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| Title:
Anasazi Indian Country Tour |
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State:
New Mexico
Submitted
By: Hector Paiz
Date Submitted: Feb 00
Motorcycle Type: RoadStar
Motorcycle Road Length: 160 Miles
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Motorcycle
Road Scenery: 
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this route you will see some great New Mexico scenery and
get to see some really significant historical sites that include
ancient Indian cliff dwellings and the famous town where the
Atomic Bomb was developed. Part
of the great beauty of this route is that you get to see so
some of the great varieties of Southwestern US scenery. You
start out traveling through arid, orange colored rocky canyons
that are a great display of classic southwest scenery. The
walls of rock line the road and look as though they are going
to escort the road forever. Later on the route you’ll climb
into the mountains and be taken to lush, alpine scenery that
you normally picture when you think of states like Colorado
or Montana. Then you’ll find yourself finishing the route
back in an area that is known for its colorful canyons, red
hills and rock bluffs and has inspired famous painters. |
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Motorcycle
Road Quality: 
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The
roads on this route are pretty nice. The surface conditions
are good. The amount of twists and turns leave something
to be desired if you are in to that type of driving. However,
elevation changes keep you from getting bored. I give it
a 3 for average.
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Motorcycle
Roadside Amenities:
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There
is a lot to do on this route in terms of parks and historical
sites:The
town of Jemez Pueblo holds a popular Feast Day on
both August 2nd and November 12th.Jemez Springs gets its
name from the hot springs that are open to visitors who
enjoy bathing in the pools on cool winter nights.
The town is also home to a very old Spanish Missionary
pueblo and church that has become a state monument.
Also, if you stop here, be sure and see the “Soda
Dam.” This
is a dam made by nature that stands about 40 feet tall and
has been built over the years by rock deposits.
It continues to grow today and actually chokes off
part of the Jemez River. You
will love when you reach the “Valle Grande” area.
The scenery just opens up and gives you a great view.
Apparently this area was actually at one time a huge
volcanic mountain that erupted and then later collapsed
creating the valley. The
Bandelier National Monument
is a neat place to see some ancient Indian cliff dwellings. These dwellings were inhabited by the remarkable Anasazi
Indians thousands of years ago.
You can visit the nearby visitor center to learn
about the history and culture of these ancient Americans
or personally walk around in the dwellings. Not
far off the route, on Rte 501, is the famous Los
Alamos nuclear development center that during World
War II developed the Atom Bomb.
This town has a museum
that will tell you all about the history of the development
of the A-bomb and how this has impacted the entire world.
The town also has a lot to offer in terms of other
tourist attractions. The White Rock overlook is
placed next to a 700-foot cliff to give you an awesome
view of the Rio Grande Valley.If
you take a detour off of Rte. 30 on to 565, you can travel
to the Puye
Cliff Dwellings and see more of the Anasazi Indian’s
ancient structures.
One of the structures housed about 700 people at
one point. The
cliff dwellings here are easier to get to than the ones
at Bandelier National Monument.
Rte.
84 heading north is where you will see some of the most
colorful southwestern landscapes in New Mexico. Further
up the road you can end your trip at a couple of the route’s
real highlights – the Ghost
Ranch and the Echo Amphitheater. The Ghost Ranch
has a zoo and museum.
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The
route starts in the town of Bernalillo,
NM just off of I-25. From Bernalillo, take US 550 (Rte
44) north for about 20 miles and then get on Rte 4 heading
north to the town of San Ysidro. Stay on this road until
you go through the town of Totavi and then look for Rte
30. Take route 30 heading north towards the town of Espanola.
Before you get to Espanola, Rte 4 will run into Rte 84 which
you want to take north (left) towards the town of Abiquiu.
Continue on Rte 84 past Abiquiu till you reach the routes
end at the Echo Amphitheater.
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Additional
Information:
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