Neighborhood highlights
“El Refugio”(The Refuge)
195 El Rito Road
Questa
NM 87556
This truly unique, off-the-grid cabin sits on ten secluded acres of pinon and juniper-studded forest in the high desert (elevation 8,500 feet) area of northern New Mexico. It borders the Latir Wilderness on its north-eastern side, the Carson National Forest on the south-eastern side, and overlooks the magnificent Rio Grande valley with its Gorge and a few scattered ancient volcanic mountains to the west.
Situated only a few miles from the “Enchanted Circle”, an 83-mile scenic loop through mountains, valleys, and small Spanish-speaking villages, its location within “The Land of Enchantment”, as New Mexico is otherwise known, is one of a gem within a mine of treasures.
While offering the seclusion of the wilderness and national forest, the cabin is only 7 miles from the closest village of Questa, and approximately 30 miles from the historic town of Taos. As one of the early, and most influencial writers and settlers from the East, Mabel Dodge Luhan, once said when she first arrived in Taos in 1917, “ I had a sudden intuition right then that here in this country life could come to one more concretely than in other places, and that meanings that were shut up in words and phrases out in the world could incorporate themsleves in living forms and move before one”..
One place in particular that gave rise to Mabel's fascination was Taos Indian pueblo, a five-storey adobe village inhabited by the Tiwa-speaking Native Americans for over a thousand years. It is still inhabited and can be visited today, and in fact was added as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992.
Other nearby places of interest include the Taos and Red River Ski Valleys, the luxurious mineral hot springs and spa known as Ojo Caliente (Hot Eye) , and the numerous art galleries of Taos and the little villages dotted around the hills beyond. The pristine, uncluttered natural beauty and vibrant, ever-changing light, has drawn many artists to this area since the 1800's.
The cabin itself is both cozy and grand in character.
On the ground floor is the master bedroom, with viga-latilla ceiling, and adjacent bathroom with shower and bath tub. The bedroom has a queen-sized, Mexican hand-carved wood bed, and a breath-taking view of San Antonio Mountain, with its ever-changing, ever-beautiful sunsets and sunrises. The moon and stars are also spectacular from this non-light-polluted vantage point.
The kitchen and living room occupy the rest of the 600-square feet ground floor, with both a wood-burning stove for heat and oven-cooking during colder months, and a “kiva” fireplace for evenings when the less-intense warmth of an open fire is desired.
A spiral staircase leads up to the 200-square feet open loft, which holds two queen-sized futon beds and doubles as a second living room / sleeping area.
Getting out into nature is as easy as walking out of the door of the cabin, or driving to the nearby Rio Grande National Monument, where hiking down through the Rio Grande Gorge is both easily accessible and yet spectacular. White water rafting is also an option at certain times of the year in the area known as Wild Rivers. Wildlife is abundant and it is not uncommon to see black bear, coyotes, elk, deer, and bighorn sheep, as well as eagles, hummingbirds, magpies and bluejays.
Or you may just want to sit on the red fir deck that wraps around the cabin and drink in nature's unhampered being.
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Useful facts and links:
The State Capital of Santa Fe, a richly-cultured center of art, museums and restaurants, is only a two-hour drive from El Rito.
Denver International Airport (DIA) is only a four and a half hour drive and Albuquerque Airport three hours.
www.ojospa.com
www.taos.org
www.taospueblo.com
“El Refugio”(The Refuge)
195 El Rito Road
Questa
NM 87556
This truly unique, off-the-grid cabin sits on ten secluded acres of pinon and juniper-studded forest in the high desert (elevation 8,500 feet) area of northern New Mexico. It borders the Latir Wilderness on its north-eastern side, the Carson National Forest on the south-eastern side, and overlooks the magnificent Rio Grande valley with its Gorge and a few scattered ancient volcanic mountains to the west.
Situated only a few miles from the “Enchanted Circle”, an 83-mile scenic loop through mountains, valleys, and small Spanish-speaking villages, its location within “The Land of Enchantment”, as New Mexico is otherwise known, is one of a gem within a mine of treasures.
While offering the seclusion of the wilderness and national forest, the cabin is only 7 miles from the closest village of Questa, and approximately 30 miles from the historic town of Taos. As one of the early, and most influencial writers and settlers from the East, Mabel Dodge Luhan, once said when she first arrived in Taos in 1917, “ I had a sudden intuition right then that here in this country life could come to one more concretely than in other places, and that meanings that were shut up in words and phrases out in the world could incorporate themsleves in living forms and move before one”..
One place in particular that gave rise to Mabel's fascination was Taos Indian pueblo, a five-storey adobe village inhabited by the Tiwa-speaking Native Americans for over a thousand years. It is still inhabited and can be visited today, and in fact was added as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992.
Other nearby places of interest include the Taos and Red River Ski Valleys, the luxurious mineral hot springs and spa known as Ojo Caliente (Hot Eye) , and the numerous art galleries of Taos and the little villages dotted around the hills beyond. The pristine, uncluttered natural beauty and vibrant, ever-changing light, has drawn many artists to this area since the 1800's.
The cabin itself is both cozy and grand in character.
On the ground floor is the master bedroom, with viga-latilla ceiling, and adjacent bathroom with shower and bath tub. The bedroom has a queen-sized, Mexican hand-carved wood bed, and a breath-taking view of San Antonio Mountain, with its ever-changing, ever-beautiful sunsets and sunrises. The moon and stars are also spectacular from this non-light-polluted vantage point.
The kitchen and living room occupy the rest of the 600-square feet ground floor, with both a wood-burning stove for heat and oven-cooking during colder months, and a “kiva” fireplace for evenings when the less-intense warmth of an open fire is desired.
A spiral staircase leads up to the 200-square feet open loft, which holds two queen-sized futon beds and doubles as a second living room / sleeping area.
Getting out into nature is as easy as walking out of the door of the cabin, or driving to the nearby Rio Grande National Monument, where hiking down through the Rio Grande Gorge is both easily accessible and yet spectacular. White water rafting is also an option at certain times of the year in the area known as Wild Rivers. Wildlife is abundant and it is not uncommon to see black bear, coyotes, elk, deer, and bighorn sheep, as well as eagles, hummingbirds, magpies and bluejays.
Or you may just want to sit on the red fir deck that wraps around the cabin and drink in nature's unhampered being.
***************************************
Useful facts and links:
The State Capital of Santa Fe, a richly-cultured center of art, museums and restaurants, is only a two-hour drive from El Rito.
Denver International Airport (DIA) is only a four and a half hour drive and Albuquerque Airport three hours.
www.ojospa.com
www.taos.org
www.taospueblo.com
