D e s e r t E x p o s u r e
November
2008
Glenwood Getaway
Put "doing" aside and relax into "being" in this tiny mountain town that's a big welcome mat to the great outdoors.
Story and photos by Donna Clayton Lawder
Don't blink — you'll miss it! And a relaxing weekend away from it all in Glenwood is not to be missed. This late in the year you'll have a chance to kick back with even more elbow room, as the warm-weather visitors head back home and the calendar of local events and activities dies down. If you hurry, you'll enjoy spotting some brilliantly colored migrating birds and maybe even catch the last of the fall colors, a treat for us desert dwellers (see www.fs.fed.us/r3/recreation/fall-colors/fall.shtml for an update).
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Greeting guests at the Double T Homestead. |
This tiny mountain-valley town — altitude 4,712 feet, population just 300 — has many charms, including hearty, down-home food, friendly folks, live music now and again, and a modest slate of artsy, educational and celebratory events. Glenwood also is the perfect base from which to venture out to local scenic vistas and historic wonders — including the well-known Catwalk recreational area, abundant hiking and birding trails, and the nearby ghost town of Mogollon. Camp, park your RV or enjoy the cozy hospitality of Glenwood's scattering of hotels, B&Bs and cabins.
Pretty much staring at a computer screen for a living, I welcome any chance to unplug, toss my cell phone aside and breathe deeply in the slower-paced quiet of Glenwood. Sure, it's an easy day trip from my home in Silver City, 60-some miles northwest along Hwy. 180. But for a real head-clearing, gut-relaxing, leave-the-rest-of-the-world-behind excursion, it's nice to throw an overnight bag and satchel of some pleasure reading into the car and make it a weekend.
Recently, I did just that. And now, I'd like to take you along for the ride — highlighting some of Glenwood's small-town pleasures and opportunities. So buckle up — we're gonna go, well, slow! Just please don't bump my double Americano.
While we're enjoying this early-morning drive, let me tell you a little bit about Glenwood's history. The first house was built in Glenwood in 1878, when the area was known as The Bush Ranch. Later that name was changed to Whitewater Creek, after the body of water that runs through the area, today also the name of the local national scenic hiking trail. The name of the tiny village then changed to Glenwood Springs, and was shortened to the current "Glenwood" in 1901.
The Glenwood of today is still a sleepy little place by most standards. Locals I know tell me they live here for the views and slower, small-town pace. Surrounded by mountains, Glenwood has an even gentler climate than Silver City's "Four Gentle Seasons."
Though my favorite thing to do in Glenwood is not much at all, there are some fun activities and attractions throughout the year, including a Dutch Oven Cook-Off in March, the Frisco Cowbelles' "Ranch Days" in April, a Barbeque, Dance and Art Auction in July. At Christmas, folks decorate with luminarias and a live nativity scene is enacted. There's hunting in the fall, the area being good for mule deer and elk, and through a special drawing, one lucky person each hunting season is awarded the right to shoot a bighorn sheep.
Okay, having gotten some topographical, historical and metaphorical bearings, let's pull over before we hit town and enjoy the views at the Aldo Leopold Vista.
Located about nine miles south of Glenwood, this convenient, scenic rest stop is named after the famous naturalist who started his career in this part of the country. Breathe deep and take in these spectacular views of the Mogollon Mountains. Several display panels educate visitors, among them a panoramic photo naming the peaks in the distance. Picnic tables and a restroom facility serve for your breaking pleasure and/or needs.
I never feel alone here, as other visitors from far and wide always seem to be taking in the views, today being no exception with a friendly couple RV-ing from Canada. Even on solitary days, though, I've had the feeling of communing with Leopold himself. And there are always the Mountain Spirits.
A little farther up the road is the District Ranger's Office (Mon.-Fri., 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m., 539-2481), offering trail maps and guides to natural sites of interest. Some local trails of note are Crest Trail 182, which gets its name from following the crest of the Mogollon Mountains from Sandy Point to Mogollon Baldy, and the Deloche and Winn Canyon Trail 179, a high-elevation trail that follows Deloche Canyon and tops out on the ridge overlooking Whitewater Creek.
On weekends, when the ranger station is closed, visitors can get their bearings and plot their trip by viewing the huge wooden map outside the building.
