I woke up in a good mood because today I was headed for the Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument. The monument is actually made up of three separate sites up to 40 miles apart. From the Big I in Albuquerque, I headed east on I-40 for 14 miles to exit 175. I took the right fork from the exit and went straight through the traffic signal in Tijeras, heading south on NM 337. From Tijeras, 337 is a pleasant and winding journey with several trailheads, and other places to pull off the road and wander around. About 4 miles south of Tijeras is one such pull- off where you can wander up a hill and look at some strangely cracked rocks. Most of these fissures are wide enough for your foot and leg, and are 2 - 3 feet deep so watch your step.
I continued south on 337 through Miera, Escobosa, and Chilili. The stretch between Escobosa and Chilili is hilly, scenic, and about as fun as a paved road can get. There are a few photogenically dilapidated old buildings in Chilili that made me want to whip out my camera, but a large sign requested that you don't take any photos, and so I refrained. I thought about asking someone in Chilili if they had any Broccolili, but decided that it would be sillyly, and drove on. Ten or so miles south of Chilili I came to a junction and turned right on NM 55 towards Tajique. Before a distribution boom made the product available state-wide, I used to stop in little towns like this and pick up a couple of bottles of Carrizozo Cherry Cider. If you've never tried it, you should- it's muy tasty. The next town on the highway is Torreon, which is picturesque in a ghost town sort of way, with the narrow road winding between ancient, crumbling adobe buildings. I passed through Manzano and made the turn at Punta De Agua for the ruins at Quarai.
Junction 337 at 217
Quarai's visitor's center is stocked with an impressive assortment of books for sale, a large model of what the mission and pueblo used to look like, walking sticks, souvenir pins, patches, postcards, stickers, and last but not least, Bob. Bob ("or as the kids on the tours call me, 'Ranger Bob' or 'Ranger Dude'") is a park ranger whose noggin contains a wealth of information. Ranger Bob is a slightly older gentleman who reminded me a bit of John Mahoney, who played Frasier's dad on the t.v. show Frasier, with a little mischievous spark in his eye reminiscent of John Astin's Gomez Addams. Bob enlightened me with the history of Quarai, how it is also available for weddings (for only a $100 permit), explained part of the site stabilization process, and recommended (at my request) a place to eat in Mountainair. He seemed to know everything (perhaps I should have asked for some lotto numbers). With all of Bob's knowledge and moxy, I propose a couple of other names for him- Encyclopedia Bobtannica, or Captain Ranger- Dude (this name comes with a swell cape, and reverb when spoken). I parted company with Bob and had a peek at the attached museum. The museum is a small, round room with a superb little collection of artifacts from Quarai, and some of the finest examples of old Indian pottery I have ever seen (and I've seen quite a bit). As one might expect with a small, round room, I quickly found myself back at the door. I made my way outside to the trail through the ruins, which has many informative signs containing interesting text and helpful pictures. Quarai was a prosperous pueblo occupied since the 1300's. The Spanish established a mission here in 1626, as well as the region's first rock band. Okay, so there was no rock band. However, according to a 1656 Franciscan report, there was "a very good church, organ and choir." By the 1670's famine, drought, and Apache raids had caused pretty much everyone to clear off. Quarai, which might mean "bear place," "place of bear springs," or maybe "magpie," was also possibly known as Alcolocu, and Cuarac. Whatever you call it, I call it my favorite of the three Salinas missions. Quarai was also the seat of the New Mexico Inquisition of the 1600's. I waved goodbye to Captain Ranger- Dude (cape flowing triumphantly in the wind) and headed for Gran Quivera via Mountainair.
