Slow Travel New Mexico
Slow Travel New Mexico
Unforgettable Personal Experiences in the Land of Enchantment
Winner of the 2024 New Mexico-Arizona Book Award for Travel
Slow travel is the secret to opening doors, meeting people, participating in surprising events, experiencing joy, and making each trip—no matter how short or long—deeper, richer, and an adventure that is uniquely yours.
Award-winning travel journalists and Santa Fe residents Judith Fein and Paul J. Ross crisscross New Mexico, finding unforgettable adventures readers can personally experience such as painting with an abstract artist on the Navajo Reservation, visiting a wolf refuge, cruising in a lowrider, hiking in a volcano, gourmet dining at Zuni Pueblo, seeing a ghost, tracking the true Billy the Kid…and so much more.
Slow Travel New Mexico is an invitation to show up in a place and let it reveal itself to you—on its own terms. It’s not about going off the beaten path. It’s about going off the beaten mental path by learning to look, see, open up, and explore differently. It’s a guide to unforgettable experiences.
"This book will be your guide to a new way of adventuring and perhaps even a new way of seeing the world."—Ashley M. Biggers, author of Eco-Travel New Mexico: 86 Natural Destinations, Green Hotels, and Sustainable Adventures
"Slow Travel New Mexico celebrates the magical moments available when we change our focus and appreciate life’s deeper, more complex experiences. This book will expand your understanding of travel and make the most of your time on the road."—Lesley S. King, author of Frommer’s New Mexico
Travel and culture journalist Judith Fein writes for Psychology Today about transformative travel. She is the author of three award-winning travel-related books including the travel classic Life Is A Trip: The Transformative Magic of Travel.
Photojournalist Paul J. Ross has won awards for his travel writing and photography and has contributed to more than ninety publications.
Introduction and Author’s Note
Part One. Northwest
Introduction
Gallup. A Private Tour of WPA Art
Gallup. Gallup Flea Market: Great Deals, Authentic Native American Meals, and Close Cultural Encounters
Navajo Nation. An Abstract Native American Painter with a Concrete Way to Inspire You
Navajo Nation. A Must-See Navajo Museum and Zoo
Zuni Pueblo. A Cultural Adventure with a Zuni Guide
Zuni Pueblo. Make Your Own Animal Fetish with a Zuni Carver
Zuni Pueblo. Fabulous Food at Zuni Pueblo
Ramah. Dances with Wolves and Singing Dogs, a Forest Sculpture Garden, and Breakfast All Day
Ramah. El Morro National Monument: A Hike over Stones, up and down Stairs, along a Narrow Path, and past Signatures in Stone
Meet the People
Paul’s Photo Tips. Lighting: How to Light Your Way
Part Two. North Central
Introduction
Santa Fe. Life Is a Labyrinth; a Labyrinth Is Life
Santa Fe. Why You Should Go to the Santa Fe Opera—Even If You Don’t Like Opera
Santa Fe. A Formerly Secret Jew Shares Her Life and Sweets With You
Lamy. Galisteo Basin Preserve—A Choice of Trails
Santa Fe. Stardreaming among Twenty-Two Standing Stone Temples and Labyrinths
Santa Fe. Two Artists and Three Art Experiences for Everyone from Rank Beginners to Established Artists
Santa Fe. Diablo Canyon: Hiking with a Unique Point of View and a Gourmet Picnic
Santa Fe. El Rancho De Las Golondrinas: Wine? Ghosts? Chiles? Wild Foraging? Jousting? Native American Hoop Dancing? Pick a Festival
Chimayo. Beyond the Famous Healing Sanctuary
Chimayo. A Cool New Spin on an Old Weaving Tradition
Española. Cruising through a Northern New Mexico Lowrider Experience
Near Chimayo. The Lake I’m Reluctant to Write about Because It’s so Beautiful; Can You Keep a Secret?
