Located northwest of Santa Fe and 80 mi/130 km north of Albuquerque, Abiquiu, New Mexico, is where artist Georgia O'Keeffe lived for many years. You can still see the beautiful chimney rock formations (and even a few cattle skulls) made famous in her later works.
During your visit, see Abiquiu's lovely Dar al-Islam Mosque and Christ in the Desert Monastery. Abiquiu residents can be touchy about tourists and photographers, so be respectful of their homes and village.
You may also want to take a side trip to Espanola, about 25 mi/40 km southeast of Abiquiu.
If you're driving between Abiquiu and Espanola, detour north on Highway 285 to the mineral baths at Ojo Caliente. People have been enjoying these hot-spring waters for centuries, although the treatment has become a little more luxurious over time: Today, massages, spa treatments and outdoor mud baths are available. Overnight stays are possible, and there's a good restaurant at the hotel.
Also in the area is a unique shrine called Windows of the Earth. It was built by Ra Paulette, who spent two years digging, sculpting and polishing what amounts to a cave in the side of a sandstone cliff. With wall carvings lit by shafts of sunlight, the quiet chamber encourages self-reflection.
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