A Colorado State of Mind: Abiquiú

"If you ever go to New Mexico it will itch you for the rest of your life"

~ Georgia O' Keeffe

We headed south to the land of enchantment. The change in landscape creeps up slowly when leaving Colorado... majestic pine forests slowly evolve into pinyon trees and sagebrush as the views open up wider. Our destination was Abiquiú, where Geogia O' Keeffe made her home (and her paintings) and films such as Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Cowboys & Aliens, City Slickers, and Red Dawn were shot. But this weekend we had it all to ourselves. A visit in shoulder season, after the summer hikers, rafters, and climbers have left and before the skiers have arrived, Abiquiu, and much of New Mexico is quiet.

Our first stop was Plaza Blanca, sort of a Garden of the Gods with volcanic origins, but with white rocks instead of red, and on private property open to the public, and without the crowds (or on this particular Sunday, another single soul). It is a great place to lose yourself and spend time doing simple things such as search for the perfect rock, which is what we did for the better part of two hours.

Next was a visit to Ghost Ranch, a place so lovely it is hard to take in all at once. We hiked around in the late afternoon and enjoyed the magical light on red and orange cliff sides. For the sunset we stopped at Abiquiu Lake, again with the entire lake to ourselves. A fierce wind made the water quite choppy that evening, while in the morning all was silent and it was as smooth as glass. This is all part of the "enchantment" of New Mexico- the constant transformation of its appearance with the shifting light, wind, and sound, and because of this, New Mexico continues to itch me.