There are some cliffs at the north end of Rainbow Blvd in Rio Rancho. According to this Google Earth Map it is 9.85 miles from Northern Blvd. Or 12.10 miles if you start from Southern. You can't see much detail on the map, look at the end of the yellow line and look at the terrain closely. It is on the edge of a cliff.
Coordinates: 35°24'1.13"N 106°46'59.31"W
PHOTO BELOW - You can see White Mesa, New Mexico in this photo which is about 9.5 miles away. You can access that area easily by driving out in a vehicle from Bernalillo on US 550. White Mesa gets its name from the gypsum that most of the mesa is composed of. The gypsum was the remains left over after the evaporation of an ocean that once covered this area. On the western edge of the mesa are high, narrow mesa ridges, part of the plunging Tierra Amarilla Anticline. Geologically speaking, this is a very interesting area. Also exposed here is the Morrison Formation, a layer of rock laid down about 150 million years ago. The Morrison is filled with dinosaur fossils and even large pieces of petrified wood, indicating that at one time, this area was covered with a forest frequented by dinosaurs. The fossilized skeleton of a Seismosaurus (the longest dinosaur skeleton ever recovered) was found just west of here in the Ojito Wilderness.
The village of San Ysidro is about 6 miles northeast of White Mesa.
There are mountain bicycle trails at White Mesa. The Bureau of Land Management White Mesa Bike Trails. About 20 miles northwest of Bernalillo on US 550, and about 2 miles south of San Ysidro, turn west on County Road 906 which is Cabezon Road Follow the left fork and go about 4.4 miles to the gravel parking area. Hikers are allowed to use the entire trail system and horseback riders are allowed to use one designated segment.
Rich
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