Ten Tips Of Discovering Taos, New Mexico

August 8, 2009 by Andy Johnson · Comment
Filed under: Travel & Transportation 

Taos, New Mexico just happens to be the perfect getaway destination full of adventurous all-year-long recreational and cultural activities for the entire family. Let’s take a look at 10 of the most popular adventures and activities the area is so well known for…

1.Skiing Adventure – The Taos Ski Valley Resort is one of the most respected ski resorts in the Rockies. For those looking to learn to ski or improve upon the skills they already have, the resort’s ski school is consistently very highly rated.

2.Miles of Snowmobiling – With plenty of fresh Alpine trails to explore, Taos is the ideal destination for those wanting to make a snowmobile adventure their top priority-as well as for those who’d just like to make a great ski vacation even more memorable by adding a complementary activity.

3.Rafting Adventure – Looking for a little water-based outdoors adventure? If so, be sure to explore the Taos area’s numerous enticing rafting streams. When ski season wraps up for the year, the destination’s full-on rafting season is just getting started!

4.Alpine Camping – The Taos, NM area is packed with plenty of beautiful places to take a camping trip. With practically next door national forests and state parks plentiful, the beautiful and tranquil Rocky Mountain scenery can be all yours for as long as you wish to stay.

5.Hiking some of America’s Best Trails – In the spring, summer, and autumn seasons at Taos, the nearly endless miles and miles of hiking trails become a key focus for recreation seekers. And with a location this ideally scenic, it’s really easy to see why!

6.Fantastic Fly Fishing – Summer in northern New Mexico is a fly fisher’s paradise. The clean mountain streams are just right for a very memorable fishing trip (and the fish are quite plentiful). There are a number of guided fly fishing tours that will take you to secluded spots for finding that prized trophy fish.

7.Festivals Galore – It sure seems like no matter what time of the year it is in Taos, there’s a popular festival going on all the time. From respected beer and wine festivals, to arts and music festivals, and countless additional cultural festivals between, there’s something festive going on every single month of the year.

8.Art to Appreciate – This part of New Mexico has become well-respected as being an artists’ haven. And with the all-year-long scenic beauty that’s so prevalent, it’s no wonder so many artists flock to the area. You’ll find plenty of exciting galleries and shops to explore while you’re here.

9.Luxurious Spas – Would travelling to get a little R&R be complete without taking the time for luxurious spa treatment? Spending a long weekend at one of the incredible spa resorts in the region is a respectable (and very popular) travel plan to add to your Taos itinerary.

10.Just Escaping From It All – While there are so many exciting things to do in Taos, sometimes the best plan is just to get away from it all for awhile. Renting a house in the mountains surrounding Taos is truly the ideal escape.

Highly-regarded as one of the nation’s top ski destinations, this area has so much to offer even once ski season has wrapped up for the year. Taos, New Mexico really is the perfect destination for year round adventure!

Tags: ,

Treasure Hunting in New Mexico

January 12, 2009 by Fred Peters · Comment
Filed under: Travel & Transportation 

With its rocky crags and cavern-riddled mountains, it’s no wonder that New Mexico is home to some of the most incredible stories of hidden treasure in North America. The “Wild West” was famous for the reckless bravery and lawlessness of criminals who would hold up stagecoaches, chase down trains, and gather up loads of treasure that were never found after their untimely demise. Other tales tell of prospectors who found immense caches of gold through the mountains, only to die before revealing the exact locations of their hoards. It is believed that many of these treasures remain hidden throughout the state, awaiting discovery by lucky adventurers.

One story from 1836 is of an old prospector named Adams. After suffering an attack by Indians, Adams stumbled into the town of Pinos Altos. Before dying of his injuries, Adams told tales of a wondrous red hill just north of the town where gold was scattered everywhere, ripe for the taking. In his knapsack was $7000 worth of gold nuggets which he claimed came from this hill. Prospectors raced to the site, trying to find the gold-rich hill, but none succeeded. Pinos Altos currently maintains many buildings and historic sites from the gold rush including the Buckhorn Saloon and Opera House and the Pinos Altos Historic Museum.

The Hembrillo Basin, just below Victorio Peak, is the site of one of the more baffling treasure mysteries in New Mexico. In 1937 Milton Earnest “Doc” Noss was traveling through Hembrillo Basin when he stumbled upon a large rock that turned out to be the cover-stone of an unbelievable treasure trove. There are numerous theories as to the source of this cavern filled with treasures beyond imagining, but none has been proven. By 1938 Doc Noss managed to gain legal claim to the treasure, and worked to remove as much of it as he could. In the fall of 1939, Doc decided that he needed to enlarge the opening to the hidden treasure, and arranged to blast the narrow tunnel with eight sticks of dynamite. This was a mistake, causing a cave-in that permanently blocked further entry to the cavern.

In 1955 the White Sands Missile Range decided to expand its territory into Hembrillo Basin. Doc’s wife, Ova “Babe” Noss, fought to retain her rights to the sealed treasure trove, but the ownership of both the land and the treasure beneath it was highly disputed. Eventually military personnel apparently found another entrance to the hidden cavern, and the dispute became even more rabid. Finally in 1963 the state put together a mining expedition to uncover what treasure remained on the site. The venture was unsuccessful, for any remaining gold had either been removed, or the location of the cavern had again been lost. To this day, the mystery of the treasure of Hembrillo Basin has not been solved. Doc and Babe’s descendants still fight to find out what happened to the treasure, and whether any remains beneath Victorio Peak.

The mountains are home to many other hidden treasure troves. A deep canyon in Caballo Mountain, near Las Cruces, is said to hide goods stolen by Indians from the Spanish. The Capitan Mountain supposedly hides a horde of Aztec gold and silver worth $25 million. Steins Peak is home to Doubtful Canyon, where the takings from a stagecoach robbery are reputedly hidden. More illicit treasure is said to be hidden at Devoy’s Peak near Mount Dora. Other places with legends of lost treasure troves include Cimarron, Cooney, and Tijeras Canyon.

Tags:

Next Page »