Interesting Places in Tierra Amarilla, New Mexico

Tierra Amarilla, Spanish for "yellow earth," is in northern New Mexico, less than 20 miles from the Colorado border. This historic town grew up along Las Nutritas Creek as Spanish settlers established farms and ranches. During the mid-19th century, it served as a supply station on the Spanish Trail. Today, around 400 people live in Tierra Amarilla. Despite its size, you can find rich cultural, ecological and artistic attractions in the town and surrounding area.

Mustang Memories

• Monero Mustangs, an organization that breeds and preserves Spanish mustangs, occupies the Yellow Hills Ranch in Tierra Amarilla. Weather permitting, you can tour the 5,000-acre ranch to see how wild horses live naturally. Two-hour and half-day personal tours are available by appointment, and you also can stay at a primitive campsite on the grounds. Photographers and other artists conduct workshops at Yellow Hills Ranch.

Java and Drums

• Three Ravens Coffee House occupies a renovated building in Tierra Amarilla. Drum-maker Paul Namkung owns the 125-year-old structure, which also has served as a bar, boarding house, Catholic school and post office. The coffee shop hosts live music, and the building also houses World Drums, where Namkung crafts his unique instruments. You might even catch a drumming circle while you’re at the coffee house.

Foray into Fibers

• At Tierra Wools, less than three miles north of Tierra Amarilla in Los Ojos, artisans hand-dye and create yarn using wool from local sheep. Their tapestry designs reflect traditional patterns from the Rio Grande Valley. You can purchase woven clothing, blankets and rugs, along with other handcrafted goods, including jewelry, pottery, yarn and crocheted, knitted and felted accessories, in the gift shop. Tierra Wools also hosts a variety of classes and workshops. Open hours vary by season, but if you want to extend your visit, you can stay at a guest house on the premises.

Leisure at the Lake

• If you want to enjoy the area’s natural beauty, visit Heron Lake State Park, a 12.5-mile drive east of Tierra Amarilla. You can canoe, kayak, sail or drive a motorboat on the lake. Other activities include fishing, picnicking and swimming. The park has 7 miles of trails designated for hiking, mountain biking and, during the winter, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. Camping facilities range from primitive beach sites to a campground with 250 developed spaces, including electric and water hookups.

Ranch Retreat

• If you’re an art aficionado or you just want a place to relax, check out Ghost Ranch, about 45 miles south of Tierra Amarilla. Painter Georgia O’Keeffe spent summers on the ranch, where she created many of her iconic desert paintings, and in 1940 purchased a small parcel of land from the owners. Today, the Presbyterian Church operates the 21,000-acre facility as an education and retreat center. The ranch is open to the public, and you can hike, go horseback riding, create art or take one of the many workshops offered throughout the year. You also can visit anthropology and paleontology museums on the grounds.

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Skydiving in Belen, New Mexico

Along Highway 25, a lush ribbon of artificial green slashes the stark, surface-of-the-moon terrain of the American Southwest from Albuquerque to the Mexican border. Parallel to that, the incongruously verdant east slopes of the East Mountains describe a perfect rain shadow when viewed from overhead. The effect is arresting. If you'd like to see it for yourself, don't try to peer from the window of a plane -- head to Belen, where you can leap out over the scenery and drink in the view on the way down.

Location

• Skydive New Mexico is a small drop zone, lovingly run by a club of sport skydivers. Their facility is located in a hangar on Belen's Alexander Airport, about a half hour south of Albuquerque. The desert landscape provides more than interesting views: since the terrain is wide open and the airport is quiet, skydivers enjoy access to two roomy landing areas that safely accommodate less-than-accurate landings.

Facilities

• Experienced skydivers can rent or purchase from the on-site gear shop. The drop zone also offers an on-DZ canteen, rigging services, a packing area shielded from the scathing desert sun, coaching, load organizing and packing. Travelers are welcome to camp overnight on the drop zone property, though no RV hookups are available.
• Aircraft

• Skydive New Mexico's small fleet includes two Super Cessna 182 aircraft. Though small planes, the Cessnas have been modified with larger engines and extended wingtips to reach altitude in record time -- just over 20 minutes. In a "normal" Cessna, that ride can take more than a half hour.

Instruction

• Naturally, Skydive New Mexico offers tandem rides for thrill seekers who'd rather not operate their own parachute. For students who'd prefer to go it alone, the drop zone trains newbies to jump solo using the Instructor-Assisted Deployment method. IAD students wear their own parachute system and perform a safe solo skydive with the assistance of a rated instructor. Beyond the first jump, students in Belen may complete a multi-jump program to earn their solo "A" license through the United States Parachute Association.

