Santa Fe Off The Beaten Path

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One reason for our planning to spend several days in Santa Fe was to do a day trip to Bandelier National Monument. I had read a lot about it, here on VT and elsewhere, and knew it was just the sort of place we would enjoy visiting. Then a few months before our visit a wildfire swept through the area, devastating over 146,000 acres, including about 60% of Bandelier’s area. Almost all of the monument was closed to visitors. But fortunately for us one small part remained open, and it sounded like one of the most interesting – Tsankawi. This lies twelve miles from the main section of the park and had been unaffected by the fire. Here you can follow a trail (the website said 1.5 miles though it felt a little longer), walking literally in the footsteps of the ancient inhabitants of this land, in the deep grooves worn in the rocks over the centuries. It’s not the easiest of walks – as well as the deep narrow track you will need to be able to climb a few ladders. But it’s well worth it. You climb to the top of the mesa where there was once a pueblo, then descend past a series of cavates (which you can enter) and a few petroglyphs. Throughout the walk there are expansive views over the surrounding countryside. To add to the magic of the place, there’s a good chance that you’ll have it more or less to yourself. We met only two other couples during the whole time we were on the trail, and that at a time when the rest of the monument was closed.

For more about our visit to Tsankawi please see my (forthcoming) separate little page.

Directions: As the website says, this isn’t the easiest place to find, so I’ve copied their directions here – we followed them and had no problem:
“Coming from Santa Fe you'll turn from State Highway 502 to State Highway 4. Less than 1/4 of a mile past this turn Tsankawi will be located on the left hand side of the road. There are no signs for Tsankawi on Highway 4. If you get to the stoplight, you've gone too far. A large gravel parking area adjacent to the highway and a sign on the fence will indicate you've found the place.”
Access to the monument costs $12 per vehicle. There is an honour pay post in the little hut at the start of the trail, and you display the permit in your car. The two other cars parked there when we arrived didn’t appear to have bothered, perhaps feeling it was unnecessary with most of the monument closed, but we paid – they’re going to need the funds to repair the fire’s damage, after all.

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If you’ve visited the Geogia O’Keeffe Museum and been inspired by the red rock scenery in many of her landscapes, head out to Abiquiu to see where she found her inspiration. Unfortunately when we did just that the weather was rather overcast, but nevertheless the landscape was very impressive and well worth the drive. Once beyond Española the drive is pleasant enough, but it is after you pass the small town of Chilli that it starts to get more dramatic. At first the drama comes from the contrast between the lush green valley of the Rio Chama and the more barren hills on either side. Then as you near Abiquiu the rocky outcrops get more eye-catching and the colours richer, with reds and whites predominating.

The village of Abiquiu, home to O’Keeffe for more than 40 years, tends to keep itself to itself, and visitors are not really encouraged, much as is the case with many of the pueblos. You can tour the O’Keeffe house, but only with a prior reservation (see the O’Keeffe Museum’s website for details). We hadn’t planned that far ahead, so decided to give the village a miss and instead headed for Abiquiu Lake a few miles further up the road. This is managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the approach road is a little less scenic than you might hope, as you pass a small power station beside the road, but once beyond this you can park up by the Visitor Centre and stroll up the slope behind it to the point known as the Overlook. Here you can get a magnificent view of the lake, and beyond it the distinctive flat-topped of Cerro Pedernal, the mountain that found its way into so many of O’Keeffe’s works. When we were there it was rather windy on this somewhat exposed ridge overlooking the water, but in better weather it would be a marvellous place for a picnic (tables and grilles are available). The path leads past labelled examples of local shrubs and flowers, and I was able to identify a couple that I had been admiring during our travels round the state. The lake is a popular place for boating and fishing, and also has some camping facilities – see website (below) for more details.

Directions: Take Highway 84 north out of Santa Fe to Abiquiu and beyond

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Although we moved on from Santa Fe to spend a few days in Taos, it’s also popular as a day trip destination (although in my view it merits an overnight at least). And if driving there you have a choice of two routes – the quicker (but still apparently pretty) Low Road, and the more dramatically scenic and historically interesting High Road. With all day to make the journey we chose the latter, and I can certainly recommend it. The views at times are fantastic, and there are some fascinating villages to stop at along the way. I will write separate pages about some of these so this is just an overview of the delights awaiting you on the High Road to Taos.

