Get Your Champagne from an Apple and other New Mexico, NM Off The Beaten Path Tips

Every Fall in the foothills near Cochiti Lake the apples ripen at Dixon's Farm, which is located in the 6200 foot-elevation, lava rich Rancho de Cañada in Peña Blanca, New Mexico. It is a beautiful time of year in this area and people love to go up to buy fresh-picked apples and the cider. They usually sell out in a couple of weekends. Dixon's 50 acre orchard produces four varieties of apples: Red Delicious, Red Rome, Sparkling Burgundy™ and the famous Champagne™. The Champagne™ apple is considered by some to be the best apple in the world, since it is ideal for baking, cooking, making apple sauce, and just eating fresh. Now they have Canada Concessions where you can buy Champagne apple rings and fritters. Here are the directions on how to get there from both Albuquerque and Santa Fe.

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The village of Jemez Springs is a short 1.5 hour drive from Albuquerque. It is in a valley made by the Jemez River but high enough that you are up in the pine trees. There are many things to do and see around Jemez Springs (see below). To get there, go north out of Albuquerque on I-25 and turn west on Highway 44 at Bernalillo. When you reach San Isidro turn north on State Highway 4. Before you reach Jemez Springs you will pass through the edge of Jemez Pueblo. You will also pass the turnoff to the Ponderosa Winery and the turnoff to the Guadalupe Gorge.

In Jemez Springs, there are bed and breakfast accomodations, commercialized hot springs, the Jemez State Monument and the "historic" Los Ojos Restaurant and Bar (try the "Chile Charlie"). North of the village are Soda Dam, Battleship Rock, and the Spence hot spring. All along the highway north there are turnouts with fishing access to the river.

On the second Saturday in December, the Jemez Pueblo and the village of Jemez Springs hold a farolito (or lumunaria) tour at the state monument. Admission is free. Along with over 1500 farolitos placed on and around the ruins of the old church, San Jose de los Jemez, there is also Native American music and dancing. See my travelogue below for details.

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Soda Dam is located ~3/4 miles north of Jemez Springs on State Highway 4. A very deep fault line there (roughly perpendicular to the highway) serves as a conduit to bring hot mineral water to the surface. Water evaporation over thousands of years has left cumulative deposits of the minerals (mostly calcium carbonate, or Travertine). They now form a natural dam across the Jemez River. The actual hot spring is at the base of the cliff across the highway. It does have a sulfur smell.

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About 5 miles north of Jemez Springs is Battleship Rock, which is at the confluence of the north and east forks of the Jemez River. There is a developed day use area there (which requires a fee) but you can park for free in the parking lot by the highway and walk down. It is about a 1.5 mile hike up the east fork to the McCauley warm spring.

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I remember the first time I went to the Gila Cliff Dwellings in 1964. There was no paved road and you had to ford the river 5 times. As I pulled into the dirt parking lot, I wondered why they had put big logs all around it. I found out quickly! When I put on my brakes, they were wet and did not work. All that kept me from rolling into the river was a big log!

Things are more modern now. Many years ago the bridges were added and the road was paved. Now there is even an adjacent visitors center with guided tours. The trail is a loop instead of up and back like it used to be. The trail is ~1 mile with a 175 foot elevation change and some narrow places with steep drop-offs. The general elevation is 5700 feet, so be prepared for a bit of an aerobic walk if you normally live at sea level. It is definitely worth the drive and walk to see these 700-year-old cliff dwellings of the Mogollon culture.

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Website: http://www.desertusa.com/gila/gila_cliff.html

The road ends at the visitors center and the Gila National Forest Wilderness Area begins. There is a footbridge to cross the river to get to the cliff dwellings. This is the start of relatively wild country. There is a beaver dam not far above the footbridge and wolves have been re-introduced in the wilderness area.

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Website: http://www.nps.gov/gicl/

Doc Campbell was one of the original settlers in the Gila Wilderness area. He passed away in 1998 at the age of 85. I have stopped many times over the years at the Doc Campbell Post for camping supplies. The Gila Hot Springs Ranch is well-known for its fully outfitted wilderness pack and hunting trips that will take you into the remote and spectacular Gila Wilderness. They also do day and half-day horseback trips. The Gila Hot Springs Ranch has been owned and operated by the Campbell's since 1940. You may stay in their apartments or camp, and enjoy the hot springs there.

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Website: http://www.gilahotspringsranch.com/

Lake Roberts is a small lake in the Gila National Forest in southern New Mexico. It is fed by the waters of Sapillo Creek and is usually crystal clear (except after a hard rain). The NM Game and Fish Department keeps it stocked with trout. It has become more popular and developed over the years but it is still a beautiful place. There are two developed campgrounds now (use fee is $7). I have always found the fishing to be better on the side of the lake away from the highway. It is located on NM-35 east of the intersection with NM-15, which is the highway from Silver City to the Gila Cliff Dwellings. If you don't like to camp out, there are cabins in the small community below the dam. I have only stayed at the Lake Roberts Motel. In 2006 it was good (see the pictures here) but new owners have remodeled since then and in 2009 it was excellent (see the pictures in my NM Accommodation tip). The Lake Roberts General Store also has cabins, food, boats and bait.

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The City of Rocks State Park is one of the most fun places for kids in New Mexico. Created from eroded volcanic ash over 35 million years, the boulders are as tall as 40 feet and cover about a square mile area. Kids (and adults) love to climb the rocks and wander through nature's "streets." One needs to be careful though, it is easy to get lost among the boulders if you don't pay attention. However, it is easy enough to walk out to the circle road that surrounds the boulders. There have been picnic tables and a desert botanical garden for a long time. Now there is a nice visitors' center, along with a RV park. The Faywood hot springs just south of the City of Rocks have been developed and you must pay to go there. To get to the City of Rocks from Deming, take US-180 northwest 24 miles, and then go northeast on NM-61 for four miles to the park access road. The day-use fee is $5 per vehicle and overnight camping costs $8-$14.

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Go south out of Gallup on State Highway 32, then east on 53 to get to El Morro, i.e., Inscription Rock. Ancestral Puebloans lived on top of the sheer sandstone bluff over 700 years ago. Later, many famous Spanish and American explorers stopped there. They all ended up at El Morro because of the drainage-fed water pool at the base of the bluff. Over time they carved more than 2000 petroglyphs, names, dates and messages in the soft sandstone. These ancient and historical graffiti give a glimpse back in time. The petroglyphs are much older but the first inscription carved at El Morro was that of Governor Don Juan de Onate in 1605, 15 years before the pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock. It is another remote place that is not crowded and has a nice visitors center. The Zuni Pueblo, Ice Caves and part of the El Malpais lava flow are on the same loop back to I-40.

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