Considerations

• As it's perched in the lofty elevations of the high desert -- the airfield sits at 5200 feet above mean sea level -- Skydive New Mexico is categorized as a high-altitude drop zone. When the air is thinner -- like it is at this altitude -- parachutes move faster. Experienced jumpers who visit Belen from lower-elevation drop zones must be aware that their landings will be faster than they're accustomed to.

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Tent Camping at the White Sands National Monument, New Mexico

A sea of white gypsum sand stretches to the horizon, interrupted only by wind-hewn wrinkles and the occasional enterprising wispy bush. Be sure to wear sunglasses to avoid going "snow blind," as the white sand is every bit as dazzling as sunshine on snow. Don't think it's a trick of the sun if you see an Arabian oryx plodding over the horizon, as the animals thrive in the area. The monument is a land of contrasts, such as brilliant flowers poking from arid sand, so pack your tent and explore for days.

With a Backpack

• Ten primitive backcountry sites are the only options for camping within the boundaries of White Sands National Monument. The campsites lie along a loop trail varying in distance from the trailhead from 0.7 mile to just over 1 mile. Get a backcountry camping permit at the visitor's center for a small per-person fee to have a campsite assigned to you. A brown marker denotes your site, and you must set up camp within 5 feet of it. Pack in your own water, pack out your trash and bury human waste.

State Park Amenities, World-Class Views

• If a rugged night on the dunes isn't for you, a natural desert experience with a few amenities is available at Oliver Lee State Park, 24 miles from White Sands. Enjoy a hot shower and electricity at the park's 44-site campground. The sites also accommodate RVs, with natural vegetation surrounding them as well as views of the Sacramento Mountains and surrounding desert. Each site comes with a picnic table and fire ring with fold-over grill. The sites are in full sun, so bring an extra shade canopy to keep the sun off your table or tent.

In the Forest

• Seven campgrounds within the Lincoln National Forest sit within a 37-mile drive from White Sands. The campgrounds lie within 2 miles of one another, about 1.5 miles southeast of Cloudcroft. Silver Campground provides hot showers for a fee, and campers staying at the other campgrounds are welcome to use them. The campsites are nestled among tall ponderosa pines at about 9,000 feet, with temperatures that range up to 20 degrees cooler than at White Sands. Tables and grills are found at each site.

Middle Ground

• The Bureau of Land Management's Aguirre Springs Campground lies 39 miles southwest of White Sands, among the sharp spires of the Organ Mountains. The high desert campground is the eastern terminus for the Baylor Pass Trail that passes over the mountains to Baylor Canyon. The Pine Tree loop trail circles 4 miles into the Organ Needles, visiting a ponderosa pine forest before dropping back into the desert. The 57-site campground has sites with shade, tables and grills.

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Things to Do in Curry County, New Mexico

As home to the earliest occupants of North America as well as some of the earliest pioneers of rock 'n' roll, New Mexico's Curry County can rightly claim a unique role in American culture. A visit to the region can become a fascinating trip through time, starting thousands of years ago. Along the way you can see unusual creatures and find out about groundbreaking Americans, both old and not so old.

Back Track

• For music lovers, the name Clovis means rock 'n' roll. It was in a recording studio on 7th Street that pioneering producers Norman and Vi Petty helped stars including Buddy Holly and Roy Orbison hone their distinctive style into what became known as the “Clovis Sound.” Revisit those early rock 'n' roll years with a studio tour. You’ll see the original equipment and hear old recordings. A short walk away is the Norman & Vi Petty Rock & Roll Museum. Through artifacts and pictures, the exhibition traces how the Petty's influenced this American music genre.

History Train

• If not for the Santa Fe Railroad, Clovis might never have been. The city sprang up around a depot constructed on the new transcontinental line in 1907. The depot caused the area to quickly boom into the city of Clovis, with the addition of hotels and administrative buildings. Trace the history of the railroad and its effect on Curry County at the Clovis Depot Model Train Museum. The building has been restored to its 1950s condition and includes historic documents and pictures as well as an operating telegraph station. A scale model replicates the Clovis railroad system of the 1950s.

Beast Your Eyes

• From humble beginnings in the 1930s with just one bear and one coyote, Hillcrest Park Zoo quickly expanded when a traveling circus went bankrupt, leaving the zoo to care for its animals. Hillcrest Park now has more than 450 mammals and birds. Explore the zoo’s 23 acres and visit its animals, including hyenas, lemurs, snakes and endangered species such as the Bengal tiger and American alligator. Visitors can sponsor animals and rent a safari party area for the day. The adjoining park has picnic areas, playground equipment and basketball courts.

