Highway 4 and more: We will travel across tribal lands to reach NM4, considered the most scenic highway in the state. If the group is so inclined our first stop will be the Ponderosa Winery, the largest Riesling vineyard in the state located on the southern slopes of the Jemez. We will stop at the Jemez Pueblo cultural center located in the red cliffs region. Although photography is usually forbidden on tribal land, the Jemez people have graciously made an exception for this specific locale. Moving on we will stop again where the bridge in Gilman crosses the river. A side trip follows into a spectacular granite gorge cut through a mesa by the Rio Guadalupe. Farther upstream the clear shallow waters gurgle past rounded boulders in the forested hills. We stop again in the little town of Jemez Springs and can enjoy lunch in a local cafe or maybe a round of drinks in the historic Los Ojos bar. Those who wish may visit the Jemez Monument, the impressive remains of a church built here by monks in the 1600's. Moving on, our next stop will be at a unique geologic formation called Soda Dam. Hot springs here deposit a baking soda-like mineral that has formed a large dam on the Jemez. Farther up into the mountains another side trip leads us to stands of tall aspens growing at the base of a line craggy, jagged cliffs and to the shores of a small mountain lake. From here we make our way to Jemez Falls and on to the Valle Grande, one of the largest volcanic calderas in the world. We are almost always able to see herds of elk roaming the high altitude grasslands located within the crater.

Chaco Culture National Historic Park: We travel into the four corners region of the state to the location of the largest known stone ruins in the U.S. The Anasazi people built these massive structures with deliberate planning that combined astronomical alignments and geometry with functionality. This was the political, ceremonial, and economic center of the region from AD 850 to 1250 and was connected by an elaborate network of engineered roads to more than 150 other communities in the area. There are several great houses in the canyon and many more structures in the surrounding area and atop the mesas. There are trails at each site in the canyon and for the more adventurous there are 4 backcountry trails that access additional sites and geologic features. The archeological sites and trails close at sunset but the park remains open after dark. Due to the fact that that the canyon is over a hundred miles from the nearest real town the night skies here are incredibly dark and popular with stargazers. There is an observatory at the site; astronomy programs and telescope viewing are offered. If conditions are favorable we may decide as a group to stay after sunset for some night photography and stargazing before undertaking our return trek.