New Mexico Outdoor

Roughing It In Luxury-Abiquiu, New Mexico 505.901.7321

NM Road Trip

Day 7

Our last day on the road. We left T or C and and were heading north on Interstate 25. We wanted to visit Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, just south of Socorro. Each fall, tens of thousands of birds, including Sandhill Cranes, geese and ducks, make the Refuge their winter home. I thought we might be a bit early to see the birds and indeed in the Visitor Center we were told that the ‘cranes had not made any reservations for winter yet’ … However if you get a chance to visit in November, the city of Socorro and Bosque del Apache celebrate the returns of the cranes with the popular and acclaimed “Festival of the Cranes”.

We continued north on Interstate 25 and, passed Albuquerque, we took Hwy 550 north and after a short drive on 550, we took NM4 into the beautiful Jemez Mountains. Our next stop was the Ponderosa Vineyards & Winery in the scenic Ponderosa Valley on the southern slopes of the Jemez Mountains. It’s the largest Riesling Vineyards in New Mexico and specializes in hand crafting estate bottled Riesling wines. The vineyards and winery, 5800 ft. above sea level, are on deep well drained volcanic ash deposits, which along with our long hot days and cool nights provide the ideal conditions to develop our unique wine character.

We arrived on the day where they just had finished picking the grapes and we were lucky to be treated to a great private tour by the winery’s owner and wine maker, Henry Street, who explained some of the secrets of wine making. At the end of the tour we had a wonderful wine tasting experience and left with a box full of great wines.

Back on NM4 we passed the small town of Jemez Springs, again a wonderful place to soak and relax in hot waters. As we got closer and closer to home we briefly stopped to admire the vast meadows of the Valles Caldera National Preserve as the sun went down and an hour later we were back at the ranch, full of impressions and still excited about the past days and all the places we had seen.

Thanks! Gabriela

Day 6

We left Silver City driving south on US180 for about 35 miles and then on NM61 north to meet NM152 or “Geronimo Trail National Byway”. On 61 we stopped at a huge apple orchard and after tasting different kinds of apples (just like a wine tasting) we bought two big bags of delicious apples. The Geronimo Trail was a spectacular drive. We stopped at Emory Pass and had picnic at Emory Pass Vista.

Reading about the destiny of the Apache Indians of those regions was definitely thought provoking. The landscape and the nature was beautiful and breathtaking. In the small town of Hillsboro which dates from the 1870’s when it was the center of a rich mining community that ultimately produced about $6 million in gold and silver. Among the many mines was the Bridal Chamber which until the silver crash of 1893 was one of New Mexico’s most famous and productive mines. We had coffee and ice cream at the Store & Café located in a historic building from 1879. We strolled through the main street and visited the small and colorful church and admired the many buildings which were lovingly restored.

From Hillsboro to Truth or Consequences (called T or C by New Mexicans) it was just a 45 minutes drives but the scenery changed again from the heavy pine covered Gila Mountains to the massive and rugged range of the Caballo mountains towering over the small resort town along the Rio Grande. Downtown T or C sits atop an apparently inexhaustible supply of hot mineral water which gurgles to the surface in eight wells and springs throughout town. Since prehistoric times this water, ranging in temperature 98-115 F has lured people to the area for its restorative and curative powers. We stayed at the Pelican Spa located in the historic Spa district. Most of the bathhouses in the historic district were built in the 1930s. All the rooms are unique and beautifully decorated in bold colors. And in the main house there are large tubs into which one can pump natural hot water and soak and relax galore.

Day 5

Saturday night we arrived in Silver City and checked in at the Econolodge on Hwy 180. It turned out to be a good decision. The rooms were newly renovated, comfortable, spacious and clean and the staff friendly. Even though it was Saturday night, Silver City’s downtown area was quiet with many shops and stores already closed which was too bad because we would have loved to enter one or the other.

We passed Billy the Kid’s cabin who’s step father had a burning desire of becoming rich and moved his family in 1873 to the southwest’s newest and richest mining district – Silver City.

