2009-11-06 35 -108

Fri 6 Nov 2009 in 35,-108: 35.1107714, -108.4648176 geohashing.info google osm bing/os kml crox

Location

Along NM 53 a couple of miles east of the town of Ramah.

Participants

• Redaragorn and 3 yr old son

Plans

After deciding that today was gonna be a drive and geohash kind of day, I planned this as the third in a triple virgin graticule run around the central western portion of New Mexico. I saw that this hash was right along the highway, and it appeared from the satellite photo that it was not *on* the roadway, but was within the public right-of-way (i.e. I didn't have to hop any fences to get to it). I figured this would be a pretty easy mark, so I left it for last.

Expedition

It is a long drive to nowhere to get to this graticule from the Albuquerque area. We piled the kids and supplies in the car and headed south. We stopped in Socorro for some lunch and a break from the car, then got back in and turned off the interstate another 10 miles south. I was a little nonplussed, to say the least, to discover that the dirt road we needed to take to get to the hash was blocked by a chain. I knew the hash itself was on BLM land, but that was no guarantee I could get access to it. The sign on the road was for a ranch that was 5 miles out while the hash was only a mile or two from the highway. I was relieved to find out, though, that although there was a lock on the end of the chain, it wasn't locked, and there were no "No Trespassing" signs to be seen. I dropped the chain, drove us to the hash, and celebrated accordingly. We did take the detour to attempt the Magdalena hash, but the road wasn't looking promising, so we turned around and headed home without the double virgin graticule on the day. Ah well...maybe some other day.

Track

none

Pictures

• 

  GPS coordinates.

• 

  Self conscious goofy grin standing a few feet off the highway as it's getting dark.