I don’t think artist Georgia O’Keeffe did, or at least she wasn’t bothered by them while spending a good portion of her life at Ghost Ranch. Located in the north central region of New Mexico, just outside of Abiquiu, Ghost Ranch is where O’Keeffe would travel from New York every year for rejuvenation and transformation as well as to paint many of her famous pieces of the area’s landscape.
She referred to Ghost Ranch as the “best place in the world.”
I was able to experience what makes Ghost Ranch so
mesmerizing just a couple of weeks ago while on vacation.
My husband and I traveled about an hour from
Santa Fe to spend the day at the ranch where we could hike and enjoy the
incredible scenery.
With its vivid red rocks vistas, cliffs and canyons, it was
easy to see why Ghost Ranch’s 21,000 acres has served as inspiration for so
many artistic endeavors including the photography of Ansel Adams and as the backdrop
for many movies...
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull,
City
Slickers with Billy Crystal,
And the Lone Ranger starring Johnny Depp, just to
name a few.
But why the name Ghost Ranch you ask? Legend has it that long ago the canyon was inhabited
by cattle rustlers. Trying to hide their
stolen goods from nosy neighbors, they started rumors that the canyon was
haunted by evil spirits.
The area became
known as Rancho de los Brujos or Ranch of the Witches, later evolving into
Ghost Ranch.
Our day trip to the ranch included a 3-mile round trip hike up
to Chimney Rock, supposedly a hike suited for all levels of hikers.
Not being used to the altitude and the heat
of the sun, and yes, being a bit out of shape, I was rather overwhelmed for the
first half of the trip up.
Did I see or feel any ghosts along the way? I did not; however, I did feel an incredible
sense of peace and tranquility as we climbed toward the summit.
Perhaps it was the spirituality of the land that
I and many others have experienced that empowered me to make it to the top.
Have a great week!