We had a delicious dinner at the Wrangler Grill and after a good night sleep we headed out Sunday morning to drive the “Trail of the Mountain Spirits” (NM15, a national scenic byway). The road winds its way through the heart of the Gila Wilderness. It’s a true hiker’s paradise. There are lots of trails and one could spend days and days and days, just hiking in this huge area. Gila Cliff Dwellings Visitor Center is at the end of the road, a 40 miles drive that takes about 2 hours. There we stood before Geronimo’s birthplace memorial recognizing the birthplace of the Apache Chief near the headwaters of the Gila River.

On our way back we had picnic at the shore of lake Roberts, a 72-acre man-made lake nestled in the pine-covered slopes of nearby mountains. It is home to hundred of bird species and offers fishing, boating and camping.

We continued on NM35 passsing through Mimbres Valley with lots of farms and orchards. We returned to Silver City on NM152 passing the Santa Rita Open Pit Copper Mine. It’s HUGE. Copper was extracted from this area by prehistoric man and later in the 18th century by Hispanic settlers. The site is the oldest continually operated copper mine in the U.S. and one of the largest pit operations.

Day 4

We left Los Olmos to visit Mogollon (pronounced Mogo-YONE in Spanish) a Ghost Town about 9 miles off Hwy 180 just north of Glenwood. The 9 mile drive off the Hwy was quite adventuresome. The road, although paved, was very very narrow, lots of hairpin curves, and no guard rails. Even for us Swiss people who are used to drive narrow roads over mountain passes, this road was quite something!!! However the trip is greatly rewarded by beautiful views and the visit of Mogollon. Mogollon has become a ghost town almost overnight in 1910. At the height of its time it was populated by approximately 5000 people. They were mining gold and silver. Today Mogollon is populated again by about 10 to 15 people. It has a Museum, a few shops and even a tiny quaint restaurant. We visited the Archives of the Cemetery and scrolled through the records of people who lived and died in Mogollon. The Museum also is a good place to learn about Mogollon and its people. The Museum guide was well-informed and loved to share his knowledge with us. While my father was very much interested in the old mining tools, my mother looked through the huge and beautifully handwritten payroll book of the Mining Company while I was interested in anything that had to do with the name Kelly....

About 5 miles east of Glenwood is Whitewater Canyon and the Catwalk. The Catwalk is a 2.2 miles roundtrip hike into a steep and narrow box canyon. It was once a hideout of Apache chief Geronimo and later became the site of mining activity. Today it's a beautiful recreation area in the Gila National Forest. Several picnic tables are set in the shade of huge sycamore and oak trees beside the clear stream where we relaxed and had a bite to eat after the Catwalk hike.

Day 3

From Sky City Hotel to Acoma Pueblo it's a 15 mile very scenic drive. At the Visitor Center we bought our tour tickets and boarded the shuttle bus for a short drive up on top of the mesa where Acoma Pueblo is located; 357 feet above the plain. The Acoma People choose that location as a safeguard against raiding tribes. Today there are approximately 3600 Acoma People and between 10 and 15 families still live in the old Pueblo. The walking tour lasted a good hour and was led by an Acoma guide. It was very very interesting and informative. Built in the middle of the 12th century and with Taos Pueblo one of the two oldest continually inhabited settlements in the U.S., Acoma Pueblo is one of the true wonders of New Mexico, an experience not to be missed!

Above: We wandered the ancient streets, past vendors selling jewelry, pottery, pies and water. At the end of the tour, Pati and I walked back down. The path is steep and tough going at times with steps and hand holds carved into the cliff side but it's a good way to experience travel up the mesa before the road was built. After a pic-nick in the courtyard of the Visitor Center and a walk through the museum, we left Acoma around 2:00 pm to continue our trip south on Hwy 117. Hwy 117 winds along the edge of El Malpais National Monument for almost 40 miles. El Malpais (The Badlands) is a broad and windswept land of ancient lava flows. It's a truly unique landscape together with La Ventana (The Window), New Mexico's best-known natural arch, a wind-sculpted, water-eroded wonder carved out of sand dunes millions of years ago.

Then, the landscape once again changed while we were driving through the North Plains, grassland as far as the eye could reach, paradise for cattle and antelopes. We came through small towns like Quemado, Apache Creek, Reserve and arrived at our destination for the night: Glenwood at the foot of the Mogollon Mountains in the Gila, where we got a good night sleep at the Los Olmos Guest Ranch in our own private, simple but comfortable stone cabin.