Alcalde. Los Luceros: A Spanish Colonial Site that Heralds Its LGBTQ+ Heritage
Abiquiu. Ghost Ranch: On the Trail of Georgia O’Keeffe, the Triassic Coelophysis, and Caribbean Food
Velarde and Pilar. Slow Road Trip with a Gourmet Picnic, Scenery, Hiking, a Winery, and Fruit Nirvana
Meet the People
Paul’s Photo Tips. How to Draw Your Viewer into Your Story
Part Three. Northeast
Introduction
Angel Fire. Art in the Middle of Nowhere
Angel Fire. Vietnam Veterans Memorial State Park: A Meaningful Destination about a Terrible War
Angel Fire to Cimarron. An Authentic, Uncommercialized Way to Experience the Old West
Buena Vista. Rio Mora National Wildlife Refuge: For Lovers of Birds, Mother Nature, Conservation…and Surprises
Watrous. Fort Union: Women, Buffalo Soldiers, Indians Wars, and the Life of Soldiers
Buena Vista. Loma Parda: “Sodom on the Mora”
Pecos. Pecos National Historical Park: Gas Station Gourmet, a Mountain Hike through History, and a Battlefield on a Hill
Raton. Vermejo, A Ted Turner Reserve. The Ultimate Splurge for Lovers of Nature, Wildlife, and Conservation
Meet the People
Paul’s Photo Tips. Notes, Signage, and Logging Your Photos: Your Personal Library at Your Fingertips
Part Four. Central
Introduction
Albuquerque. You are Invited to a Man’s 130th Birthday Party at the Golden Crown Panaderia
Mountainair. A Highly Recommended Short Documentary Film and Saving a Life at the Ruins of Abó
Ojito Wilderness. Two Hikes: One Where Dinosaurs Walked and One on the Back of a Dragon
Los Lunas. Why I Love Pilgrimages, Especially One Most Folks Have Never Heard About
Near White Rock. Tsankawi: Walking in the Footsteps of the Native American Ancestors
Valles Caldera. Inside a Volcano
Los Alamos. Kwage Mesa: A Baozi Picnic and Hiking on Top of the World
Meet the People
Paul’s Photo Tips. Nature and Landscapes: Capturing the Magic of the Great Outdoors
Part Five. Southwest
Introduction
Silver City. Gila Cliff Dwellings and Mimbres Pottery: Where Ancestral Spirits Still Speak to Us
Mesilla Park. Gourmet Dining in a Pecan Orchard
Las Cruces. Hiking to Honor the Thirsty Rio Grande: Experiencing and Photographing the Unique Point of View of Fish
Tortugas. Tortugas Pueblo: Three Days of Sacred Ceremonies That You Can Attend
Las Cruces. Chihuahuan Desert Nature Park: The Best Kind of Ecological Multitasking for Mind, Body, and Spirit…and Why You May Envy the Kangaroo Rat
Mesilla. The Man of La Mancha: The Wizard of the Wetlands
Las Cruces. Trackways National Monument: Time Travel Back 280,000,000 Years
Radium Springs. Fort Selden and the Secrets of Shampoo
San Miguel. You’ve Probably Never Heard of It, Which Is Why You Might Want to Go
Hillsboro. Lake Valley Ghost Town and a Strange Appearance
Hillsboro. Follow the Artists
Columbus. Finding Out Who Pancho Villa Was and Walking to a Foreign Country
Las Cruces. Desert Peaks National Monument: When You Leave a Place You Love, Always Say Goodbye
Meet the People
Paul’s Photo Tips. Let’s Get Emotional: How Your Photos Can Convey Feeling
Part Six. Southeast
Introduction
Ruidoso. A Cabin in the Forest: A Once-in-a-Lifetime Thrill
Ruidoso. What Your Axe-Throwing Style Reveals about Your Personality
Ruidoso. Rare Bird: Spirituality and Inner Peace
Ruidoso. Monjeau Lookout: Drama and Beauty in the Wake of Ecological Disaster
Capitan. He Was Real! Smokey Bear Historical Park
Lincoln. Billy the Kid: A Man in Love with the True Story and a Woman in Love with the Kid
Tularosa. Thoughts at the Three Rivers Petroglyph Site
Carrizozo. The Biggest Photo Gallery and Most Personal Rock and Roll Museum in New Mexico in a Little Town with a Population of 942
Lincoln. Fort Stanton: An Incredible German Story and What the Coins Mean at Military Cemeteries
Alamogordo. Where Faith Meets Science: The Shroud (of Turin) Exhibit and Museum
Mescalero Apache Reservation. Geronimo, Jesus as a Medicine Man, an Homage to Apache Warriors, and a Magoosh Who Took Care of Women
Mescalero Apache Reservation. A Coming-of-Age Ceremony: The Making of an Apache Woman
Meet the People
Paul’s Photo Tips. How to Tell a Story: What We Can Learn from the Movies
Conclusion
Acknowledgments
About the Authors
