Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
268
12 EN ROUTE TO SANTA FE
THE TURQUOISE TRAIL
Known as “the Turquoise Trail,” NM 14 begins about 16 miles east of downtown Albu-
querque, at I-40's Cedar Crest exit, and winds some 46 miles to Santa Fe along the east
side of the Sandia Mountains. This state-designated scenic and historic route traverses the
revived ghost towns of Golden, Madrid, and Cerrillos, where gold, silver, coal, and tur-
quoise were once mined in great quantities. Modern-day settlers, mostly artists and
craftspeople, have brought a renewed frontier spirit to the old mining towns.
SANDIA CREST As you start along the Turquoise Trail, you may want to turn left
onto Sandia Crest Road and drive about 5 minutes to the Tinkertown Museum , 121
Sandia Crest Rd. ( & 505/284-5233; www.tinkertown.com). The creation of Ross Ward,
who took 40 years to carve, collect, and construct the place, it is mostly a miniatures
museum, featuring dollhouse-type exhibits of a mining town, a circus, and other venues,
with push buttons to make the little characters move. The building itself is constructed
of glass bottles, wagon wheels, and horseshoes, among other ingredients. Great fun for
the kids here. It's open daily, April 1 to November 1, from 9am to 6pm. Admission is $3
for adults, $1 for children 4 to 16.
GOLDEN Golden is approximately 10 miles north of the Sandia Park junction on NM
14. Its sagging houses, with their missing boards and the wind whistling through the
broken eaves, make it a purist's ghost town. There's a general store widely known for its
large selection of well-priced jewelry, as well as, across the street, a bottle seller's “glass
garden.” Be sure to slow down and look for the village church, a great photo opportunity,
on the east side of the road. Nearby are the ruins of a pueblo called Paako, abandoned
around 1670.
MADRID Madrid (pronounced mah -drid) is about 12 miles north of Golden. This
town, along with neighboring Cerrillos, was in a fabled turquoise-mining area dating
back to prehistory. Gold and silver mines followed, and when they faltered, there was
coal. The Turquoise Trail towns supplied fuel for the locomotives of the Santa Fe Railroad
until the 1950s, when the railroad converted to diesel fuel. Madrid used to produce
100,000 tons of coal a year and was a true “company town,” but the mine closed in 1956.
Today, this is a village of artists and craftspeople seemingly stuck in the 1960s: Its funky,
ramshackle houses have many counterculture residents who operate several crafts stores
and import shops.
The Old Coal Mine Museum and Old West Photography ( & 505/438-3780 )
invites visitors to peek into a mine that was saved when the town was abandoned. You
can see the old mine's offices, steam engines, machines, and tools. It's open daily; admis-
sion is $5 for adults, $3 for seniors, and free for children 5 and under. You might want
to have a picture taken in one of the 1,000 costumes at Old West Photography, $3 per
person, $25 for one 8x10 or two 5x7s.
Next door, the Mine Shaft Tavern ( & 505/473-0743 ) continues its colorful career
by offering a variety of burgers (try the green-chile cheeseburger) and presenting live
music Saturday nights and Sunday afternoons; it's open for meals in summer Monday to
Thursday 11am to 6pm and Friday to Sunday 11am to 8pm. In winter, meals are served
Monday to Thursday from noon to 4pm and Friday to Sunday noon to 8pm. The bar is
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