The one “must stop” place on the route is Chimayó, where the Santuario de Chimayó has been a place of pilgrimage for almost two centuries. This little adobe church was built at the place where a local farmer, Bernardo Abeyta, is said to have dug up a miraculously glowing crucifix. The soil in the hole where it was found is believed to have powers of healing and is known as Holy Dirt. It is protected in a tiny side chapel and the pilgrims make a small donation in return for digging some up to apply to injured limbs, parts of the body affected by illness – or even to eat (although I noted on the official literature at the church that this is discouraged). Nearby is another chapel, dedicated to the Santo Niño. It holds a statue of the Christ Child (El Santo Niño de Atocha) that some believe to travel about at night working miracles. Around the walls are hundreds of pairs of baby shoes left by the faithful to replace those he wears out on his nightly journeys.

We also stopped to see the mission churches in Truchas and Las Trampas; the latter is especially worth the tiny detour needed, as it is considered one of the finest surviving examples of the adobe architecture built in New Mexico, and is designated a National Historic Landmark. Both churches were however closed so we could only appreciate the exteriors. We also stopped off to eat a picnic lunch at pretty Picuris Pueblo before continuing on to Taos. You could do this whole drive in less than two hours, but there would be little point. Its magic is in these little villages, their churches a measure of the deep faith of the mission fathers – and at Chimayó at least, a sign of a faith that is still very much alive today in New Mexico.

Directions: Take Highway 84 north out of Santa Fe and turn onto Highway 68 at Española – the High Road is signposted from there.

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Tesuque Pueblo Flea Market

Directions: 6.5 miles north of Santa Fe on highway 84/285 exit 171

Open from Mar thru Dec, 8am to 4pm Fri, Sat, Sun

Phone: 505-670-2599 or 505-231-8536

Web: www.pueblooftesuquefleamarket.com

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Before the Railrunner, Albuquerque was a day trip and not necessarily a part of a visit to Santa Fe. Now, you can catch the train in the morning, hop a local bus to Old Town (& museums), or out to a shopping mall and be back by the end of the day. So, don't forget to check out the local transportation in Albuquerque and see if it fits your style.

Not surprisingly, New Mexico is one of the bigger hotbeds of Free Masons in the US. The original free thinkers fit into the artistic climate of the colorful state. I knew little of this organization but was intrigued on seeing the Scottish Rite Masonic Center in Santa Fe. Not a true religion but a fraternity of men who accept one's path to God as an individual choice, Free Masonry takes its origin in France but is based on some legends of Scottish conception, hence the name. After the initial three degrees are passed, one can ascribe to a Master's which encompasses 4th through the 32nd degree, with a 33rd one designated for only exceptional service. Though not a religious affiliation, the members have a common belief and devotion to “their” chosen God and have their written scripture on display. Since the predominant religion in the US is Christianity, the Bible is the book generally on display at the altar. It would be interesting to see if the ideals of the original Masons live on today since to become a member you must be invited by a member. Would a Christian member invite a Muslim one? If so, I'm all for it.

Thank you. we are in Santa fe now. Great place ..weather is bad, its colder and rainier than Seattle.
On our way here from Denver on I-25, we drove through a ghost town call Ludlow, it was a nice drive, got to see some amazing landscape and old houses and we stop at las vegas for dinner at a roadside mexican resturant (Johnny's) the food was good and in expensive, but no beer!

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North from Santa Fe, towards Bandelier and Los Alamos you can travel into the Jewez Mountains. Less than 15 minutes past Bandelier you will see the Volcano Caldera described below.
In the summer you can look for obsidian along the road way of the volcano. In the winter, you will find snow as pictured below.
This volcano erupted one million years ago with the force of 45 times Mount St. Helens. This will give you an idea of the strength of this blast.
I recommend seeing both Bandelier and this volcano. It takes the better part of a day, but is a good break from the galleries and tourist areas of Santa Fe.