Northern New Mexico - American Southwest - page 287

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breeds to the valley, and to perpetuate a 200-year-old tradition of shepherding, spinning,
weaving, and dyeing. Many of the craftspeople work in conjunction with Tierra
Wools , P.O. Box 229, Los Ojos, NM 87551 ( & 505/588-7231; www.handweavers.
com), which has a showroom and workshop in a century-old mercantile building just
north of Tierra Amarilla. One-of-a-kind blankets and men's and women's apparel are
among the products displayed and sold. Just down the street, across from the Los Ojos
General Store, is an interesting little art studio worth checking out. Yellow Earth Studio
( & 575/588-7807 ), the passion of Paul Trachtman, the resident artist, is a great place to
see and purchase enchanting scenes of the Los Ojos area.
Two state parks are a short drive west from Tierra Amarilla. El Vado Lake State Park,
14 miles southwest on NM 112 ( & 575/588-7247; www.nmparks.com), offers boating
and water-skiing, fishing, and camping in summer; cross-country skiing and ice fishing
in winter. Heron Lake State Park, 11 miles west on US 64 and NM 95 ( & 575/588-
7470; www.nmparks.com), has a no-wake speed limit for motor vessels, adding to its
appeal for fishing, sailing, windsurfing, canoeing, and swimming. The park has an inter-
pretive center, plus camping, picnic sites, hiking trails, and cross-country skiing in the
winter. The 5.5-mile Rio Chama trail connects the two lakes.
East of Tierra Amarilla, the Rio Brazos cuts a canyon through the Tusas Mountains
and around 11,403-foot Brazos Peak. Just north of Los Ojos, NM 512 heads east 7 1 / 2
miles up the Brazos Box Canyon. High cliffs that rise straight from the valley floor give
it a Yosemite-like appearance—which is even more apparent from an overlook on US 64,
18 miles east of Tierra Amarilla en route to Taos. El Chorro, an impressive waterfall at
the mouth of the canyon, usually flows only from early May to mid-June. Several resort
lodges are in the area.
About 37 miles south of Tierra Amarilla on US 84, and 3 miles north of Ghost Ranch,
is Echo Canyon Amphitheater ( & 575/684-2486 ), a U.S. Forest Service campground
and picnic area. The “theater,” hollowed out of sandstone by thousands of years of ero-
sion, is a natural work of art with layers of stone ranging from pearl-color to blood red.
The walls send back eerie echoes and even clips of conversations. It's just a 10-minute
walk from the parking area. The fee is $2 per car. Some 13 miles west of here, via the dirt
Forest Service road 151 into the Chama River Canyon Wilderness, is the isolated Mon-
astery of Christ in the Desert (www.christdesert.org), built in 1964 by Benedictine
monks. The brothers produce crafts, sold at a small gift shop, and operate a guesthouse.
Along the same road (FS 151) is access to the Chama River, a good place to hike,
mountain bike, kayak, and camp. The Rim Vista Trail will take you to the top of the
rim, with vast views out across Abiquiu Lake and Ghost Ranch. Primitive campsites can
be found all along the river.
A 3-mile drive from there is Ghost Ranch, a collection of adobe buildings that make
up an adult study center maintained by the United Presbyterian Church. A number of
hauntingly memorable hikes originate from this place, which gets its name from the
brujas, or witches, said to inhabit the canyons. Most popular among the hikes is spec-
tacular Chimney Rock, but even more notable, in my opinion, is Kitchen Mesa. Direc-
tions for the hikes can be obtained at the visitor center. World-renowned painter Georgia
O'Keeffe spent time at Ghost Ranch painting these canyons and other land formations.
Eventually she bought a portion of the ranch and lived in a humble adobe house there.
The ranch now offers seminars on a variety of topics, ranging from art to literature to
religion, that are open to all. For information, contact Ghost Ranch, 401 Old Taos
Hwy., Santa Fe ( & 505/982-8539; www.ghostranch.org).

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