The third and final installment of The Gila Wilderness trip by my awesome friend Jenny Jones
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Day 3: On our 3rd day at the Gila Wilderness area, we explored the Mimbres area of New Mexico. This time, we headed East on the Trail of the Mountain Spirits. This area is named after the Mimbres Indians, who once lived here. Although the area is a little lower in elevation than the Gila Wilderness area, it was just as scenic. We ambled along rolling hills, pastures, and wildlife, including an abundance of mule deer. We had some excellent New Mexican cuisine at a little bar and diner we stopped at, along the way.
Day 4 took us to Silver City, New Mexico. Along the way, we stopped and explored the town of Pinos Altos, about halfway between our hotel and Silver City. Pinos Altos (High Pines) is located smack dab along the Continental Divide, at a little over 7000 ft in elevation. The town was originally inhabited by gold miners, in 1860. Today’s inhabitants are mostly artists and tourists.
There are several historic buildings in this town, and they provide you with signs to follow for a little driving tour of the points of interest. Among the treasures found here, were an old adobe church, the Buckhorn Saloon and Opera House (which was closed for renovations when we were there), and the old courthouse. The Two Spirits café, in “downtown” Pinos Altos, served us up a wonderful breakfast. The menu offered some unique and diverse cuisine -- I really need to go back there so I can try some or the other dishes!
We hit Silver City on Farmer’s Market day. We enjoyed wandering around the booths, and chatting with the locals. Silver City is a very dog friendly town. The local downtown businesses were happy to have Bonnie come in to visit, and most had treats to offer her. I’m sure she thought we were trick or treating!
The next day, we headed back to Phoenix. We took the longer, scenic route, back. Highway 180 runs north and south along the AZ, NM border, taking us through beautiful, mountain and high desert terrain. We passed through many old towns, with beautiful old adobe buildings, both restored and not. We knew that we would need to come back and explore this area in more detail.
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Jenny lives in Phoenix Arizona with her husband, 2 dogs and 2
cats.
She works full time as a customer service agent for a property and
casualty insurer. In her spare time, she likes to help her
hubby out with his resale/consignment store, volunteer, and has recently become involved and passionate about "protesting," AKA advocating for social and economic justice.
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Day 3: On our 3rd day at the Gila Wilderness area, we explored the Mimbres area of New Mexico. This time, we headed East on the Trail of the Mountain Spirits. This area is named after the Mimbres Indians, who once lived here. Although the area is a little lower in elevation than the Gila Wilderness area, it was just as scenic. We ambled along rolling hills, pastures, and wildlife, including an abundance of mule deer. We had some excellent New Mexican cuisine at a little bar and diner we stopped at, along the way.
There are several historic buildings in this town, and they provide you with signs to follow for a little driving tour of the points of interest. Among the treasures found here, were an old adobe church, the Buckhorn Saloon and Opera House (which was closed for renovations when we were there), and the old courthouse. The Two Spirits café, in “downtown” Pinos Altos, served us up a wonderful breakfast. The menu offered some unique and diverse cuisine -- I really need to go back there so I can try some or the other dishes!
The next day, we headed back to Phoenix. We took the longer, scenic route, back. Highway 180 runs north and south along the AZ, NM border, taking us through beautiful, mountain and high desert terrain. We passed through many old towns, with beautiful old adobe buildings, both restored and not. We knew that we would need to come back and explore this area in more detail.
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hubby out with his resale/consignment store, volunteer, and has recently become involved and passionate about "protesting," AKA advocating for social and economic justice.
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