5/9/25: On the Road Again: New Mexico, Here we Come!

 As some of you may remember, my plan was to write next about our month-long visit to Tunisia last fall after blogging about our visits to Luxembourg, Sicily, and Malta. However, I've put that back on the back burner as my heart's not in it right now. I've been back and forth to my hometown of Ottawa recently to be with my dying brother, bake desserts for his Celebration of Life, and help my sister-in-law as much as possible. 

After Steven's back surgery in February and a longer-than-expected recovery, we decided a two-week-plus road trip to our neighboring state of New Mexico sounded like a fun getaway. Thanks to the marvelous suggestions of several friends who made this trip exciting to plan!

Colorado is known for its idyllic mountain scenery; this one at Kenosha Pass didn't disappoint. 

The summit at Poncha Springs Pass:

Near the town of Moffat was a sign also indicating Korea's 38th parallel.

We headed next on Hwy. 64, also known as the Tres Piedras Scenic Byway through the Carson National Forest. Much of the byway was pretty deserted, with only about 20 cars passing us on the entire stretch. A sign at the beginning of the road said, "No cell service for the next 50 miles."  

Steven and I wondered how people manage to eke out a living in such a remote area with no services available for miles and few neighbors to call on, in case of an emergency. I was amused to see one homestead sign, "We do it the old way." I'd loved to have known what that was!

There was still quite a bit of snow at the higher elevation - spring was a ways off in Colorado's high country. 

Magnificent scenery of northern New Mexico: 

One of the few stops we planned for our first day out was Echo Amphitheater, on the road between Chama and Española. The large concave hollow was a natural amphitheater carved by water that had cascaded over the colorful sandstone cliffs belonging to the southeasternmost portion of the Colorado Plateau.

Photo courtesy of my friend Paul Docktor:

At the end of the parking lot was a walkway with several flights of stairs leading to a platform almost in front of a cliff face that was hundreds of feet high: Echo Amphitheater. In memory of my brother Paul, who had just died a month earlier in Ottawa, I yelled his favorite expression, “This too shall pass.” And, of course, it ECHOED back. The amphitheater's echo qualities were amazing, and the surrounding terrain was simply stunning, too.

We drove Rte. 2, the Old Historic Trail, toward Española, our first overnight stop. It was difficult to imagine a more scenic drive to the northern New Mexico city, which was founded as a railroad village and is considered the first European capital of New Mexico.

Unfortunately, Española's historic Chimayo Trading Post was closed, but we hoped to stop in on our way back north in a couple of weeks.

You may have noticed I'm a fan of benches, so these ones in the Plaza de Española's Mision y Convento caught my eye.

Unfortunately, access to the town's Veterans' Wall was locked. Perhaps we can pay our respects on our way home.

Decent lodging options were few and far between in Española, so we'd reserved what sounded like a promising place for the night on booking.com a few miles outside the city. Described by the owners as a two-bedroom, 900-plus sq. ft. vacation home and weaver's studio, the reality bore no resemblance to the description or photos. I was appalled at the rundown state of the property, which looked more like a junk heap than anything we'd ever rented on Airbnb. 

We had to drive past the owner's home to reach our accommodation.

Luckily, we're on the shorter side, as the entry to our "two-bedroom home" was barely tall enough for us!

The studio's interior was decidedly quirky, but it appealed to our fondness for unusual items, at least once I got over the shock of where we'd landed for the night. Considering how much we travel, my pet peeve is that the management at booking.com would somehow not allow blatantly dishonest representation of their properties. 

Next post: Onward to Bandelier National Monument and Los Alamos.

Posted on May 11th, 2025, from Grants, New Mexico. Please take care of yourself and your loved ones.