All the wildflowers were at their peak, all the way from Socorro to Belen.
BTW, living in AZ, you already know that late summer or fall is the season to ride "scenic" I rode the south valley below Belen last summer not long after the big flood. All the wildflowers were at their peak, all the way from Socorro to Belen. It was gorgeous. Also beautiful would be fall color, like 4th of July campground or Cloudcroft in late September or Oct. Spring is likely to be a haboob, just like in AZ.