Along with the Sangre de Cristo range, 35 miles distant across the Rio Grande valley, the Jemez Mountains form the southernmost tip of the Rocky Mountains which stretch over 2,000 miles north into Canada. They contain no great natural landmarks, just a large area of mostly undisturbed forested wilderness, with rocky peaks, meadows, mountain streams, lakes and waterfalls, and only occasional houses and villages. More unusual features result from past volcanic activity - there are hot springs, sulphurous vents and a caldera - a ring of hills comprising the remains of several long-extinct volcanoes.
Part of the Valle Grande caldera as seen from SR-4
Navajo Lake State Park, Lots of fun here too! Fly fishing on the San Juan River is not far; fun fun fun!
Navajo Lake was formed after construction of Navajo Dam across the San Juan River, which starts in the San Juan Mountains in Colorado, flows south into New Mexico and across the northern edge of the state past Farmington, Shiprock and Four Corners then on into Utah where it forms the goosenecks of Goosenecks State Park. The waters of Navajo Lake have backed up some 30 miles upstream of the dam along the river plus lesser distances along various tributaries so although all branches are quite narrow, the lake has a considerable area, and is mostly used for boating and fishing. Vehicular access is limited as there is only one main approach road (NM 539), that crosses the dam at the southeast corner of the lake, plus another gravel track (NM 527) to the Sims Mesa area a little way east. Other parts of the shoreline can only be reached by a network of rough tracks across hilly, rocky terrain, though the far north end, over the Colorado border, is also close to a main road (CO 151). This part of the lake is outside the state park, and within the Southern Ute Indian Reservation.
Santa Fe, New Mexico. Need I say more? Been there, done that a gazillion times. The most mystical place on Earth.
This website is about landscapes, but Santa Fe is well worth a mention - it is the most attractive and historic town in the Southwest, and the oldest state capitol in the US, founded in 1610. The centre has a charming small-town feel, with all the main shops and old buildings within walking distance of each other, and the distinctive adobe architecture is used almost universally - houses are painted in subtle, officially-approved shades of pale brown, with characteristic clay walls and protruding wooden ceiling posts. Banks, restaurants, art galleries, the police station, even the local McDonald's - all are built in the same style.
The Republic of Texas, My birth land and lived there for two years. Daughter of the Republic of Texas
Guadalupe Mountains National Park
Together with the nearby Carlsbad Caverns, Guadalupe Mountains National Park is far removed from most other natural attractions of the Southwest. The nearest cities are El Paso (110 miles) or Carlsbad (55 miles), and there are few facilities in this mostly barren region. The park contains the southern end of the Guadalupe Mountains, an isolated range surrounded in all directions by desert, and few people visit, due perhaps also to the lack of a central attraction, a scenic drive or named viewpoints. Guadalupe is primarily a park for hiking; there is a network of trails and the region has varied climate zones with differing wildlife and vegetation, interesting geology, and many photographic opportunities. As an added attraction, at the end of summer the red, gold and orange colours of the foliage in some of the canyons creates for a spectacle as good as that in New England.
Big Bend Ranch State Park
Big Bend Ranch is by far the largest state park in Texas, and probably the least well-known, since it lies in the most remote part of the state, occupying a large part of the desert west of Big Bend National Park. The land is mostly roadless, with harsh, irregular terrain and extreme temperatures most of the year - Presidio and Lajitas, the two small towns at either side, often vie to be the hottest place in Texas, and sometimes (in spring and early summer) in the whole US. They usually top 100°F for the first time during April and may still do so in October.
San Antonio Missions National Historical Park - See other parts of my website for more info. I am a direct descendant of Gordon Jennings. The oldest man to fight at the Alamo.
Settlement in the San Antonio area dates from the early eighteenth century when explorers crossed the Rio Grande and began travelling though the lands north of Mexico, with the aim of extending the new Spanish territories. Besides the acquisition of new land, these pioneers also sought to spread the Catholic faith - new villages were based around a large church with other buildings for storage and living quarters, which together with cultivated areas for crops and animals were enclosed in a high protective wall, to ward off attacks from unfriendly groups of roving Apache and Comanche Indians.
The whole compound was termed a mission, and several dozen were built across south Texas, always near a river; as well as the San Antonio, they were constructed along the Rio Grande and Nueces, and further east along the Neches and Angelina. After the new territory was secured, the missions became important links in the supply route to lands in the east that were being threatened by French insurgents from Louisiana.
Arizona, The roots of my maternal grandmother, Mary Ruth Martin McCutcheon
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Superstition Mountains - I lived there for one year, 1989-1990. Hot as hell but gorgeous!
