Yesterday we spent a fun afternoon along the Santa Barbara Road (116) in the Carson N. F. It was intended to be an overnight trip, hence the giant backpacks, but when we reached the trail head to continue up the river valley, the siren song of a lazy Sunday lured us into making a premature U-turn. We’ll probably head back in the summer, though,  for a leisurely 3 day hike up to the Chimayosas and Truchas Peaks. I think this is the snow capped dome of Chimayosas (12,8441′) that we could see from the road. The Truchas Peaks are hidden from view, to the right, although you get a good view of them from Rte. 76, jutting up above everything else.

By the way, this photo is a great representation of how conditions in New Mexico are entirely dependent on elevation and exposure. The west facing slope is completely baked dry, while the east facing slope and shady valley is blanketed with snow. This makes for interesting and challenging trip planning!

Also, you may soon see some video posted here of the bionic Subie driving out on the snow packed road. We drove in about a half mile before we decided to park and walk the rest of the distance (about 2 1/2 miles from there to the trail head at the south end of the campground). However, it looks like high clearance trucks regularly make it to the bridge at the halfway mark.