Dig This

• Just south of Clovis lies Blackwater Draw, an important archaeological site that has yielded the remains of some of North America’s earliest inhabitants. Digs at the so-called Clovis Site have unearthed stone and bone weapons and tools dating back more than 13,000 years. Early hunters were drawn there by the mammoths, bison and other animals that used the site as a source of food and water. Take a guided or self-guided tour or, to see more artifacts and displays depicting early life at the Clovis Site, visit the nearby Blackwater Draw Museum.

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What to Do in Socorro, New Mexico

Socorro is out of the way and easy to overlook when planning a trip, but it's not without small-town charm -- it's just a different charm than you might expect. The community is simultaneously geared toward scientific hobbyists and outdoor enthusiasts, and neighbor to a large field of satellites famous to astronomers. Surrounded by mountains, Socorro boasts four distinct and even pleasant seasons, a rarity in the American Southwest.

Coronado's Treasure Chest

• The Mineral Museum on the New Mexico Tech campus is full of gold, silver and gems -- the same types of treasure that enticed Spanish conquistadors centuries ago -- and the naturally occurring geologic formations that abound in the Southwest. The original collection won awards at the World’s Fair in 1904 before much of it was lost in a fire 20 years later. Within 10 years, however, collectors were donating items, and the Mineral Museum now has more than 15,000 gems, minerals, fossils and even an ultraviolet mineral exhibit. In the fall the school hosts the annual New Mexico Mineral Symposium and Mining Artifact Collectors Association Symposium. The museum is located in the Workman Addition and is open seven days a week.

The Very Large Array

• The accurately if unimaginatively named Very Large Array, 50 miles west of Socorro near San Augustin, is an astronomical radio observatory comprised of 27 radio-telescope antennas spaced out in a large “Y” pattern. The data from the 82-foot-wide antennas combine to provide the same resolution that would be given by a 22-mile-wide antenna. According to the Socorro Chamber of Commerce, the VLA has played a significant role in more scientific papers than any radio telescope in the world. You can take a self-guided tour of this manmade marvel or attend a guided tour, offered between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. on the first Saturday of the month. It also has a year-round visitors center with displays and videos that explain what radio astronomy is and what information the VLA is gathering.

Wildlife Refuges

• The Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, about 15 miles south of Socorro, is a temporary home for thousands of waterfowl, including sandhill cranes and geese. In addition to the natural sights, which include a stretch of the Rio Grande and two different mountain ranges, visitors can explore the 11,000-year-old petroglyphs left by ancient peoples who either settled or moved through the area. The visitors center is open daily, and visitors can hike, fish and hunt in addition to bird watching.

  The Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, one of the largest wildlife refuges in the United States, offers hiking, hunting and wildlife watching as well, although it's more restricted to visitors than Bosque so check where you are able to go. This refuge offers not only a variety of environments, including wetlands, arroyos, rock formations and mountains, but also the chance to sight coyotes, rabbits, deer, elk, waterfowl and more. Be prepared for hot and cold weather when you go. The visitors center is open year-round Monday through Saturday.

Trinity Site

• If you’re in Socorro the first weekend of April, catch a shuttle to the Trinity Site, where the world’s first atomic bomb was exploded on July 16, 1945. The national historic landmark includes Ground Zero, the base camp and the house where scientists assembled the bomb’s plutonium core. Visitors also get a lesson on the science, politics and history that went into the making and use of the first atomic bombs in World War II. The Stallion Gate entrance on Highway 380 is open from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the first Saturday of April, the only day of the year with public access, and the open house is free with no reservations required. Cameras are allowed at the site, but as it's on an active military base visitors can only take pictures at Ground Zero. You can also drive from Socorro; it’s about a 90-minute trip. The military estimates that a visit to Trinity Site exposes people to a tiny amount of radiation over what they are exposed to in everyday life. However, young children, pregnant women and those with other health risks should consider how any extra exposure could affect them.

Live Theater

• New Mexico Tech's annual performing arts series includes dancing, a variety of musical performances, live comedy, plays and more. Past performances have included TAP: The Show, The Fantasticks, the New Mexico Philharmonic, magician Andy Gross and the Cirque Montage. Special events include a Merry-Achi Christmas in December, SocorroFest in October and a 4th of July Celebration. The Macey Center, home to the school’s performing arts, also houses an art gallery.

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