Sugarloaf Mountain 5,665' (Harding County Highpoint)
My grandmother had been ill with cancer the previous few months, and her time came this week. I decided to drive down for the funeral and stop at a few places along the way. I started with a short drive to Sugarloaf Mountain from Springer. Passing through the gates, the direction to head was fairly simple to determine based on Sugarloaf's prominence (apparent for plains east of the Rockies). I started where the tracks no longer lead, about .75 miles from the summit. I jogged through the cacti and rock-lined grass to the first saddle and crept up the rest of the way on talus.
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 | I noticed some familiar entries in the glass jar - Gerry and Jennifer Roach, John Prater, and highpoint enthusiasts. The view of Sierra Grande and other volcanoes to the north was captivating, being so far east. I headed down and back to the truck with gloves, jacket and balaclava as the wind from the west was biting on the descent. The was reminiscent of Prowers county in southeast Colorado, though not nearly as steep. The drive out was uneventful, and I began the long descent off the expansive Mesa top down to eastern New Mexico on Hwy 39. |
County Line 4,792' (Curry County Highpoint)
Arriving in Logan, I grabbed some lunch at the gas station and headed back up the Mesa on the south side of I-40. It had been raining on and off to this point, though looked to be clearing up the further south I drove. I managed to find the correct county road and headed east, then north to the Curry/Quay county line. I stepped out near the fenceline (photo on right). I wandered around near the fence corner and made sure I touched the highest ground, and began driving toward the next objective, Roosevelt County.
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County Line 4,780+' (Roosevelt County Highpoint)
I should have attempted Quay county prior to Roosevelt, but since I made the mistake of driving all the way south on the road I would have to drive further north on than my origin on the way to Quay county, I didn't have much choice. Another lesson learned about reading maps of all areas before deciding on route order. I headed through the town of House, and found the county line sign in short order West on the county road. I was a little unclear about the exact location of the highest ground, but paced the fence for 50 feet or so at the highest general area. It was now time to head out and see if I could get Luciano Mesa done well before sunset to tackle DeBaca and Guadalupe counties.
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Luciano Mesa 5,560+' (Quay County Highpoint)
The dirt road to this highpoint is interesting in more ways than one, lined with barbed wire and other debris and gates that don't appear to readily open. In any event, it took a while to drive the road to the county fence line. I parked here and followed the slope toward the highest ground, which was not at all apparent. I ended up pacing around just about every square foot of the large flat area north of the road. The photo shows the area I'm convinced is highest. I wandered quite a distance to the north and found a cairned area. I don't know what the significance of this area was, but it was clearly not the highest point in the county. By the time I finished the drive back to County Road BK, the sun was setting, so I opted to drive the West side of the Mesa down to Santa Rosa, and made my way to Texas via Hwy 54.
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