Pics: Honeymoon hiking in New Mexico!

[Independent Gal]

We just got back from our short honeymoon, hiking in Skippy's home state of New Mexico. After a false start (DH got a migraine, then the rental car wouldn't start) we had a marvelous time and learned a great deal about the local geology and ecology. I'm a huge fan of rocks... and not just the sparkly kind! So for me part of the thrill of new place is understanding how they came to look the way they do. I won't bore you with the details, but would you please check out the awesome, beautiful weirdness of this volcanic wonderland?!?! We hiked every day in a different landscape, and we also visited Santa Fe, Albuquerque, and drove through Los Alamos (weeeeeird place!)

Most of the time we stayed in this fabulous place north of Espanola, near Ojo Caliente. I cannot recommend it highly enough. The owners are dolls, it was sooooo peaceful and private (we practically had the place to ourselves!), and its remote enough that the stars are really something to see.

www.ranchodesanjuan.com

Six thumbs up!

OK, here are the pics.

 

[Independent Gal]

This is a ''mesa''. They stick up in the middle of nowhere and look all ominous and cool. I can tell you how they''re made if you want.

 

[Independent Gal]

These sharp pointy pillars are called tent rocks. They look just like the trees in shape, but they are, uh, rocks. We are in the Jemez mountains here. Altitude: about 9000 ft. Catch your breath people!

 

[Independent Gal]

Pretty waterfall.

 

[MonkeyPie]

You probably drove right past my house! I live in NM. Ojo Caliente is one of my favorite areas - did you see Soda Dam?

ETA: I see the picture of the waterfall now, that is Soda Dam! Did you stop there? There's a cool little cave where the hot water comes from.

 

[Independent Gal]

These cliffs are made from hardened volcanic ash. It''s called ''tuff'' and it''s very soft. Everywhere in the world, people have come up with the same idea where there is a lot of tuff: hollow it out and use it for storage! Or even for living in. Here, the ancestral Pueblo people in the Frijoles canyon had made cliff homes in the walls. But you find similar things in Italy, Turkey...

 

[Independent Gal]

Date: 6/12/2008 4:49:39 PM
Author: MonkeyPie
You probably drove right past my house! I live in NM. Ojo Caliente is one of my favorite areas - did you see Soda Dam?


ETA: I see the picture of the waterfall now, that is Soda Dam! Did you stop there? There''s a cool little cave where the hot water comes from.

Hey there! We did see the Soda Dam, but that picture is of Jemez Falls, a little further up.

Have you ever been to the restaurant at Rancho de San Juan? It was pretty damn good, although not quite as good as advertised (we had heard it was the BEST in New Mexico).

 

[Independent Gal]

flowers!

 

[Independent Gal]

A cheerfully confident license plate.

 

[MonkeyPie]

I am so failing at my home state - I thought Jemez Falls and Soda Dam went together. I could be wrong lol.

And I haven''t been to that resteraunt, but I have heard a lot of good things about it. It''s sort of off the beaten path - most folks tend to hit Santa Fe and ABQ. When you drove through, did you pass through Bernalillo? They have an amazing little place called Abuelitas that is great.

 

[Independent Gal]

With each state I visit (I''m up to 18 now... I keep remembering ones I forgot!) I understand a little more about this beautiful country I now I live in. DH has only lived in America for 3 years, so it is all still even newer for him.

 

[Independent Gal]

Date: 6/12/2008 4:59:07 PM
Author: MonkeyPie
I am so failing at my home state - I thought Jemez Falls and Soda Dam went together. I could be wrong lol.


And I haven''t been to that resteraunt, but I have heard a lot of good things about it. It''s sort of off the beaten path - most folks tend to hit Santa Fe and ABQ. When you drove through, did you pass through Bernalillo? They have an amazing little place called Abuelitas that is great.

I think we drove by Bernalillo on the way south on I-25 back to ABQ. We only spent a few hours there, as we wanted our holiday to be more about the landscape and the wilderness than the cities. We spent most of our time on foot! We hiked a total of... (quick figures) 24 miles I think.

 

[sagewren]

Love the pictures.

I''ve never been to NM, but hope to get there!

peaceful and private . . . and its remote

Sounds heavenly for a honeymoon.

 

[Independent Gal]

Oh yeah, and you're thinking of Soda Dam and Jemez as going together because it's very near to the town of Jemez SPRINGS. These falls are in the forest, well off the road and further up into the mountains. There was a campsite near there but we hiked in via another route about 5 miles away.

 

[erica k]

Oooh, I love NM! Sounds like you had a good time hiking and relaxing. I really miss the desert, although New England has a few nice hiking trails. I miss the big skies most of all.

 

[Independent Gal]

Yeah, the big skies are great! And it''s nice to get away from people too, although because we weren''t camping, we didn''t get THAT far away from people on this trip.

Erica, if you''re really into deserts and big skies, you should totally go hiking in Iceland. In some areas, the desert is black sand, covered in weird green moss, and ok, strictly speaking its not a desert because it rains a lot! but not much grows there because of the recent volcanic activity, which is why it looks like a desert. And the skies are huge!

