Day 4 started as a cool morning with clear skies. We had a hearty breakfast of blueberry pancakes and bacon. With our new kitchen and pantry boxes from Kanz Outdoor making it easier to break camp we where on our way by 8:30, heading south on Old Ore Road.

For today we had a number of planned stops with the first few along the Old Ore Road. With the need to stretch our legs we had two short hikes planned. The first was a stop in the Carlota Tinaja Wash. Parking the car we took a short hike up the canyon enjoying the views of the Limestone canyon walls.

Leaving Carlota Tinaja, Old Ore Road took us south to Ernst Tinaja. The Ernst Tinaja trail head is about .38 of a mile of the main road. The hike up Ernst Tinaja took us into a narrow canyon where the floor is a series of limestone ledges and pools. The Tinaja was still full of water showing how the desert can retain water for extended periods of time. The walls of the canyon had a number of small caves showing an active area of carst.

Back at the car and in another 4 miles, we were back on the pavement heading to the ranger station at Rio Grande Village. We took the opportunity to fill up the water jugs and top off  the fuel tank.

Nancy and I took the short hike at Barranquilla Canyon. The canyon is a spectacular cut made by the Rio Grande through the Sierra Del Carmen escarpment.  There where a number of illegal vendors from Mexico selling their wears along the trail.

The next stop was the hot springs near Rio Grande Village. While Nancy and LJ went for a soak, I hung out with Triss and took the opportunity to photograph the old hot springs resort.

Once back on the read we left the pavement heading south on the River Road East to our camp at Gravel Pit. Gravel Pit was one of the least attractive sites that we stayed at during this trip.

Tonight’s meal was turkey burgers grilled on our Solaire Grill along with baked beans.

Additional Photos

Day 4 Google KML File