Here’s a fortune I wrote for a party this past December, one of about ten. It suggests a day trip south from Tijeras to the Salt Mission Trail and Mountainair. It might inspire you to get out and do some new exploring on your own. Of course, some of the places I wrote about may not be open for business at the moment, but keep this adventure in mind.
Hope you enjoy it. What I really hope is that you’ll get on the road and discover how much there is to see and do in New Mexico. (Do I sound like the Tourism Department? I swear I’m just someone really happy to be living here.)
For good fortune in 2023, take a trip down the Salt Mission Trail and spend the night in Mountainair, NM, reminding yourself as you go that beauty and surprise lie around every corner when you keep your eyes open. If you start in Tijeras, stop at the Ranger’s station and explore the 80 room Native American ruin behind the building, but do this only after you’ve stopped off at Molly’s Bar in Tijeras and had a beer with the bearded lady.
If you travel to Mountainair from the east instead of the northern route through Tijeras, stop off at the Willard Cantina for the one of the best green chile cheeseburgers in the state. (www.willardcantina.com). There’s no bearded lady at the Willard Cantina, but you can probably find an equally interesting character with a couple of unbelievable stories.
Call ahead and reserve a room at the Shaffer Hotel in Mountainair http://shafferhotel.com/, where you’ll stay in a room over the cafe with the Art Deco/pueblo ceiling painted by the Shaffer family in the 30’s. Admire Pop Shaffer’s amazingly kitchy cement wall complete with his own rendition of gargoyles and goofy figures.
After dinner in the Shaffer Cafe, walk down the street and have a drink at the Rosebud Saloon, stopping along the way to admire the funky and eclectic artwork and antiques in the shop windows. Mountainair was once the Pinto Bean Capital of New Mexico – promise you’ll have yourself a bean and green chile breakfast burrito before striking out for Gran Quivera and Quarai in the morning.
Treat yourself to a day of wandering the Salt Mission Trail, starting with the ruins at Quarai. Marvel at the workmanship of the church, constructed in 1300 AD by native workers overseen by Franciscan priests. Walk quietly in the midst of the 40 foot tall, 5 feet thick walls and then walk further, over the little bridge over the creek. Remember that your own history is important, and that someday someone will sift through what was your’s, marveling at your artifacts and stories.
After Quarai, head back south past Mountainair and go to the ruins at Gran Quivera, where you’ll be amazed by the size and condition of the structures still standing. Think about faith, the crazy faith that those Franciscans had to have to come to such a strange, frightening and desolate land. Think about power, and whether using power and fear is ever the best answer. Think about beauty and the fact that in the most austere of conditions, beauty can exist and thrive.
Head up the road toward Tijeras. If it was 2012, I’d suggest you stop off at the Ponderosa for a steak and cold beer and sit near the wood stove if it’s winter, or on the deck if it’s summer. I’m sorry that landmark closed, but the interesting piece of information about it is that the building was the set for Walter White ordered his last drink, a Dimple Pinch, neat. In Breaking Bad, Walter was supposedly holed up in New Hampshire. Those of us who knew the Ponderosa immediately recognized it.
The Ponderosa has it’s own recently checkered past, but this post isn’t the place to write about that. Look it up. It was a great place. It would be lovely to see it rise from the ashes, but that hasn’t happened yet.
Since it’s not 2012, which is about the last time the Ponderosa was open on a regular basis, head home to your own wood stove or patio. Relax and remember you pilgrimage among the ancients. Toast your new discovery of unexpected New Mexico beauty. Remember what Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Though we travel the world over to find beauty, we must carry it with us or we find it not.”
Here’s to good fortune in 2023.