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Desert Gallery > Offroad guys would definitely rate this trail across the western foothills of the Caballo Mountains as an "easy" trail, which basically means you only have one or two hair raising moments.

Desert Gallery > Trust me, no effort was made to take quality photos on this venture, because it was my plan to work my way all the way northward across the range and then on to Engles or Truth or Consequences, which would have taken several hours. But I did want to get a few quick shots.

Desert Gallery > This is typical of the road quality on this trail at its best.

Desert Gallery > The trouble with this trail is that the further you go, the less likely it is that are going to encounter another human being should you break down.

Desert Gallery > There is an old prospector in the area who told me about a man who ran out of gas up here on his ATV and wound up being a guest of the desert for four days. He knew to head west, but it was nearly dark when he broke down. Once it was dark, he got turned in the wrong direction and wandered into the mountains instead of out. Must have been fun sleeping on the ground with the bugs and the snakes. The next morning he sprained his ankle. Things got serious very quickly with no food or water now that he was injured. Finally, the prospector and his son happened to come along and drove this grateful but barely conscious man back to safety. I've kept both food and water on board since I heard that story.

Desert Gallery > Caballo Lake sits in front of the range and is barely visible here.

Desert Gallery > I always violate the first rule of offroading, which is not to go alone. Best of all is someone with you in a separate vehicle so you can get back to civilization in comfort. But what fun is it to plan? The whole idea of a Jeep, to me, is to see a road, and just take it -- someone with you or not.

Desert Gallery > Here's the trouble with having a Jeep. You may notice, there is no road in the picture. There is no road, because I did not take a road to get this high. I took an arroyo. When it rains, so much water comes down from these mountains that it carves a path called an arroyo. Once an arroyo comes into being, water tends to follow it time after time, making it deeper and wider, so deep and wide sometimes you can't resist driving it. Unfortunately, many of them have extremely sandy patches where even a 4-wheel drive vehicle can get stuck, not to mention rocks, gullies, and steep hills. You know you should not do this alone, but you do anyway. Why? Because it's there, and you want to see your Jeep at the top of the hill. That's the problem with having a Jeep.

Desert Gallery > At this point on the trail, it would definitely take about three hours to walk back down the road to Highway 187. Doesn't sound too bad until you figure that 3 hours is fine, provided you break down 3 hours before sundown.

The trouble with this trail is that the further you go, the less likely it is that are going to encounter another human being should you break down.

> The trouble with this trail is that the further you go, the less likely it is that are going to encounter another human being should you break down.

The trouble with this trail is that the further you go, the less likely it is that are going to encounter another human being should you break down.

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All images are the property of Ron Mears and Desert-Photography.com. Please contact Ron at ronm@desert-photography.com with any questions.

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