Travel Reference
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of rocky rapids, its furious white water contrasting dramatically with the dark slopes of the
valley.
6.
Puye Cliff Dwellings
After traveling through open country above the Rio Grande, the drive switches onto State
Rte. 502 east, then follows State Rte. 30 north to the turnoff for the Puye Cliff Dwellings,
another ancient home of the Anasazis. The narrow road to the ruins leads through red hills
cloaked with patches of shrubs and forest. Farther on, the drive encounters a mesa with
two rows of caves carved into the cliffs. On the mesa's flat summit, the Indians built a
pueblo—a large structure with about 740 rooms. Although Bandelier was even more ex-
tensive,Puye'ssiteismoreaccessible,withroadsramblingthroughthearea.Thecavescan
be explored by those willing to climb ladders and inch along narrow ledges. Peering in-
to the openings, visitors glimpse ceilings blackened by long-vanished fires and walls with
faded petroglyphs.
7.
Scenic Route 84
The drive continues to Española, a hub for the region, then heads northwest on Rte. 84. As
your odometer slowly counts the miles, you'll notice the land becoming more and more
colorful, especially near the town of Abiquiu. This region was made famous by Georgia
O'Keeffe, an artist who used bold hues and forms to capture the essence of the local land-
scape, an area she penned as “a beautiful, untouched lonely-feeling place—part of what I
calltheFarAway.”Onedoesnotneedtobeanpainter,though,toappreciatehillsandcliffs
decorated with a kaleidoscope of maroons, oranges, golds, and bands of white.
Farther along, pause at Ghost Ranch, once a dude ranch with a name derived from an
Indian legend that a canyon hereabouts was home to spirits. Sample the ranch's museums
and zoo, then head for Echo Amphitheater. Shaped like a band shell, this natural chamber
was carved by wind and water into the sandstone. The drive's final leg, a gradual climb,
leads to Rte. 64 and Tierra Amarilla, where green fields meet rolling foothills.
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