Text adapted from research and tour organization materials by Paul and Marilyn Duncan and Dave Ferro. Edited by Mark Wing. Photos by Mark and Susan Wing unless otherwise noted.

Tour day 2 primary activities: The Station – Sugarite – Johnson Mesa – Folsom – Capulin – Return to Raton Loop – Oasis restaurant

Total round trip – 88 miles

We gathered around 8:30 a.m. outside the Best Western Plus Hotel for Driver/Co-Pilot instructions. With only 4 Model T’s participating in this day’s tour, it was easy to drive in a caravan. Paul and Marilyn Duncan drove the trouble truck and Tom and Cathy Miles followed the T’s in their modern car.

While still in Raton, our first stop was to the “The Station” to meet local car and memorabilia collector, Frank Ferri, who owns a 1926 Model T. He gave us a tour of his shop and provided local history about Johnson Mesa where his family still owns ranch land. He is also one of the caretakers of the stone church that we visited later in the day. Frank was a very gracious host and provided coffee and snacks for us. His former gas station was built in 1947 in an art deco style. Frank used to know the family who originally owned the station and recounted that they kept the place spotless. Many thanks to Frank Ferri for the great tour of his “Station” and his delightful collection!

After leaving Frank Ferri’s gas station in Raton, we will drove to Sugarite (“sugar-eet) State Park Visitor Center.

Sugarite was the site of a coal mining camp (town) that operated from the early 1900s until it closed in 1942.

For more information about Sugarite: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugarite_Canyon_State_Park

https://www.outdoorsy.com/guide/sugarite-canyon-state-park-nm

After leaving Sugarite, we took the “Dry Cimarron Scenic Byway” along NM-72 winding up Yankee Canyon through oak, juniper & pine forest to Johnson Mesa. Our starting altitude in Raton was around 6,680 ft and the top of Johnson Mesa is close to 8,300 ft. This leg of the tour required at least 2 miles in low band for the stock Model T’s. Once on Johnson Mesa, the top was relatively flat and sloped slightly from west to east.

The old stone church and cemetery is all that remains from the towns of Bell /Johnson Mesa. It is still in regular use and is open to visitors.

After leaving the Johnson Mesa Church, we drove about 14 miles across the mesa through lush grassland and lava, we then descended into the village of Folsom.

Once in the village of Folsom, we visited the historic Folsom Museum and enjoyed a picnic lunch. Abbie Reaves operates the museum and was a wealth of information about the history of village. Thank you Abbie!

For more information of the village of Folsom: http://www.folsomvillage.com/

Following a terrific box lunch, we made a short drive to the nearby Folsom Falls on the Dry (disappearing) Cimarron River. The waterfall and pool were an unexpected surprise in an otherwise arid looking environment.

After the visit to the waterfall and pool, we returned to the Folsom Museum to enjoy ice cream and to show our cars to interested visitors.

The final stop planned for this day was the Capulin Volcano National Monument, an extinct volcano. Due to recent heavy rain, the road to the top was closed to all visitors. At the Visitor Center (open daily until 5pm) where we enjoyed the exhibits of the geology and history of the area.

We returned to Raton via US 64/87 – a 4-lane very nicely paved road that connects Raton to Clayton. Although a high-speed road, there was relatively little traffic and we made very good time on the drive back to Raton. The only problem we experienced on the drive were approx. 20 mph winds that threatened to rip the top off of the Azevedo’s 1912 touring car! Larry and Lorna had sore arms hanging onto their top during the drive. There were storm clouds in the vicinity that made for spectacular views.

The Oasis restaurant was one of the higher rated places in town so we all had dinner there.

Links to other tour days:

Tour Day 1 (Wed) – Arrival in Raton – Shuler Theater – Raton Museum – Bruno’s Pizza

Tour Day 3 (Fri) – Power Plant – Shopping – Parade – Clayton – Eklund Hotel – Luna Theater

Tour Day 4 (Sat) – Photo shoot – Santa Fe Trail – Clayton Lake – Dinosaur Tracks – Herzstein Museum – Tour Banquet – Singer & Songwriter Event, 2019

Link to Raton-Clayton Places Summary, September 2019(a PDF of more detailed information compiled by Paul and Marilyn Duncan of the places visited on the tour)