 

[Independent Gal]

And you can get your glacier on while you''re there too.

My sister and I did a 6 day trek in the back country. It was awesome. Highly recommended if you want to get away from the New England crush, and it''s only about a 5 hour flight, direct from Boston.

 

[AmberWaves]

Wow, IG, these are just lovely! I''m so envious!

 

[MonkeyPie]

I want to go to Iceland now!

 

[kcoursolle]

Oh My Stars, what a lovely vacation!! I love hiking and it looks incredible where you were!!!

 

[KimberlyH]

Beautiful pictures, Indy, and it sounds like your honeymoon, post false start, was wonderful. I''m so glad for both of you.

 

[Skippy123]

Date: 6/12/2008 4:44:49 PM
Author:Independent Gal


Most of the time we stayed in this fabulous place north of Espanola, near Ojo Caliente. I cannot recommend it highly enough. The owners are dolls, it was sooooo peaceful and private (we practically had the place to ourselves!), and its remote enough that the stars are really something to see.

www.ranchodesanjuan.com

Six thumbs up!

OK, here are the pics.

Wow, I never heard of it; it sounds beautiful

Hubby and I usually get away to either Santa Fe or Taos for the weekend once a year so I will tell him I want to go to Rancho de San Juan instead. Wow, good for you that is a lot of hiking

; 24 miles!!! Beautiful pics!!!

Did you make it down South? I hope it wasn't too hot! What was your favorite thing you did or saw? Did you have chile, red or green? hehe Did you have sopapillas? Your poor hubby; I am glad the rest of the trip was wonderful, YAY Indy

thanks for sharing!!! When are you two cuties moving here?

Did you watch the stars at night?

eta: MonkeyPie, nice to see another NM

 

[FrekeChild]

MonkeyPie-you live in NM too? Me too.

Hey Indy! What did you think of our record breaking heat? (You''re lucky to have spent a lot of time up north!)

 

[portia]

Great pics Indy! I especially love that last one. Beautiful! Glad to hear you had a great time in the southwest. It''s one of my favorites areas!

 

[Diamond*Dana]

Great pictures, it looks like you had a beautiful trip!

 

[bebe]

Cool Pics.

I love NM. I''m a native Texan, but lived in Hobbs for 2yrs. during the late 70''s.
Last fall, hubby and I drove to Taos, then 2 days later, circled north through Santa Fe, onwards west
where there were some great mesas, then down to Silver City, up highway 15, then finally stopping
in Los Cruces. All in one day. The next day we drove from El Paso to Houston. Can you say tired!!

New Mexico is so undiscovered, in my opinion. I love the Hatch chilies and I had some of the best
"real" Mexican food there ever. We have Tex-Mex here in Houston and that is a whole other thing!!
Gal, I have read about Ojo Caliente, maybe we will get there one day. I want to explore the Gila
desert, but I have such a fear of snakes and other critters. Your trip sounded wonderful, I''m jealous.!

 

[Catmom]

Wow, wonderful pics, Indy! Now I want to go there!!!

 

[MonkeyPie]

Freke and Skippy, that is awesome - I very rarely come across anyone else from NM when online, it seems that NMers are not very computer-savvy.

 

[Independent Gal]

Date: 6/12/2008 10:05:56 PM
Author: Skippy123
Did you make it down South? I hope it wasn't too hot! What was your favorite thing you did or saw? Did you have chile, red or green? hehe Did you have sopapillas? Your poor hubby; I am glad the rest of the trip was wonderful, YAY Indy

thanks for sharing!!! When are you two cuties moving here? Did you watch the stars at night?

Hi Skippers! We spent the last day in ABQ, looking at the petroglyphs and Old Town and stuff. It was CRAZY hot and very windy. But at least it was a dry heat. We didn't go any further south than that. We're both used to desert heat, and after a week of INSANE humid heat traveling in Cambodia once (I sweat so much that my muscles went into salt-shock!), I always just tell myself 'Well, I can handle this! At least it isn't as bad as that week in Cambodia!"

FREKE: I didn't realize it was record breaking heat! I think the extra altitude helped a little too. It was crazy that it was even that hot (about 90) when we were at 8000-9000 ft though.

We had some very yummy sopapillas and we ate LOTS of chile in both colors.

And BOY did we watch the stars! We saw a total of 4 shooting stars too which is always nice. New Mexico puts the mmm back in Mmmmeteor!

You and your hubby should definitely consider Rancho de San Juan when you need R&R away from the city. So luxurious inside, so beautiful and quiet outside! Plus, lots of cottontail bunnies! And there is a tonne of great hiking around there, and I seem to recall that you guys like hiking too?

 

[Independent Gal]

Date: 6/12/2008 11:32:37 PM
Author: portia
Great pics Indy! I especially love that last one. Beautiful! Glad to hear you had a great time in the southwest. It''s one of my favorites areas!

I love that last one too (although it''s of Iceland not NM... it was to tempt Erica K. to hike there since she likes big skies!). The thing is, you can''t even imagine what it looked like in person. It was truly beyond words.