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great for privacy, but good for a family that doesn't mind sharing space. Others are simi-
lar, but without the loft. Every cabin has a fold-out futon in the living room, an efficient
little kitchen, and a small bathroom. The motel rooms are medium size, with basic fur-
nishing and a long portal to relax under in the afternoons. Guests may fish and wade in
the river flowing through the property.
2625 US 84/64, Chama, NM 87520. & 800/288-1371 or 505/756-2264. Fax [phone]. www.chama
riverbendlodge.com. 21 units. Motel rooms $68-$89 double; cabins $115-$135 double. Children 12 and
under stay free in parent's room. AE, DC, DISC, MC, V. Pets accepted with $10 fee. Amenities: Coffee and
microwave in lobby; Jacuzzi. In room: A/C, TV, fridge.
Camping
At Rio Chama RV Campground ( & 575/756-2303 ), you're within easy walking dis-
tance of the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad depot. This shady campground with 94
sites along the Rio Chama is ideal for RVers and tenters who plan to take train rides. The
campground also offers great photo opportunities of the old steam trains leaving the
depot. Hot showers, a dump station, and complete hookups are available. It's open from
May to mid-October only. The campground is 2 1 / 4 miles north of the US 84/64 junction
on NM 17.
Twin Rivers Trailer Park ( & 575/756-2218; www.twinriversonline.net) has 50 sites
and 40 full hookups; phone hookups are offered. Tenting is available, as are laundry
facilities and ice and picnic tables. River swimming and fishing are popular activities;
other sports facilities include basketball, volleyball, badminton, and horseshoes. Twin
Rivers is open from April 15 to November 15 and is 100 yards west of the junction of
NM 17 and US 84/64.

WHERE TO DINE IN CHAMA
High Country Restaurant and Saloon STEAKS/SEAFOOD/NEW MEXI-
CAN This is definitely a country place, with functional furniture, orange vinyl chairs,
brown carpet, and a big stone fireplace. But it's the place innkeepers recommend, and one
traveling couple I spoke to had eaten lunch and dinner here every day of their weeklong
stay. The steaks are a big draw here. More sophisticated appetites may like the trucha con
piñon, trout dusted in flour and cooked with pine nuts, garlic, and shallots. Meals are
served with a salad and choice of potato. The New Mexican food is also good. The
attached saloon has a full bar and bustles with people eating peanuts and throwing the
shells on the floor. Breakfast on Sunday is country-style, with offerings such as steak and
eggs and biscuits and gravy topping the menu, as well as omelets, pancakes, and huevos
rancheros (eggs atop tortillas smothered in chile sauce).
Main St. ( 1 / 10 mile north of the Y), Chama. & 575/756-2384. Breakfast $4-$10; lunch $6-$12; dinner
$5-$20; Sun breakfast buffet $8.95. AE, DISC, MC, V. Mon-Sat 11am-10pm; Sun 8am-10pm. Closed Eas-
ter, Thanksgiving, Christmas.
ON THE ROAD: WHAT TO SEE & DO ON US 84 SOUTH
Distinctive yellow earth provided a name for the town of Tierra Amarilla, 14 miles
south of Chama at the junction of US 84 and US 64. Throughout New Mexico, this
name is synonymous with a continuing controversy over the land-grant rights of the
descendants of the original Hispanic settlers. But the economy of this community of
1,000 is dyed in the wool—literally.
The organization Ganados del Valle (Livestock Growers of the Valley) is at work to save
the longhaired Spanish churro sheep from extinction, to introduce other unusual wool

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