Page 35 - Vol. 1 Walks In The Black Range - 2nd Edition
P. 35

   Solanum elaeagnifolium, Silverleaf Nightshade, is also known as Purple Nightshade - the flowers come in two color forms, white and purple. The white form is much less common than the purple. This specimen was found growing next to one of the shafts along the North Wicks Mine road.
F
5. Ready Pay Mine
For the most part there are no names for the walks in the eastern foothills of the Black Range. This walk holds true to that fact. This trail description covers two “destination points”, one the Ready Pay Mine on the western side of the valley and the other a mine adit on the eastern side of the valley.
On the map to the right, NM-152 enters at bottom left - coming up the grade out of Hillsboro. After you top the grade and start through the low hills there is a gated road on your left (north side of road). The route starts at the gate (green marker). The road going south from NM-152, just to the west [left] of the green marker is what we call the Vulture Road, Percha Box Overlook - it is gated at NM-152).
This walk starts up the road to the Snake Mine ruins (southeast approach). Just past a water tank a road forks to the right and drops down into a wash. (The left fork goes up to the Snake Mine ruins.) On the other side of the wash (just a few yards) the road turns right (east) and leads to the eastern most wash of the Ready Pay Gulch system of washes which are on the north side of NM-152. The road then turns north and you enter the wash proper where the road is badly washed out. As you head north up the wash the ridge line to your right separates you from North Wicks Canyon.
The route shown here is 1.8 miles in length (3.6 roundtrip) with a minimal elevation gain of about 300’ (5,435’ to 5,730’). Locally this wash is typically described as the canyon with the ruins of an abandoned ore truck and heavy duty ore wagon. On the map which follows, the location of
the truck is indicated by the yellow circle.
The usual suspects are on-the-scene; rattlesnakes, Coyote, and Cougar are all possible - but not likely. As with all walks in this area be especially careful around mines and adits - these are potentially very dangerous places.
In addition to the
abandoned truck
there are
other “artifacts”
along the trail, like
the pick shown on
the next page. At
the mine, itself,
there is a rotten
headframe and rusty winches. (See the description of the mine, which follows.)
The map which follows shows the route to the Ready Pay Mine, on the west slope of the valley. This walk
  














































































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