Just back from a visit to New Mexico. I don’t recall ever being there before, and was eager to go off to this land of vast landscapes, and spend a few days soaking in the mineral waters at Ojo Caliente.
These are the “cliffside suites” of the Ojo Caliente resort. We stayed in number 49 (7 x 7) and the room was quite nice–fragrant with the wood from the kiva fireplace. The radiant heat floor didn’t work, but hey, with a fireplace, who’s complaining.
This is the Soda springs, my favorite pool of the lot. I adore the whole thing of it–the simple roof, the black rocks at the bottom of the walls topped by the white rocks, the colored glass blocks. And, that there is a water snake who likes to visit here. I didn’t get to see the snake, but I spent a long time sitting, waiting–and the time spent was delicious.
The view while soaking in the iron pool, my second favorite. The water here comes sometimes out of a spout above a boulder in the wall, and always from beneath the pebbles at the floor of the pool. I stood on the hot hot space and contemplated the strength of the earth and the water–and their force.
100,000 gallons of water come up to the surface here from within the earth–each day. I struggle to imagine this volume, this force.
On the plateau above the hot springs are the Posi-Ouinge ruins. A short but steep hike from the hot springs gets you there.
I was awed by the number of pottery shards scattered and gathered on the ground here. This is BLM land and the area was occupied 700 years ago, and abandoned during some epidemic. Now, visitors are greeted by a pamphlet with the plea to leave the pottery shards where they are found, so that archaeologists can attempt to reconstruct this civilization. But, time and weather forces thwart this–the shards are everywhere, including in the designated hiking path, where they would be walked upon if not set aside.
So, all about the area are arrays of shards that have been carefully placed atop red stone slabs. It’s really rather eerie. And, it’s difficult to resist the pleas to leave the shards alone and to not take any. There are thousands, and clear evidence that the rains and weather are going to sweep them away.
The photo above shows just a few of the shards gathered in a spiral that has been built by modern visitors. Standing in the middle of the spiral, there is a 180 degree view of the area, and down below, the Rio Chama.
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