Cuchillo, Winston & Chloride, New Mexico

After shooting the birds at Bosque del Apache I drove South almost to T or C.  Headed West & North on NM 52.  This route took me to 3 ghost (or nearly ghost) towns.  The first of these, Cuchillo, is only a few miles of I-25.

Like many so-called "ghost towns in New Mexico had a mixture of abandoned buildings and others just holding on.  Yards are full with junker cars and other previously valuable items. They attest to broken dreams.

From Cuchillo, it was about 25 miles on a winding road.  At the junction of NM 52 and Republic Road you will find the village of Winston.  The only thing that gives a sign of any prosperity is the Winston General Store.

At the junction, make a hard left and head down Republic Rd, and follow the signs for Chloride.  At the end of the road you will find a interesting little village with much history and plenty of tongue-in-cheek humor.  I should have stopped in to see the museum .  Maybe another time.

At the Winston General Store I stopped to use the rest room and get some fluids.  Also, I wanted to get information about road conditions further North towards the VLA (Very Large Array).  The clerk at the store said it is 59 miles on a dirt road and seemed to disway me from driving this by myself.

At this same time, I started getting the chills.  I could feeling a bug had taken hold in my body.  With that I decided to high-tail it back to my motel in Socorro.

I spent the rest of the day, overnight, until early morning, nursing a bad case of intestinal discomfort.