Ghost Town of Cuervo, New Mexico

Wow. Two blogs this weekend. See the pattern? Headwind, no blog. Tailwind, blog.

Today we rode through Cuervo on our way from Santa Rosa to Tucumcari. Born just 100 years ago, when the Southern Pacific Railroad laid tracks, Cuervo is already a long-dead ghost town. The name 'Cuervo', the Spanish word for 'crow', was presumably chosen because there are so many crows in the area.

Route 66 helped to drive a 1930's population boom to over 300 residents. However, I-40 soon put an end to Cuervo -- as it did to so many other small waypoint towns. Some of the town was literaly paved over. Only a few dozen people live there today.

Yesterday's ride from Las Vegas, NM to Santa Rosa, NM was pretty easy due to a nice tailwind. So, after checking into the motel, I went ahead the 18 miles to Cuervo with the good camera to get some ghost town shots before the sun went down. In addition to two motel shots from Santa Rosa, today's photo journal includes most of the abandoned buildings in Cuervo -- including the Catholic Church, which was built during World War I. Bonus points for anyone who finds the rabbit.

Photo Journal

Ride Summary

Two days of tailwind. Will we get the same for tomorrow's 125 miler to Amarillo, TX? The latest forecast predicts a dead-on headwind. Good thing I posted twice this weekend...

Saturday: 71 miles from Las Vegas, NM to Santa Rosa, NM
Sunday: 62 miles from Santa Rosa to Tucumcari, NM

Miles this year: 3066