Where O'Keeffe Bloomed
Bounty hunting. To engage more actively with O'Keeffe's beloved valley, the visitor should plan for a stay at the nearby Ghost Ranch, a retreat and conference center run by the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), which received the property as a gift from Pack in 1955. (Information on the ranch and its Santa Fe branch is available by calling 877-804-4678 or at ghostranch.org. ) Courses in everything from photography to paleontology to opera, as well as guided hikes, archaeological digs, and even a desert pilgrimage to many of the local sacred sites, enable one to explore the visible and hidden bounties of this place. An aspiring photographer might spend free hours hiking up to the mesa next to Chimney Rock to watch the late-evening shadows extend across the valley, the red rocks of what O'Keeffe called the "badlands" turning a deep purple as they do. You might explore the on-site paleontology museum housing the oldest remains of a North American dinosaur, a Coelophysis (unearthed on the property), or visit the nearby Monastery of Christ in the Desert or the breathtakingly serene white mosque of Dar al Islam. You can even sign up for a bus tour of O'Keeffe's favorite painting sites and subjects on the ranch.
Back in 1955, O'Keeffe had been a bit huffy when she learned that Pack had given the ranch to the Presbyterians. But she softened with time, perhaps realizing that the church was offering other seekers a glimpse of what had nourished her own soul for so long--and so well.
LOCAL FAVE
"The first thing to do in Santa Fe: Have a typical New Mexican breakfast [of eggs, tortilla, beans, rice, and chile] at Tia Sophia's or Pasqual's. The plaza is the heart of the town. It gives a sense of what the town looked like ages ago. There is music, and you can see the world go by."
MARSHA MASON, Oscar-nominated actress who now lives outside Santa Fe, N.M.
[map labels]
NEW MEXICO
Santa Fe
Albuquerque
Abiquiu
Ghost Ranch
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25
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