Mike's Southwest Travels: Modoc Mine

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Modoc Mine

February 11, 2006

Location:  West face of the Organ Mountains,
Las Cruces, New Mexico

Top 10 Things I’ve leaned from my weekend trip to the Modoc Mines:

(I literally brought this nugget of wisdom down from the mountaintop.)

1. When attempting to climb down from an old mine you should avoid the tailings pile on the side of the hill even if it is the most direct route.
2. While it may seem like a good idea at the time, sliding down the tailings pile on your butt is not recommended.
3. Tailings piles while they look smooth are really made up of sharp jagged little pieces of rock and stickers.
4. While sliding down a tailings pile you will pick up an enormous amount of speed in a very short amount of time and not be able to stop.
5. If you try to stop your right leg will more than likely slide under you causing you to begin to tumble down the tailings pile.
6. Tumbling down a tailing pile is more painful than sliding.
7. Tailing piles in the Organ Mountains tend to end in big thick cactus patches.
8. Cactus patches will stop you from tumbling and bring you to a complete halt.  Thankfully though, they will stop you from going over the cliff.
9. Head wounds, even minor ones, really bleed a lot.
10. I’m not 21 anymore.

There has been some implication that I just injure myself during these adventures to get sympathy from the girls at work. Those people are just jealous that it works.

Dark, ominous, and foreboding.  What's not to love?

Unfortunately, here's where my trip pretty much ended.  I knew I should have brought my acetylene torch.

This was to let everyone know that this dangerous old mine had been sealed.  And after I had pried it out, it also made a nice souvenir of my trip to the Modoc Mine.