Page 11 - Ninety Miles From Nowhere

When we left the ranch, we continued by the way of the inevitable dirt road through Roy to Wagon Mound where we joined U.S. Highway 85, where we camped for the night. This was in July, but it was very cold that night at an elevation of 6200 feet. I had my first taste of the deceptive New Mexico climate, and realized for the first time the differences between temperatures in New Mexico and Oklahoma. In the summertime in Oklahoma the temperature soared, accompanied by the high humidity, and usually stayed hot all night. The wind was as hot as if it came out of an oven. In New Mexico in the summertime, the temperature was very pleasant as long as one stayed in the shade, and when the sun went down it became very chilly. In the wintertime in Oklahoma, the cold went deep and one experienced shivering and chattering teeth. In New Mexico the temperature went much, much lower, but the cold did not seem to penetrate or to make us so uncomfortable. As Hazel described it, “In Oklahoma your bones get cold, but in New Mexico only your skin gets cold.”
As we drove on to Santa Fe, I had my first glimpse of the majestic Sangre de Cristo Mountains (Blood of Christ) which were the first real mountains I’d ever seen. The men headed for the State Land Office when we arrived in Santa Fe, while Hazel and I explored the fascinating sleepy Spanish village. Wood laden burros were being driven down the narrow streets while we gazed in wonder.
Tyner was directed to the southwestern part of the state and given directions to someone who would show him available land.
It was as we left Santa Fe on our way south that we descended to memorable La Bajada Hill and saw Albuquerque. We traveled on southward to Socorro where we turned west through Magdalena and about twenty miles beyond. At that point we turned left off U.S. Highway 60 and headed for Beaverhead. After driving for about sixty miles, we came to a fork in the road, the left fork continuing on to Beaverhead and the right fork going to the O-Bar-O Mountain. We took the right fork until we came to the ranch of Dad Moore (just across the road from O-Bar-O) whose son Jeff showed Tyner around over the countryside while Hazel and I visited with the Moore women.
Being more interested in farmland than in grazing land, Tyner was not intrigued with the rugged beauty of this part of the Rocky Mountains. On the other hand I was completely fascinated by it an fell immediately in love with New Mexico — a love affair that has lasted over fifty years!
While we were visiting at the Moore’s, Jeff found out I was a school teacher. Although they had never had a school in the area, Jeff felt there was need for one. The children of the newly arriving homesteaders, as well as those of the old timers were receiving no schooling whatsoever. He assured me that if I would return, a school would be established which I could teach and file on a homestead claim at the same time. This appealed to my venturesome spirit and I would hardly wait to get back to Oklahoma to start planning an immediate return to New Mexico.