Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Jemez Springs, N.M. — Beep Beep! These rugged red mountains look awfully familiar. Deja vu! I've seen this tawny scrubland before.
On the day you arrive in New Mexico, you will recognize it.
And not just from Road Runner cartoons.
More than 90 major films and TV shows have been shot there in the last five years, including "No Country for Old Men," which just nabbed the best picture Oscar. This is "Terminator" country, "City Slickers" country and "3:10 to Yuma" country.
Yet, the silver screen version of New Mexico is no substitute for visiting, because then how would you experience the shopping in Santa Fe or the cement tub at the Jemez Springs Bathhouse?
But before I get to the bathhouse, let's back up.
When most people think of New Mexico, they think of its glamorous capital, Santa Fe, with its fabulous galleries, opera, restaurants and private schools.
Right after that, people probably think of ski mecca Taos, or of Albuquerque, the state's biggest town, or maybe Roswell, where alien lore has become so famous that some state tourism ads feature not "Land of Enchantment" bromides but the slogan "New Mexico, Earth."
Still, the heart of New Mexico is outside the cities. The ancient pueblos. The high desert. Lean roads curving away into hidden canyons and valleys. Lonesome vistas that Albuquerque best-selling mystery novelist Tony Hillerman describes as "an ocean of sagebrush."
I picked just one small region, the Jemez Mountain Trail. From Albuquerque, you can drive the scenic byway in a day and end up in Santa Fe.
Or you can keep driving and stay forever.
My suggestion? Start in Albuquerque. I loved this unassuming city that was founded in 1706 by the Spanish. You have to fly into Albuquerque's airport anyway when flying into the state, so stay a day.
Start in the Old Town plaza. Visit both the Albuquerque Museum of Art and History, then go across the street to the Atomic Museum, which focuses on nuclear science and history. Get breakfast at the Rolling in Dough Bakery. Buy handmade cards at the Old Town Card Shop. Buy a black-on-black pot on the street from native artist Diane Martinez. Try New Mexico wine at the St. Clair Bistro. Try red and green chiles at Garduno's of Mexico.
After that:
• Head north on I-25 and stop at the Sandia Tramway. The world's longest aerial tram takes you 2.7 miles from the foot of the Sandia Mountains to the very top, 10,378 feet up. The view from there? A dizzying panorama.
• Keep going up I-25 to Bernalillo . Stay the night at the Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort at Santa Ana Pueblo . Get a manicure or massage at the Tamaya Mist Spa (named eighth best hotel spa last year in North America by Travel + Leisure magazine).
• Next day, head west on U.S.-550. Soon, you'll break out into beautiful country and pass Zia Pueblo . Pueblo Indians have been there for centuries; there are 19 pueblos in New Mexico. (The Zia are the ones whose sun symbol is used on New Mexico's flag and license plates.)
Start looking up as the scenery turns lovely. Just like in the movies.
• Turn onto N.M. Route 4 north and drive to Jemez (HEM-ez) Pueblo, a comfy American-Indian town nestled at the foot of the stunning red-rock cliffs of the Canon de San Diego. Stop at the Walatowa Visitor Center, which has a display about the pueblo and the region.
Beyond that, the route enters the Santa Fe National Forest. If you like to fish, there are dozens of little spots to stop along the Jemez River. Another 11 miles north is Jemez Springs. It's really a resort town, but off-season it is as quiet as a siesta. And that's where you find the Jemez Springs Bathhouse, a little 1870s institution restored in the 1990s.
• Close the curtain. Scalding hot mineral water from Jemez Springs pours out of one metal tap while freezing cold mineral water pours out of the other. The water rises higher and higher while you sink lower and lower. Aah. The bathhouse has got to be the best bargain in New Mexico. Eight private bathtubs. Thirty minutes of private bliss for $10. Sulphate, potassium and calcium seep into your pores, curing all.
Now mellow, continue north to the Jemez Springs Soda Dam. The mineral-rich hot springs in the area built up over millennia to create a huge sculpture that rivals anything a New Mexico artist could create.
• Stay overnight in Jemez Springs, or continue your drive on Route 4 to the Valles Caldera National Preserve. In 2000, the U.S. government bought the caldera — the flat, collapsed part of an ancient volcano — for $101 million from a rancher; now it's a preserve. Past that, you head both into the ancient past and the recent past.
You can take the turnoff to the Bandelier National Monument, which takes you back in time to Anasazi cliff dwellings in the rock — ancient man's contribution to civilization.
Or, you can stay on Route 4 into Los Alamos, the super-secretive town where the nuclear bomb was developed — modern man's contribution to civilization.
Finally, make your way via N.M.-502 to U.S.-84/285, and south to Santa Fe.
In Santa Fe, do not miss the museums — the Georgia O'Keeffe with its nearsighted flowers, the Wheelwright Indian Museum (the jewelry!), and my favorite, the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture. Shop if you dare to part with your money.
While in New Mexico, wait for the late afternoon light, and take a lot of pictures, especially of things that are blue and red. When you get your pictures back, you'll see why this state is a moviemaker's favorite.
But when actress Jessica Alba made "The Eye" there recently, she did not endear herself to New Mexicans.
The reason? In a video interview, she called Albuquerque dull, good only for going to Wal-Mart or Applebee's. That ticked off the residents, even though later it turned out that Alba may have meant Alamogordo, not Albuquerque .
My idea? Someone in New Mexico should have fed the actress some green and red chiles and taken her to the Jemez Springs Bathhouse.
Know what you're buying with Indian crafts
Attention, shoppers. If you plan to buy American-Indian jewelry, baskets or pottery in New Mexico, be careful. There are a lot of fakes out there.
A New Mexican law called the Indian Arts and Crafts Enforcement Act prohibits misrepresentation of Indian arts. The target of the law is cheap knockoffs made in Asia.
"Misrepresentation runs rampant," says Zac Cox, whose grandparents have run the Rainbow Man store in Santa Fe since 1945. Their shop specializes in older American-Indian crafts and jewelry, sometimes called "old pawn" that was made from about 1900 to 1950. But even old pawn jewelry can be faked, an insult to the original makers who scraped up rare materials to create beautiful things.
"People don't realize how hard it was to create it," Cox says, pointing to a heavy turquoise-and-silver cuff bracelet circa 1930. Such bracelets can sell for about $350 to $1,500.
How can a tourist know what's reputable?
The New Mexico-based Council for Indigenous Arts and Culture urges you to buy either direct from an artist or buy from a reputable dealer. American-Indian vendors at the Palace of the Governors in Santa Fe Plaza have been vetted by a special state program. Museum shops have authentic products.
Avoid stores with continual sales or deep discounts.
If you buy, get an original receipt and certificate of authenticity including the description of the product, the name of the artist and tribal affiliation, the full address and phone number. Silver should be marked "sterling." There should be an artist's hallmark, or stamp, on the piece.
While in New Mexico, I showed what I thought might be an old Navajo bracelet to several jewelers in Santa Fe and Albuquerque. I had bought the silver and lapis bracelet for $5 or $10 about 20 years ago in Michigan.
The verdict? It was Navajo. It was real. It was probably made in the 1970s or `80s and signed by someone named "B. Yazzie."
It was worth a lot more than $5, three dealers said.
For more tips, see www.ciaccouncil.org
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