Cross Country Roadtrip - Day 5 Part 2 - Albuquerque to Midland, TX

This post covers the trip from Albuquerque to Midland, Texas via Alamogordo, New Mexico. White Sands National Monument has already been covered - some of the photos are from the trip to White Sands and the others are obviously after. :-p

The route: I-40, I-25, US 380, US 54, US 70, White Sands National Monument, US 70, US 82, NM 529, US 62/US 180, US 385, TX 158, TX 191, TX Loop 250, Business I-20.

The entire 79 photo set from the trip is up on flickr.

Over at the aaroads blog, Jake mentioned that New Mexico has begun to use a more classic US shield style on their guide signs. His examples are on I-40 Eastbound in Santa Rosa. Well on I-25 South in Bernardo a similar style is for US 60 (Exit 175). The US 60 shield has a 'US' within the shield above the number. Unfortunately, I was checking something on my phone when we passed it, and didn't get a picture.

However, in Socorro, there is a guide for Business Loop I-25 and US 60 with an odd font.

And when did US 60 change to North/South??

Now US 60 does run North/South through Socorro - but only for a mile or so.

Next up, US 380 east from San Antonio to Carrizozo. Once the sun angle improved, it was quite an enjoyable - yet isolated - drive.

US 70 near Holloman Air Force Base has some nice overhead guides:

In Alamogordo, on the old route through town there were still US 82 shields with US 54 and 70.

Then it was onto US 82 East and the climb into the Sacramento Mountains and Lincoln National Forest. If you ever want a scenic alternative from I-25 to I-20 and not go through El Paso. US 82 is the way to go.

There's even a tunnel!

On the east side of the Sacramento Mountains the views are just as photo worthy.

East of Artesia - You'll find plenty of these:

And the journey home really began when we passed this sign.

A few more miles and turns later we pulled into Midland for the night.

One last post left, Day 6 & 7 Midland to North Carolina with an overnight stop in Tuscaloosa.

Comments

Morgan Territory Road

Morgan Territory Road is an approximately 14.7-mile-long roadway mostly located in the Diablo Range of Contra Costa County, California. The roadway is named after settler Jerimah Morgan who established a ranch in the Diablo Range in 1857. Morgan Territory Road was one of several facilities constructed during the Gold Rush era to serve the ranch holdings. The East Bay Regional Park District would acquire 930 acres of Morgan Territory in 1975 in an effort to establish a preserve east of Mount Diablo. The preserve has since been expanded to 5,324 acres. The preserve functionally stunts the development along roadway allowing it to remain surprisingly primitive in a major urban area. Part 1; the history of Morgan Territory Road During the period of early period of American Statehood much of the Diablo Range of Contra Costa County was sparsely developed. Jerimah Morgan acquired 2,000 acres of land east of Mount Diablo in 1856 and established a ranch in 1857. Morgan Territory Road is

The 1915 Fine Gold Creek Bridge (Madera County)

The 1915 Fine Gold Creek Bridge is an early era arch concrete structure found alongside modern Madera County Road 200. The structure was modeled as a smaller scale of the 1905 Pollasky Bridge (still in ruins at the San Joaquin River) and was one of many early twentieth century improvements to what was then known as the Fresno-Fresno Flats Road. The 1915-era bridge was replaced with a modernized concrete span during 1947 but was never demolished. The original concrete structure can be still found sitting in the brush north of the 2023 Fine Gold Creek Bridge. Part 1; the history of the 1915 Fine Gold Creek Bridge The 1915 Fine Gold Creek Bridge lies near the site of the former mining community of Fine Gold. Mining claims were staked at Fine Gold during the Mariposa War during 1850. The community was never very large but became a stopping point on the stage road between the original Fresno County seat at Millerton and Fresno Flats (now Oakhurst). The stage road eventually bypas

Old Sonoma Road

Old Sonoma Road is an approximately five-mile highway located in the Mayacamas Mountains of western Napa County. The roadway is part of the original stage road which connected Napa Valley west to Mission San Francisco Solano as part of El Camino Real. Much of Old Sonoma Road was bypassed by the start of the twentieth century by way of Sonoma Highway. A portion of Old Sonoma Road over the 1896 Carneros Creek Bridge (pictured as the blog cover) was adopted as part of Legislative Route Number 8 upon voter approval of the 1909 First State Highway Bond Act. The 1896 Carneros Creek Bridge served as a segment of California State Route 37 and California State Route 12 from 1934 through 1954. Part 1; the history of Old Sonoma Road Old Sonoma Road has origins tied to the formation of Mission San Francisco Solano and the Spanish iteration of El Camino Real. Mission San Francisco Solano was founded as the last and most northern Spanish Mission of Alta California on July 4, 1823. The new M

Gribblenation

Search This Blog