Good times in Northern New Mexico

Have been doing a lot of sightseeing with girlfriends this summer in Central and Northern New Mexico. Thought I'd share some of the highlights with A2K friends not on Facebook.

Starting with the trip to Ojo Caliente this weekend, also the weekend of Balloon Fiesta.

Ojo Caliente is a small unincorporated community in Taos County, New Mexico, United States. It lies along U.S. Route 285 near the Rio Grande between Española and Taos, approximately 50 miles north of Santa Fe, the state capital. Ojo Caliente is known for its hot springs.

It is the location of, or nearest community to, the Ojo Caliente Hot Springs Round Barn, built in 1924, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

This is the website for the resort and spa we stayed at.

http://www.ojospa.com/


Heading off on our weekend trip to Ojo Caliente. We had great timing. Balloon Fiesta was kicking off at the same time and gave us a great send off.



Brief history of the Ojo area.



The registration desk and entrance to all the spas.



Beautiful timber roof and huge timber beams.


Inside the registration desk building. Various displays of artifacts and old photo slide shows could be seen around the room with the stone waterfall in the center. The leather on those chairs was as soft as buttah.





some of the artifacts that have been found around the property through the centuries.






I think I found a spirit in the fireplace at the community hang out and registration desk. Can you see the profile of someone in the brick and flame? The aroma from all the fire pits around the place were making me soooo hungry with their smoky pinion scent.


Various views of the gardens and walkways around the area. This is one of the fire pits.




One of the entrances to the walkway and registration building. That's the Yoga yurt in the background!


Some of the girls attended the yoga class the first morning. Not me, I headed straight for the water!


To the left is the house we stayed in, it can sleep 3 couples or 6 individuals easily and probably 2 more on the sofas. On the right is one of the rows of hotel rooms for single and double occupancy. Everyone is supplied with much needed robes and towels.




One of the three bedrooms, they each had two queen size beds in them. Those are Pendleton wool blankets on the end of the beds and down comforters. Very very comfy beds.


Well stocked kitchen in a 60's diner style.


One of the larger hot spring pools. Those lounge chairs and hammocks came in handy when the rain started. Thunder and lightning soon followed and they emptied the pool and spas until it passed. Our towels and robes got drenched.


This is the farm where they raise all the produce and flowers for the restaurant.


Dinner with the girls.



Sherri and I shared a plate. Those tomatoes were the best tasting tomatoes I have ever ever had. And that salmon could not have been more perfect. It tasted very fresh, not frozen, had a light crust and the fish was just a minute over from still being raw with big flaky texture and a wonderful smoky flavor from the cedar plank. The bok choy was very good too. I ate the rice but I don't remember much about it, too distracted by the salmon and tomatoes.


The menu was expensive. Most of us shared a dinner. We had the cedar plank salmon, the lamb chops and the jumbo shrimp dishes.


Paula and I couldn't get enough of the hot springs and ended up going back for a final swim for the night until they kicked us out so they could close for the night.

The rest of the photos are of the landscapes and scenery on the way back home from Taos to Albuquerque. I'll let it speak for itself most of the time and just say that the camera does not do it justice. It has to be seen in person to appreciate the many colors, shapes and textures.. This is Georgia O'Keefe territory. It is said that this is where she painted many of her landscapes.












General store and gas station we stopped at for lunch. It has a little bit of everything.








Camel Rock.




We stopped at the Tesuque Flea Market. I found a buddy that kept me entertained so I wouldn't spend any more money.
[img width=600][/img]



Next post will be Blue Hole in Santa Rosa, NM.