Ghost Ranch and Abiquiu, New Mexico

It has been raining nonstop for the past 3 days.  Rain is predicted for the next 4 days. This is a normal occurrence for Northern California...in February. This is almost unheard of in Taos. We have been experiencing a severe drought. In fact, the past 3 years have been the driest since 1895.  I am excited to see the final numbers from this rainstorm and the impact on the drought.  I will update you in a future post.

But last week was sunny, warm and glorious.  We decided to take a day trip to Abiquiu, New Mexico and then hike at Ghost Ranch.  What a beautiful day.  You should do this.

Abiquiu is a small unincorporated village located about an hour west of Taos. Best known as the home of the artist Georgia O'Keeffe, now primarily an artist community.  There is an amazing open studios art festival held each year during Columbus Day weekend.  In addition to art, Abiquiu has some of the most beautiful scenery in New Mexico.  We had a picnic at the stunning Abiquiu lake located just a few minutes from the tiny town. Mosey had a terrific time swimming and we soaked up a bit of sun.  Perfect afternoon.

After lunch, we packed up and drove 14 miles north to Ghost Ranch, a 21,000 acre education and conference center known for their retreats, activities, nature, museums and lodging.  If you stay here you can enjoy horseback riding, swimming, tours, camping or stays in cute cottages and white water rafting   It is like summer camp for adults.  But if you come for just the day you can take advantage of the beauty by taking one of the 7 hikes on the property. We only had a few hours so we took the Box Canyon hike.  Check out the Ghost Ranch website for details of the other options.

Box Canyon is a fairly easy hike by New Mexico standards in that the grade only increases by 500 feet. (from 6400 to 6900 feet).  This California living at sea level all her life  girl still gets winded by some of the hikes around here with elevation changes of 3000-4000 ft!! (OK, I don't do those yet).  Box Canyon is about 4 miles round trip and you scramble over huge boulders at the end to take in the view. During the hike you will see a lovely pond, an arroyo, a small stream, beautiful rock formations and blue, blue sky. A perfect way to spend an afternoon. And only an hour from Taos. As always, I am so grateful to call this amazing place home.

My best,
diane
September 14th , 2013

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