Day 2

After a hearty breakfast at the El Rancho we left Gallup and drove south on 602 through Cibola National Forest and into Zuni country. After 35 miles we reached Zuni Pueblo. We stopped at the Visitor Center which also serves as a small museum.

The Spanish encountered Zuni Pueblo in 1540 in their search for the legendary Seven Golden Cities of Cibola. The Zuni people are famous for their inlay jewelry, needlepoint and "fetish" stone carvings. At the Zuni Craftsmen Cooperative Pati bought a pair of beautiful turquoise needlepoint earrings and I could not resist buying two tiny perfect turquoise stone carvings. One represents a rabbit and the other one a bear.

We left Zuni Pueblo and drove Hwy 53 east towards Ramah Indian Reservation with a beautiful view of the Zuni Mountains on our left. We had planned to visit the Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary which is about 15 miles off the Highway and arrived just in time for the 12:30 pm tour. The Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary's mission is to provide permanent, safe sanctuary for abused and abandoned captive-bred wolves and wolf-dogs. It was very educational but also touching and if you like to learn more about the Wolf Sanctuary and how you may help, visit http://wildwolfspirit.org

Back on Hwy 53 we continued our trip east and past El Morro National Monument. You may want to explore the rocks where Pueblo people, Spanish explorers and other Travelers left more than 2000 signatures and messages behind.

The impressive Mount Taylor (11300 feet) came in view about 10 miles south of Grants. Mount Taylor is part of the San Mateo Mountains and the highest point. It's sacred to the Navajos and called Tso odzil, Turquoise Mountain.

In Grants we merged onto Interstate 40 east and after a short drive of about 30 miles we ended our day at the Acoma Sky City Hotel and Casino. We look forward to tomorrow and our visit to Acoma Pueblo. (pronounced- ACK-oma)

Day 1

I'm sitting here in the lobby of the El Rancho Hotel in Gallup. We had a very nice drive. One of the "highlights" was definitely the spotting of two HUGE deer near Gallina.

My father spotted them. They were just sooooo big and both had big antlers. I was able to take some pictures. They are a bit fuzzy because I zoomed in quite a bit. We stopped and watched them just for a little while and they watched us and then disappeared into the woods. In Cuba we filled the tank and then took Route 197 which soon turned into Indian Route 9. A lot of sage country, cattle country and sand brown cliffs. The colors are quite different from Georgia O'Keeffe country, not a lot of red. We saw mustangs along the road and lots of cattle.

We passed over Chaco Mesa and through Tucker Gap.

Most houses had sweat lodges nearby. The sweat lodge (also called purification ceremony, sweat house, medicine lodge, medicine house, or simply sweat, is a ceremonial sauna and is an important event in some North American First Nations or native American cultures. There are several styles of sweat lodges that include a domed or oblong hut similar to a wickiup, or even a simple hole dug into the ground and covered with planks or tree trunks. Stones are typically heated in an exterior fire and then placed in a central pit in the ground. In Crownpoint we had lunch in the parking lot of the Crownpoint Super Market. There were the only trees that gave some shade. (Shade is a rare thing to find in this part of the Navajo Nation.) We noticed that people speak their language Dine and in the Super Market things like "bakery" or "deli" and more are written in Dine. Downtown Gallup, along historic route 66, has a lot of pawn shops with Indian jewelry and cowboy fare. In two shops where we entered they were making saddles and chaps and hats right there.

That was quite interesting.

The train passes through Gallup every few minutes. (Of course I had to take a movie.....) My father counted 124 cars on one train with 4(!) locomotives. Lots of the regular motels, gas stations, food chains, etc. along route 66. Nothing really special. However the El Rancho Hotel has a lot of character and history and is really neat and well worth to overnight. (It reminds me a lot of the Old Faithful Inn at Yellowstone Park.)

We drove a total of 232 miles today from Medanales to Gallup. We made a few extra miles back and forth on route 66 until we got to the hotel in Gallup. I had a brain cramp and forgot which direction was west and east You will see on the GPS. (Poor guy "he" probably got all dizzy....)! Gabriela

Also See:

Vista de Pedernal