Camino Real

Becca leading the way

Jimmy, Becca and I headed north on I-25 at about 10:30 this morning, destined for the Upham exit and eventually to a trail leading to El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro National Historic Trail.  This is the "Royal Road" the Spaniards used starting in 1598 to travel between Mexico City and Santa Fe, New Mexico.  After less than a mile on the small trail we came to the Camino Real.  Jimmy had been there before, Becca was unimpressed, but I was astounded by the fact that we were literally walking on the road the Spaniards had used on the first and subsequent entradas into the new territory dubbed the New Kingdom of León y Castilla, present-day New Mexico.  We were in the exact area where the German, Bernardo Gruber, (aka "El Aleman") had died around 1670, and whose death gave rise to the phrase that came to denote the 90-mile stretch of arid desert now called the Jornada del Muerto, "Journey of the Dead Man."  After our Camino Real trek we started our journey back to Las Cruces, stopping at the Point of Rocks along the way to do the 1/2-mile interpretive trail on the volcanic outcrop.  A good time was had by all.

Getting close

Ocotillo skeleton

Camino Real (the Royal Road)

Interpretive sign

Look at the outfits the Spaniards wore during their entrada

More history

The actual roadbed of the Camino Real

More verbiage

Wagons wheels were 8-to10 feet high, 12 feet apart

Jimmy

More of the Royal Road

Looking back at the distant Organ Mountains

Headed back to Whitey the CR-V

More interpretive signage

Road back to Upham

Volcanic rocks

Becca on the Point of Rocks

Becca and her good buddy Jimmy

Jornada del Muerto = "Journey of the Dead Man"