Farther on the road to Glenwood, I like to stop at a couple of businesses. There's always something beautiful to be seen at Running Horse Gallery (Fri.-Sun., 10 a.m.-5 p.m., 539-2403, www.gilanet.com/runninghorse), owned by clay artist Jude Wasechek. Along with Wasachek's own functional and decorative pottery, the gallery holds a wealth of regionally made jewelry, rustic furnishings and, of course, equine-themed (and other) fine art. During the growing season, Wasachek also puts produce from her own garden out for sale. Today we have some late-season tomatoes and bulbs of garlic.
And Udder Delight greets visitors at the door with the fresh scent of all-natural goatmilk soaps and body care products (Mon.-Sat. 10 a.m.-5 p.m., 5121 Hwy. 180, 539-2060, 877-833-3740, www.udderdelight.com; see Business Exposure, November 2007). Owner Kristine Eppling explains that the building currently housing the business is for sale, but that she hopes to rent a part of it or snag another storefront in Glenwood's downtown for retail space. The manufacturing aspect of the operation will move to larger quarters in Phoenix sometime soon, Eppling says, as she's gotten so busy her manufacturing operation has outgrown the space here.
Back in the car and just a couple more minutes up the road, I pull into Glenwood proper. After nothing more than that high-test coffee and a banana, I'm hungry for a real breakfast and just in time to enjoy one of my favorite places, The Golden Girls Cafe (weekdays 6-9 a.m., weekends 6-11 a.m., Hwy. 180, 539-2457; see full review, November 2007). This is a down-home, locals' hangout sort of place. All specials listed up on the whiteboard come with biscuits and gravy, and the ample menu includes omelets, pancakes, French toast, breakfast burritos and more — all tasty rib-stickers. The coffee's hot and rich, with real cream in little pitchers. I enjoy my usual, the Full Breakfast: eggs perfectly over-easy, with potatoes, a slab of ham and that grilled biscuit, of course. What can I say? Breakfast here never disappoints.
Well-fueled, I'm ready to hit the road and see some local sights, starting with a place about which I've been curious for a long time: the Glenwood Fish Hatchery (539-2461).
Up Hwy. 174, just a couple of minutes from downtown Glenwood, the hatchery was built in 1938. It boasts an average annual production of 53,000 pounds of rainbows, more than 400,000 trout, the fish going to stock more than a dozen bodies of waters — from Ramah and Bluewater Lakes near the Cibola National Forest to Bill Evans Lake near Silver City and Burn Lake in Las Cruces — for anglers to enjoy. The place is open to the public for self-guided tours from 8 a.m.-5 p.m., seven days a week, 365 days a year.
I've never met a Forest Service employee I didn't like, and Marguerite Lackey is no exception. Even though it's Saturday and she's busy cutting up a huge plastic barrel with a whining circular saw, she greets me with a smile and offers an impromptu tour of the hatchery.
"We're pretty much all willing to drop what we're doing, if we can, and show people around," she says. Lackey then commences to give a one-on-one lesson on how the fish are raised from eggs to releasable size, going from incubator drawers to massive troughs in the old stone building, finally to huge oxygenated outdoor waterways with automatic feeders and whirring pump systems. The hatchery folks are happy to set up visitors' tours with just a little notice — and one certainly does learn some pretty fascinating finer points about fish husbandry with a guide — but the scenic grounds, pleasant picnic area and paved access trails make it a pleasant place to visit in any event.
From May-October, you can head from the hatchery to the historic ghost town of Mogollon. Businesses in this quaint village of just 15 permanent residents shut down seasonally.
Back in Glenwood, it's time to think about dinner. I've eaten at the Blue Front many times (11 a.m.-9 p.m. daily; bar opens 3 p.m. weekdays, 12 noon weekends, Hwy. 180, 539-2561; see full review, November 2007). It's a casual, family-and-friends kind of place with pool tables and a full-service bar, also offering take-out and package liquors. Their barbeque is as good for lunch as it is for dinner and the "good times" always roll.
This trip, though, I choose Mario's Pizza, a simple, hole-in-the-wall Italian eatery with incredible neighborhood charm (Tuesdays 2-8 p.m., Saturdays 4-8 p.m., Hwy. 180, 539-2316; see full review in this issue). Mario's also rents videos. This is the friendly sort of place you bring the kids, meet friends or chow down alone, choosing from among a plethora of pizzas, simple spaghetti dishes, hot and cold subs (I haven't seen the word "grinders" since I left the Philadelphia area!), burgers and fries. Order up at the counter and the food is delivered to the table — no-frills and fast. Long story made short: I have the best calzone of my life here tonight.
