April 7: Ghost Ranch
dramatic landscapes, compelling histories, cool workshops!
Welcome to Postcards from New Mexico! Three Sundays a month, I share the beauty, history, and culture of this region that has been my home since 2008. This is a new Substack and I’m very open to your feedback and would like to hear what you’re interested in finding here. Please take a moment to fill out the Reader Survey or just leave a comment below.
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Ghost Ranch, north of Abiquiu, is one of the most spectacular sites in Northern New Mexico. This retreat and education center, owned by the Presbyterian Church, encompasses miles of trails, overshadowed by dramatic rock formations like Kitchen Mesa and Chimney Rock. You could spend days here exploring the land and learning the history of this fascinating place.
These stories go back more than 130 million years, as told by rocks and fossils, with the beginning of the Age of Dinosaurs in North America. You can learn all about that by stopping in at the Ruth Hall Museum of Paleontology on the ranch.
Then there’s the human history, which starts with Indigenous peoples who lived in the area and built homes and kivas nearby, and spans the incoming waves of Spanish, Mexican, French, and Anglo colonizations. And of course there is Georgia O’Keeffe, who fell in love with this land and sky and made it her home. If you take the Chimney Rock trail, you’ll be treated to an incredible view of Abiquiu Lake and Pedernal in the distance, the rock formation that O’Keeffe painted so many times in her life.
You can easily spend a fantastic day at Ghost Ranch walking the trails, getting a bite to eat at the cafe, finding treasures in the gift shop, visiting the museums, and even signing up for special adventures like horseback rides (more on that in the If you go/Local’s Tip section below).
Wish you were here!
