Find…

No Passing. Not Even If You’re a Tumbleweed: Up to the Sacramento Mountains

Published December 28, 2004

I, Bernie Harberts, did not use generative AI to write or illustrate this article. Spell check and grammar check, yes. AI, no.

“No Passing Lane” the yellow sign reads and the tumble weeds take heed. They’re piled against the steel legs, slammed to a halt from a run.

Others won’t mind. They skip and bound across Highway 82 and regroup along the lee-ward wire fence. Russian Thistle, or tumbleweed, is about the only traffic out here on the plain leading to the foot of the Sacramento Mountains.

No Passing Zone sign on Highway 82 with tumbleweeds piled against it at the foot of the Sacramento Mountains, New Mexico, 2005 — No passing. Not even if you’re a tumbleweed.

The road rises before us and tumbleweeds give way to prickly pear and cholla cactus. I do what I can to lighten Magnolia’s load for the 5,000 vertical foot climb ahead. I feed double grain rations to use up the horse and mule feed. I let horse and mule gulp the last drops from the Jerry cans we’re towing.

Woody and Maggie remember how to scavenge as we climb into the dry. Woody picks away at tindery twigs, Maggie prefers dead blown grass. Both put on their best victim act but it’s warranted. This is high desert. I reward them with a good feed of green when we pull off the road for the night into the desert.

Long Rider Bernie Harberts with mule Woody and pony Magnolia on the climb to the Sacramento Mountains, New Mexico, 2005 — Woody, Maggie and me making our way in to the mountains

High desert landscape on the climb to the Sacramento Mountains, New Mexico, 2005 — Desert, desert, all around.

Magnolia the pony framed by cholla cactus on the climb to the Sacramento Mountains, New Mexico, 2005 — Maggie framed by cholla cactus.

Woody the mule browsing among prickly pear cactus on the climb to the Sacramento Mountains, New Mexico, 2005 — Woody browsing among the prickly pears.

Camp some nights means towing the buggy through the scrub and cactus. I am grateful that Bill LaRue swapped out the inner tubes in Maggie’s cart for solid rubber tubes. That’s the only reason we don’t get flats in this new spiny land we’ve entered.

Solid rubber tires on Magnolia's cart being dragged through cactus spines and sharp rocks in New Mexico, 2005 — The solid tires on Maggie’s cart standing up to the ultimate test: getting dragged through cactus spines, rusty wire and sharp rocks.

We climb and climb. The forecast calls for snow. We roll into the Barn Door Restaurant at 7,000 feet just as the fat flakes start falling.

More on the Atlantic to Pacific mule ride.

Let's Keep in Touch

Sign up for The River, the RiverEarth newsletter, for occasional doses of rambling and homestead life. Plus you'll get a free copy of my 155-page illustrated ebook 19 Million Mule Steps.

Just enter your email below and hit Subscribe.