Driving in Circles

To continue touring southeastern New Mexico, the easiest route (132 miles) is to backtrack to Roswell via Highway 20 to U.S. 285 and head west on U.S. 70/380 toward Lincoln County. Look for the pronghorns grazing alongside roadways in the flat eastern plains, which is an ideal habitat for these delicate creatures. Sometimes after a summer rain has made grasses and flowers bloom, you'll find more than 100 pronghorn grazing along a short stretch of road.

A more adventurous route (178 miles) to Lincoln County would be a loop west from Fort Sumner on U.S. 60. At the town of Vaughn, head south on U.S. 54 and travel through the southernmost region of Cibola National Forest to the fringes of the Lincoln National Forest. These areas are mountainous but semiarid, as evidenced by sparse hillsides dotted with brush and junipers. On this route you pass through Corona, near where the Roswell UFO is said to have crashed. No signs designate the site. At Carrizozo, head east on U.S. 380. You pass the towns of Capitan and Lincoln before you reach U.S. 70. Cut back west on U.S. 70 to get to San Patricio.