Quarai
Mountainair is a small town with an old fashioned main street populated with hardware stores and saloons. From what I hear, the town is harboring a budding art community, and rising up the economic ladder. Mountainair has many old buildings in various states of repair, the most striking being the recently restored Schaffer Hotel. The Schaffer Hotel is a 1920's Deco/Pueblo building with an adjoining restaurant. You can visit their website at shafferhotel.com/. I stopped in at the main Salinas Missions visitor's center, which has pretty much the same stuff as Quarai's center, sans the artifact collection, but has the addition of a 14- minute video. From there I went to the Ancient Cities Cafe, marked by a simple "cafe" sign on the roof. I asked the waitress if they had a signature dish, something that perhaps they were known for. She informed me that it would probably have to be the "La Cosa De La Casa," so I ordered that. I asked for both red and green chile, which most places refer to as "Xmas," but here it is called "purple." While I waited for my food (which couldn't have been longer than 6 minutes) I looked over the menu, and checked out the restaurant. The menu was a variety of New Mexican staples, burgers, steak and chicken fingers, and all day breakfast. Most items were in the $6 range, with the most expensive being the steak and enchilada plate at $8.99. The front dining room had a few paintings of the Salinas missions, and the back room sported wild game trophies. Not entirely understanding what it was that I had ordered, I was surprised to discover upon its arrival, that my choice was basically a large tostada. It consisted of a plate- sized flour tortilla fried to a golden brown, and topped with beef, beans, cheese, lettuce, and tomatoes. I got my red and green chile on the side, as is my custom when eating in an unfamiliar restaurant, and I found that I preferred their green. This was a large dish and I probably should not have eaten the whole thing by myself. I slowly waddled back to the truck, headed south on NM 55, and rolled down the window as the gastronomical side effects of my deep- fried, chile- covered lunch manifested themselves. From Mountainair, Gran Quivera is 25 miles to the south on a road that is a series of straight lines and right angles, much like a crack in a cinderblock wall. I don't know if the road was laid out by a novice with an Etch-A-Sketch, or if curves hadn't been invented yet, but it made for an interesting drive. This area of NM 55 is a lonely stretch, with minimal traffic and a few widely-spaced homesteads- some of them a century old and abandoned. Just a few miles short of Gran Quivera, right next to the road, is an old abandoned schoolhouse. It is the only building for miles and appears to still have a big slate chalkboard at its head. Gran Quivera, the largest of the Salinas missions, sits atop a mesa, overlooking the valley below. Unlike the other missions, this one is gray in color, because it is made of limestone. The visitor's center is much the same as the last two, with a good selection of books, souvenirs, and a bright, attentive park ranger. A loop trail wanders through the ruined city with occasional signs offering up tidbits of the site's history. The views were great and the restrooms spotless.
Gran Quivera
I returned to my truck and drove back towards Mountainair along the lonely zig-zag. At Mountainair I turned west on NM 60 and proceeded the 9 miles to Abo. The Abo ruins are 3/4 of a mile from Hwy 60 along a pleasant little road. Here the visitor's center is smaller and the restrooms are outhouses. There aren't any artifacts on display here because, as the ranger informed me, until 1982 the ruins were private property and most of what there was to find had already been found, and most likely sold. The church was built in the 1620's. As with Quarai and Gran Quivera, Abo was abandoned in the 1670's due to drought, famine, and Apache raids. I had a quick walk around the grounds. A cold wind had begun to blow so I beat a hasty retreat to my truck and continued west on NM 60, down the scenic Abo Pass, and across the valley to Bernardo. At Bernardo, on the west side of I-25, is an old iron girder bridge over the Rio Puerco, that I occasionally visit. I drove back to Albuquerque on I-25. At the end of the day, I had driven a little over 200 miles, and the trip took about 7 hours. For a shorter version of this trip you can skip Gran Quivera, cutting 1 1/2 to 2 hours. If you don't mind missing the 14- minute video, you may also skip the visitor's center in Mountainair. If you only make it to one site of the three, I would recommend Quarai. Admission is free for all three sites, and all have restrooms and picnic tables.
For additional info visit: www.nps.gov/sapu
Quarai
One Of Many Abandoned Homesteads
Abo Pass
Bridge At Bernardo