June 2020 Cardinal Point Drive – Salt Missions Trail Scenic Byway

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Photo from the June 2020 Cardinal Point Drive - Jason Collin

On Saturday, June 13, 2020, the New Mexico Chapter of the BMW CCA hosted a socially distanced driving tour of the Salt Missions Trail Scenic Byway, successfully covering distances, socially. Sixteen people in nine cars participated, meeting at Sandia BMW before heading east on old route 66 to the Village of Tijeras. We then went south on NM 337 to NM 55 through Tajique, Torreon and Manzano. We stopped at the Abo Ruins Salinas National Monument for a picnic lunch in perfect weather and explored the ruins. After lunch we traveled as a group to downtown Mountainair and cruised looking for that elusive perfect ice cream. Having found none, we had a spirited run on the Abo Pass Trail Scenic Byway (NM 47) to Belen for the drive home.

Photos by Jason Collin

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Photo of the Quari Mission Ruins - Jason Collin Photography
“Tucked away in the middle of New Mexico you’ll find Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument. Its three distinct sites offer a glimpse into a unique time in history—a time entrenched with cultural borrowing, conflict and struggles. These sites continue to stand as reminders of the Spanish and Pueblo peoples’ early encounters and prompt exploration of today’s interactions among different people.”
~National Park Service

 

 

Photo by Jason Collin Photography