beautiful church, but certainly not the oldest, since the current structure only dated from 1926, replacing the oldest church that had burned. I stopped in Antonito to take a look at the northern terminal of the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad, another narrow gauge railroad that I had hoped to ride. Unfortunately, the season ended the previous weekend which I already knew, so I just wandered around the yards and took a few photos. I had heard about the C&TS for years from a friend in Tallahassee and had always wanted to visit. If I couldn't ride the train, I could at least drive the road between Antonito and Chama (the southern terminal) along the Conejos River. As I drove I said to myself that this highway should be a scenic byway. Lo and behold, I soon saw a sign that identified the route as the Las Caminos Antiguos Scenic Byway. I arrived in Chama and toured the historic railroad yards there (I found out that the yard in Antonito was built in the 1970s). I also visited the state visitor center and picked up pointers about scenic byways and other sites in New Mexico. I saw on the map that there was a short Narrow Gauge Scenic Byway out of Dulce, but I decided not to take the time to drive that one. There was a lot of road construction around Dulce, and I drove through the town and then along a beautiful road with dramatic rock formations. After about five miles, I spied a railroad trestle and water tank. Of course, I stopped to take pictures. After getting back into the car, I noticed a sign on the road stating that the pavement was ending. Uh, oh. I figured I must have made a wrong turn. Thank goodness for my handy navigation system that got me back into town and onto the right highway. What's ironic, though, is that the road I had taken by accident was the Narrow Gauge Scenic Byway. It continued on the gravel road, but I'm glad I was able to see a portion of it. The drive across northern New Mexico was completely unlike the landscape of Colorado. Here, the terrain was much flatter and drier, with rock outcroppings lining the road in many places. I also found out that oil and natural gas are plentiful here, as evidenced by the many rigs nearby. I pulled into Farmington, New Mexico for the evening and found a great local restaurant downtown called Three Rivers Eatery and Brewery where I spent a fun evening talking with several guys at the bar. The bartender recommended the pork osso buco, which was delicious. |
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