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1.START-END SOUTH: 1st and 2nd St reach a low point when crossing Rio San Jose, immediately after turning off NM122 or Route66. 2.first turnoff to La Mosca Lookout 3.TOP,9080ft 4.profile turns left onto FR543 5.profile turns right onto NM605 6.START-END NORTH: jct NM605 - NM122, Milan

Approaches

From South. Mt Taylor and its La Mosca Lookout features prominently in the signage, as you go through Grants and is picturesquely decrepit Route 66 paraphernalia shops. It seems like every name in every business eludes to the old tourist road.

Heading out on a wide paved road with a huge shoulder designated for bicycles, Mount Taylor looms ahead, its gentle triangle, lined in light green, signifying a meadow above treeline. That will have been the best view of the highest mountain in Cebolla National Forest for this ride. The road heads up towards two mesas with mining scars. A gentle decent and the paved road seems to head for a saddle promising a new view on the other side, while the two mining mesas now appear at eye level and relatively unscraped. But this is just the first of many saddles that appear as tops, but really aren't.

Some more gentle climbing and the next apparent top appears. Here the pavement ends, the forest finally stand stays around, and there is also the first intersection with a road to the La Mosca Lookout tower. But this profile forsakes the promise of far views and stays on the main road, which is now designated FR239. A deep gravel gives way to a smoother more bike friendly surface after a couple of miles. But the endless forest surroundings are here to stay. It feels like we have gone over the top already. But there is always an unexpected roller that goes just a little higher. The road passes a second signed turnoff to La Mosca Lookout. Next: a gently descend with many more curves than went before, passes yet another signed turnoff to La Mosca. Next comes the signed San Mateo Spring. The road changes direction radically towards the west. A short slightly steeper and rougher climb leads to the true summit. From here you can spy the canyons of the San Lucas Valley between the trees for the first time

From North. (described downwards) Now the road is as straight as it was curvy just five minutes ago on the other side. A potentially lightning fast decent leads through the trees heading north. At the next junction the profile says goodbye to FR239 and also the GDMBR route. Instead it descends further on FR456 in an easterly direction. For me personally this next section is actually the most scenic. The road seems to head towards a canyon and mesa landscape in the San Lucas Valley. But it never gets there and instead diverts to suburban looking San Mateo. The next two intersections, until the route is back on NM605 are fairly obscure to recognize when looking for this route in the opposite direction. When traversing the route in the opposite direction, the first required unsigned left from one paved road onto another, features a traffic triangle with a tree on it. After that the first right onto an unpaved road can be recognized by the presence of private mining sign. The profile includes the long gentle decent on NM605 to its junction with NM122.