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Santa Fe
The oldest city in the United States, Santa Fe was founded
in 1610, but the culture of its Native American inhabitants
predates the coming of the Spanish settlers by at least 12,000
years. Despite early struggles between the original inhabitants
and later waves of settlers, the city is remarkable now for
its apparently seamless amalgam of cultures. Its incredible
location 7,000 feet high is complemented by the town's architecture
- rigorous planning restrictions ensure that all structures
are in the traditional adobe style, with rounded, terracotta
coloured mud-plaster walls - warm pinks and browns that glow
in the light of the high-desert sunsets. This planning mandate
also means that few buildings are constructed to be more than
about 2 storeys high, so the views of the surrounding mountains
are never obscured.
The central plaza is a 400-year old square, on the north
side of which can be found the Palace of the Governors.
The oldest public building in the US, the building is now
an historical museum, the sheltered veranda outside the site
of a daily outdoor market for American Indians selling arts
and crafts. Santa Fe is home to a thriving art community and
boasts over 250 art galleries, mainly concentrated around
and spanning out from the central Plaza - gallery-hopping
at its best can be enjoyed along Canyon Road. The
Loreto Chapel is worth a look, if only for its grand spiral
staircase and the rather sweet story of the carpenter who
miraculously appeared to build it without using any visible
nails or means of support, and then vanished before the nuns
could repay him. Other sites of religious significance, such
as St Francis Cathedral and numerous museums will keep
culture-vultures occupied. Perched above the city like a blessing
is the white Cross of the Matyrs, a memorial to the
monks killed in the Pueblo Rebellion of 1680, which can be
reached via a winding path for peaceful views over the town.
Santa Fe is also a prime destination for those in search of
action - surrounded by 1.5 million acres of National Forest
and public land, outdoor enthusiasts will find plenty of adventure
and in winter, snowsports can be enjoyed at the Santa Fe
Ski Basin. For the more gastronomically-inclined, Santa
Fe is host to a mind-boggling array of restaurants and a dazzling
banquet of irresistible tastes and flavours.
White Sands National Monument
White Sands National Monument occupies a major slice of the
world's largest gypsum sand dune field. Signs indicating that
missile tests are carried out nearby may be slightly off-putting,
but the overall experience is one not to be missed. Walking
through the dunes is wildly disorienting - look behind you
to see that your footprints have disappeared, blown away by
the strong southwest wind, and that you are surrounded by
endless folds of blindingly white sand, looking the same in
every direction. Yet for all this sameness, the dunes are
in a constant state of flux - like ocean waves, they swell,
crest and then diminish as the wind moves them endlessly forwards.
Little can survive these harsh conditions, but a few plants
have adapted to grow quickly enough to escape burial by the
advancing dunes and some animal life, such as the bleached
earless lizard, has developed a white coloration as camouflage.
Sunset on the dunes is spectacular, colouring the pure white
surroundings in deepening shades of pink, with the lengthening
shadows making the surface ripple-patterns on the sand more
sharply defined. Camping on one of the few primitive campsites
here is wonderful and eerie at any time, but especially at
the time of a full moon, when the dunes are illuminated brilliantly
white against the night sky.
Carlsbad Caverns National Park
Carlsbad Caverns National Park, Southern New Mexico, was
created to conserve Carlsbad Cavern and numerous other cave
systems in the area. Carlsbad Cavern is easily accessible
and offers the explorer many different tours and routes through
its subterranean world of weirdly-sculpted formations and
massive chambers. The slightly spooky sensation of being detached
from the outside world of bright desert sky and sun is heightened
by the names of various features in the caves - Devils
Den, Witches Finger, The Boneyard, The Bottomless Pit
to name a few. For even more of scare-factor, some routes
in the cave require the explorer to wriggle through tight,
claustrophobic spaces and crawl for long distances. For above-ground
action, an outdoor amphitheatre provides views from May to
October of a nightly mass exodus of bats from the caves, swirling
shapes silhouetted against the red desert sky. Pre-dawn risers
can also observe the return flight of the bats, swooping and
dive-bombing from all directions to re-enter the mouth of
the cave.
Bisti Badlands
In the remote, windswept northwestern corner of New Mexico
is a desolate expanse known as the Bisti Badlands. Little
touristed, there are no signposts directing visitors to the
Badlands from any of the nearby towns, adding to the lunar-like
quality of the experience. Layers of earthy substances have
mixed with sandstone and then eroded into an expanse of bizarrely
sculpted rock formations, hunched mounds and small ravines,
the surroundings coloured in various shades of terracotta,
red, orange and brown in every direction. Petrified wood litters
the area and fossils, including dinosaur remains, can sometimes
be spotted. A clustered group of abandoned buildings nearby
are the remains of the derelict Bisti Trading post;
this proof of vanished human presence here somehow adding
to the spooky sensation of being caught in a different world
or time. There are no marked trails for hikers - the norm
is to follow the ravine edges - and dirt roads in the Badlands
lead to the even more isolated De-na-zin Wilderness
area.
Taos
Legendary skiing awaits the novice and extremist alike at
Taos. One of the few remaining ski areas in the US where snowboarding
is prohibited, a commitment to the "two boards"
style of snow sports is welcomed here by ski purists. Over
half of the mountain is designated "expert" territory.
The combination of relentless high desert sunshine, plus varied
and challenging terrain covered in dry powder is sensational,
and a sense of family is maintained by the presence of many
of the staff from the resort's beginnings in the 1950s. Taos
itself is home to one of the longest-established Native American
populations in the United States - a visit to Taos Pueblo
is a must, no matter how great the snow is - although added
to these beginnings have been, in turn, the presence of Spanish
colonials, bohemian artists and alternative healers. With
museums, galleries, restaurants and stores to rival Santa
Fe, the town offers a more relaxed charm, even in during the
winter season, as the enduring popularity of nearby Colorado
ensures that the town and slopes alike remain relatively uncrowded
and unspoilt.
Guide by Sarah Rodrigues
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