Abiquiu, New Mexico

Abiquiu is the embodiment of New Mexico's claim to the term “Land of Enchantment.” Large vistas filled with mesas and buttes of multi-colored sandstone formations are what this valley is made of. The Rio Chama flows through the center of the valley and was dammed in the mid 1960's to form Abiquiu Lake. The Abiquiu Land Grant is actually east of where these photos were taken and, while very fertile and well populated, is not as striking as this area. In the middle of the highly colored rock zone is the Ghost Ranch, former home of Georgia O'Keefe and present-day conference center owned by the Presbyterian Church.

Crossing Abiquiu Dam and heading southwest leads into Coyote and eventually to Cuba, on the western side of the Jemez Mountains. West of the Ghost Ranch, a Forest Service road heads south and then west towards the Rio Chama Wilderness Area, ending near the Monastery in the Desert. Just before exiting the valley on the way to Tierra Amarilla is the Echo Amphitheatre, a natural formation in the sandstone (right next to the spire shown at left).

Looking at these photos (which can't possibly do Abiquiu justice), it's easy to see why this area is a major artists' mecca: imagine how these colors vary with the sun's position and with moving cloud cover. And under a full moon...