The Superstitions are the largest of the mountain ranges surrounding Phoenix, visible from many miles away along the straight roads through the suburbs east of Mesa. They rise steeply above the flat desert to a high point of 5,024 feet, and are characterized by sheer-sided, jagged, volcanic peaks and ridges separated by boulder-filled canyons, all covered by saguaro at low elevations, with other cacti and bushes higher up. Trees are found only at scattered locations, at springs or beside streamways. Early settlers named the hills on account of the many myths and stories told by the local Pima/Apache Indians about the mountains, and tales such as the fabled Lost Dutchman gold mine.
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The Coronado Trail - US 191 - Home to my Great Grandparents, Ruth and Vernon Martin
The Spaniard Francisco Vásquez de Coronado became the first known European to lead an expedition into the USA when, in 1540, he and a large group of settlers crossed the Mexican border near the Huachuca Mountains, site of the present day Coronado National Memorial. From here they headed northeast, over the White Mountains in the east of the state and then, after side trips to Hopi land and the Grand Canyon, continued through New Mexico and into Kansas. Their route through Arizona coincides largely with US 191 (formerly US 666), and the 123 mile section between Clifton and Springerville is named as the Coronado Trail to commemorate the exploration, though as with the national memorial there is no visible trace of the expedition. Instead the route, or indeed all of US 191, is a showcase for the varied and spectacular scenery of eastern Arizona, from the Sonoran Desert grasslands and valleys of the southeast corner, across the steep and heavily wooded White Mountains, down into the more barren lava fields and red plains of the Petrified Forest region and finally into the sandy expanses of the Navajo Indian Reservation.
The South: From the Huachuca Mountains, Coronado traveled up the San Pedro River Valley and headed northeast, probably crossing the Dragoon Mountains close to where I-10 cuts though today. Just east of the mountains, the interstate is joined from the south by US 191 which thereafter marks the approximate route taken by the Spanish expedition. The first point of interest is the largest dry lake bed in Arizona - 200 square mile Willcox Playa, a National Natural Landmark, best viewed by driving south on US 191 a few miles. This is a vast expanse of dry mud, ringed by a white band of salt deposits and completely without vegetation. The top corner is crossed by tracks of the Union Pacific Railroad, part of a dead straight stretch of over 20 miles.
Mines: Ten miles beyond Willcox, US 191 parts company with I-10 and heads due north, 25 miles across the very wide, empty, cacti-covered plain of the San Simon Valley to Safford, then changes in character as the road becomes narrower and winding, through the Peloncillo Mountains, which are made of dark rocks in varying forms and colors, a hint of the interesting geology that lies beneath, and reflecting increased mineralization that culminates in the historic mining town of Clifton. This is another small settlement with many old buildings dating from the nineteenth century, and is also the terminus of a branch of the Union Pacific Railroad, all built in quite a narrow canyon, dwarfed by huge tailings piles from mines in the surrounding hills. North of Clifton, the road, now officially designated the Coronado Trail, is less traveled and climbs quite steeply, past more mining activity, through a small tunnel and past various abandoned buildings then into a region of even greater excavation - this is the amazing Morenci Mine, a vast copper operation run by the Phelps Dodge Corporation where many acres of the hills have been dug out to great depths, revealing rock strata of varied colors. A roadside overlook high above gives a fine view of current activities, looking town on army of rock-moving Caterpillar trucks that seem tiny from a distance but actually can carry over 200 tons. The course of the road in this area seems transient, as if it is moved depending on which part is being excavated.
Mountains: Beyond the mine, US 191 follows the steep-sided valley of Chase Creek, up switchbacks at the northern end then continues to climb steadily, though mixed woodland at first and later into dense pine forests - uneven land which forces many 10 mph bends and steep gradients, and the road remains so for the next 50 miles, as it crosses the east side of the White Mountains. The road passes various campgrounds, trailheads, viewpoints, forest tracks, picnic areas and occasional flat meadows like Four Bar Mesa, but most is very winding and often precipitous, with unfenced, steep drop-offs at the side. One summit is reached at Rose Peak (8,786 feet) but later the route climbs higher still, up to 9,300 feet as it reaches the Mogollon Rim, where winter snows linger until June. The seemingly endless woods harbor many animals, including a pack of Mexican gray wolves, which were reintroduced to the Blue Range area in 1998. At Hannagan Meadow, the road improves somewhat, becoming wider and less bendy, soon descending into slightly more gentle scenery at Alpine - a small town in a wide valley, though still over 8,000 feet. The mountains end not far north of here, as the trees are replaced by bushy plateaus and mesas and the road approaches Springerville, end of the section designated Coronado Trail. After here, once past Lyman Lake reservoir (a state park), the landscape changes quite suddenly to open, arid grasslands with patches of lava, yet the road is still generally quiet and little-traveled, and remains so all the way to I-40, which it meets a little way east of the Petrified Forest National Park.
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