By Paul and Marilyn Duncan, editing and photos by Mark Wing

A 47-mile round trip tour to the Manzano Mountains and a lunch at Brian Dean’s east mountain home was planned for Saturday, June 15th. The tour was organized and coordinated by Brian Dean, Paul and Marilyn Duncan, Vaughn Rockafellow, and Rita-Loy Simmons.

The tour day began with a rendezvous at the Four Hills Village shopping center near the entrance to Tijeras Canyon. Four Model T’s assembled there as well as some members driving modern cars. The Model T’s included the Duncan’s 1920 touring car, the Wing’s late 1924 coupe, the Merewether’s in their 1918 pickup, and the Azevedo’s driving their 1926 speedster. Marilyn Duncan graciously volunteered to pull a “Trouble Trailer” in case of break downs. Joining us on this leg of the tour was Dutch, Brian Dean’s friend who lives in Taos, NM. We departed as a caravan at 9:40 via Old Route 66.

Our tour route took us through Tijeras Canyon and passed between the Sandia Mountains on the north and the Manzano Mountains on the south. The historical Old U.S. Route 66 (NM-333) follows the original 1937 alignment from Albuquerque through the Village of Tijeras (alt. 6,300 ft). The drive climbed gradually to the top of Sedillo Hill (alt. 7053 ft). We stopped briefly to top off our gas tanks at the Sedillo Hill Route 66 Travel Center and meet up with club members Vern and Pat Willan, driving their 1926 touring car, who are east mountain residents. We continued east on NM-333 two miles to the intersection with NM-217 where we headed south. The next 7 miles of driving was on a low-traffic paved road where we experienced a series of rolling hills that finally reached an altitude of 7150 ft at Gonzales Rd. The only Model T mishap was the Wing’s in their 1924 not quite reaching the top of a steep hill before the engine refused to “rev” high enough to continue. Marilyn Duncan came to the rescue with a tow strap pulling the coupe a few hundred feet until it crested the hill. The problem turned out to be too rich a fuel mixture at this altitude and the car ran much better the remainder of the trip once the fuel/air mixture was leaned out. We then headed west, climbing to an altitude of 7,363 ft., and reached Brian Dean’s home.

We were welcomed by Brian & his 2 “guard doggies”, Zhou Ming (shi tzu) and Pieter (pomeranian), to their beautiful and spacious log home – the property of which is a certified NM Tree Farm. We enjoyed a leisurely grilled lunch of hamburgers and hotdogs, salads and deserts, and toured his magnificent home and shop. The food was delicious and the peaceful wooded setting made for a relaxing and enjoyable lunch. Brian told us stories about the wildlife he’s seen on his property including bobcats, cougars, and bears!

When it was time to leave, we descended back towards Albuquerque via the scenic Anaya Rd, Oak Flat Rd Loop and then winding down NM 337 back to Tijeras via Old Rt 66 (NM 333W).

Thank you to our host Brian Dean for his generosity in opening his home to our club and providing most of the lunch; Brian’s friends from Taos – Dutch and Marsha for setup, cooking, cleanup; to the Duncan’s for organizing the event and providing the “Trouble Trailer” support; to Vaughn Rockafellow for logistical support; and to Rita-Loy Simmons and other members for organizing and contributing food for this event!