On many of my travels, I try to have at least one cultural experience that is immersive in some way. I had found two possible opportunities to look at a little history in the area – the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center and the Petroglyph National Monument. Before coming to New Mexico, I had notified Andi that I intended on taking a walk along one of the trails one morning, and we were able to add it to our “itinerary” for Saturday. There are 3 trails: Boca Negra Canyon, Rinconada Canyon, and Piedras Marcadas Canyon. The trails range from short walks to 2.2 miles roundtrip, and have anywhere between 100 and 400 viewable petroglyphs. It has been estimated that there are upwards of 20,000 images within the monument’s boundaries. New Mexico’s petroglyph site is one of the largest in North America, and dates back to 400-700 years ago. What I found most surprising was that they are carved on volcanic rock – because I never knew, but apparently there are about 11, mostly extinct, volcanoes that create the New Mexico landscape.
After the group gathered for Saturday morning breakfast, we prepped for a walk at Piedras Marcadas, which was only about a 20-minute drive away. For my body, I’ve recently opted to start using COOLA sunscreen in Guava Mango, which smells so yummy and tropical. This brand has a farm-to-face sourcing philosophy, is over 70% organic, and best of all it really doesn’t smell like traditional sunscreen in the slightest bit. Andi and Ron made sure we all had a full water bottle and a hat, and we set off, driving over the Rio Grande, to the trail. It was weird to think we were going onto sacred land when next to the parking lot was a Valvoline Oil Change center, and the “front yard” of the monument was a relatively new housing development.
There weren’t a lot of folks out, so we took our time along the trail. The trail is somewhat roped off to reduce foot traffic through the plants and keep people at a distance from the rock carvings. There are no signs along the trail that give details about the petroglyphs, but as you move along, they become increasingly apparent and abundant. It was fun to look at the pictures and try to guess what they meant – we saw crosses, animals, people, and ones that even looked like a music note and spaceship.
My foot was doing pretty well as we were walking, but Andi and I were getting a bit hungry. We took a break as Dez and Ron turned the last corner to check out the final bit of trail, and came back to inform us that there were tons of handprints just past the bend. As I looked at them, I wondered about the people that walked this earth, what was taking place as this was made, what were their names…?
We stopped back at the house to grab a snack and change before going somewhere for a late-ish lunch. This time, I opted for a little black dress (size small, for reference) and low-heeled sandals. As I waited, I enjoyed a piece of fruit out by the pool. Andi and Ron had had quite a few visitors before I came, so they definitely had a plan of where to take visitors.
All I knew as we headed out was that we were driving along the Turquoise Trail. It was such a stunning drive! I was amazed at how drastically the scenery had changed from the desert we drove through to the Spa yesterday. I learned that we were on “the other side” of the mountains now (the Sandia and Manzanita, to be exact) – where you can find good skiing in the winter. The hills were lush with junipers and other vegetation. I began to see more signs for campsites, too. Nothing but sun, open roads and some good tunes!
Our first stop was in Cerrillos, which is a mining ghost town. It once had 21 saloons, 5 brothels, 4 hotels and several newspapers during the mining boom. We turned off the main highway and onto dusty, dirt roads. The once bustling town now has a few buildings, an eatery, church and a souvenir shop. Ron parked near the church, which supposedly still holds Mass.
The most liveliness seemed to be coming from right where we were headed to – Black Bird Saloon. The corner spot was made of wood and adobe, with bright blue doors. There was outdoor seating and a main dining room. Seriously, everything on the menu looked delicious, and it was so large I was a little overwhelmed. As I walked up to the counter to order, I decided to just get one of the daily specials – a fancy version of avocado toast, minus the quail egg.
I seriously wanted to try all the food – it looked and smelled so good; and the menu was just as intriguing. Ron had ordered a sandwich with bone marrow butter and King Trumpet mushrooms, and Dez let us all sample his dish, Campfire on the Crossroads. It had grilled elk, rattlesnake and rabbit sausage. It took me a second to eat the meat because I kept envisioning a snake on the plate and that would surely be new to my palette; however, it was quite delectable! I liked it best with the blueberry mustard. Each table had a postcard with an infamous Wild, Wild West person on it with background information. They were definitely fun to read!
As we enjoyed our meals, across the street, an elder man pulled up with a donkey! It had a saddle on it and I joked I wanted to pay him a few bucks to ride it. “Come on – let’s go pet it!” Dez encouraged me as we jumped up and headed for the animal. Pancho seriously made my day. We later found out that Pancho is a regular attraction on that street corner.
Overall, I spent a little less than $20 for lunch.
Cerrillos also offers up a unique shop called Casa Grande Trading Post. This is a one-stop shop for a mining museum, gift store filled with various stones and knick-knacks, and also houses a petting zoo!
As we left the town, we passed by a sign that I thought was so cute. “Wait!” I asked Ron to hit the brakes. I wanted to say “yes” to myself and asked if we could reverse back to the sign so that I could get a picture. I hopped out, got a snap and ran back to the car, since another one was coming down the road. Here it is!
Lastly, as we headed back towards Albuquerque, we stopped in the historic town of Madrid – and no, it is not pronounced like Madrid, Spain. Madrid was an old coal-mining town that was turned into this funky little strip of an art community in the 70s. The shops and galleries are even old miner’s homes that have been converted. I had joked with my friends about being the only person of my complexion around, and was hesitant to roam this small community, but Andi and Ron assured me it would be fine. We spent a little time walking up and down the narrow road through town. By the time we arrived, a lot of shops were closing for the evening, but I was able to pick up a little exotic flower from this cute dispensary called Cannabliss. I tried one of their indica-dominant hybrids called Jungle Diamonds, which seemed fitting for me, haha. I also picked up an herbal smoke blend called “Healing Flame,” which has mullein, peppermint, damiana, hyssop, wormwood, red raspberry leaf and uva ursi.
Next, we ended up in Jezebel’s, which had a variety of artists’ work displayed, and a little cafe. Andi and I ordered some snacks. I had been looking at the portion sizes, despite ordering a small cup of ice cream, and made a comment to Dez that I hoped I could finish it, considering I only needed one little scoop. As my name was called and I received my two, big scoops of ice cream, another guy who had overheard our convo wished me, “Good luck!” Madrid was surely an eclectic, but welcoming community. While there, there was an event had had some jazz and blues artists playing, so we listened to the sounds fill the street as we perused.
I passed by it and wondered, but later found out that the Wild Hogs restaurant was an ode to the Disney movie that was filmed there in the early 2000s. Surely enough, you can find Harley’s and other bikes parked all along the road. Oh, how I did desire to be on the back of one, traveling through New Mexico!
The ride home was a little quieter, as tiredness began to settle in. Andi called ahead and for dinner that night, we got some food from a tasty, local pizza shop; and, yes, I did finally eat the pineapple upside-down cake for dessert! We joined one another on the patio to eat and then returned to our respective quarters to rest. 2 days down, 2 more to go!