Now it's time to bed down. Brought your tent? There's the Bighorn Campground, its entrance right on Hwy. 180. In an RV? Pull into the Glenwood RV Park, with full hook-ups, electric and propane (Hwy. 180, 539-2324). If you've forgotten some essentials from home or just need some easy camping food, the Glenwood Trading Post has you covered. Right on the highway, this centrally located general store and gas station carries all travelers' necessities, including OTC medications and simple toiletry items, as well as the essentials of life, like drinks and jerky, chips and sweets.
I've got neither tent nor mobile home and so will check into one of the town's handful of overnight accommodations.
Just two miles south of downtown Glenwood, at mile marker 53, is D&D's Organic Haven, which bills itself as "a healthy bed and breakfast." Technically, it's in Pleasanton (13 Heron Lane, 539-2483). This charming new B&B has just two guest rooms, but they are spacious and lovely. The bathroom for guests is a "European-style" shared arrangement. I've never minded carrying my toiletries case or waiting a couple of minutes for another guest to finish brushing his or her teeth. The place is a unique combo of strawbale and adobe construction, which owners Dan and Deb Nordquist built themselves. There's a hot tub on premises, a sunroom dining area to hang out in and read, and breakfast is home-baked, whole-grain continental. No WiFi or TV — this is a place to leave it all behind and really retreat. The inn itself is open April through mid-November, so this month is your last chance to stay at D&D's until next spring.
Right in town and on the main drag is the Whitewater Motel (Hwy. 180, 539-2581, www.gilanet.com/whitewaterMotel) Newly renovated rooms face out over the creek. It's a comfy, quiet sort of place where you'll enjoy peeking at the stars overhead one more time, then hit the hay for a good night's sleep. It's a short and pleasant evening walk to the town's eateries. Guest rooms are equipped with satellite television.
Just across the street are the Crab Apple Cabins (Hwy. 180, 539-2400). The quaint accommodations with pleasant grounds, however, are only a seasonal option, as the place shuts down at the end of October.
Up the road is the Lariat Motel, featuring nine clean and comfy rooms, singles and doubles, as well as three suites with adjoining bedrooms (Hwy. 180, 539-2361, 539-2321, wperalta@gilanet.com) In business for more than 20 years, the Lariat is open all year.
Continue up 180 a little farther and make a right turn onto Catwalk Road (Hwy. 174) and you'll find the Double T Homestead (539-2812, www.doublethomestead.com) This facility offers everything from one- and two-bedroom adobe haciendas to cabins to an RV park. Brought your horse along for some trail riding? Double T has a horse motel. The grounds are quiet and pleasant, accommodations spacious and welcoming. And I don't know about you, but I find the gentle neighing of a horse or two to be pleasant music to fall asleep by.
Having had a good night's rest, it's time to enjoy some hiking on one of the area's most famous attractions: the Catwalk. Approximately five miles from downtown Glenwood, at the end of Hwy. 174, this Forest Service hiking area offers picnic areas next to Whitewater Creek, a challenging one-mile trail along the historic water line route from the 1890s, a thrilling swinging bridge walkway, trailhead access into the Gila Wilderness and a sense of place that provides a real brush with local history. It is also a birdwatcher's paradise. In warm weather, a walk down the rugged — but solid and safe! — stairway allows a dip in the refreshing pools far below with a spectacular waterfall overhead. Much of the facility has been renovated so it is accessible to people with disabilities. To gain access, you fill out an envelope at a kiosk in the parking lot — $3 per vehicle, per day.
It's a little chilly this visit for a dip in the Catwalk's waters, but my hike is invigorating, the sunny skies crisp and blissfully blue. As always, I meet the best kind of people along the trail — folks enjoying the fresh air, willing to stop and chat or, at the very least, flashing a knowing "Yeah, this is paradise" kind of smile.
I take my time, enjoy a snack back at the picnic benches, and it's late afternoon as I start my drive back home. Happy with all I've done — and not done — I realize there are other attractions and activities I didn't fit into this trip.
Next time I'll make sure I pack my binoculars and a couple of birding books to take advantage of the chance to spy some of my brilliant feathered friends on New Mexico Birding Trail 14.
I also want to check out U-Trail Gila Wilderness Horseback Vacations (Wild Horse Road, 539-2426, 800-887-2453, www.utrail.com) They offer everything from day trail riding to extensive pack trips, with fishing and hunting destinations, too. There are clinics to learn the art of mountain riding and packing.
Next time, I think, as I point the car south. The sun is setting, my mind quiet and my gut relaxed, enjoying the sound of silence I am bringing home with me.
Catron County Chamber of Commerce, PO Box 415, Reserve, NM, 533-6116, www.catroncounty.org