Soak Your Bones

We moved on from Las Vegas to Ojo Caliente.  We learned about Ojo when we were visiting with Jim, Bobbie, Rick and Terri in the spring of 2012.  At that time we used it as a base to explore the area and enjoyed the hot springs and spa.  Here is a link to that visit.  After that stay, Ojo moved from our bucket list to our must do again list.  This visit was all about the water and spa.  We arrived on Monday and did not start the car again until we left on Saturday.

Driving from Las Vegas we were surrounded by New Mexico's very colorful mountains.  We love seeing how the land changes as we travel the country.

The entrance to Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs Resort & Spa lets you know right away that it is all about the water.  The resort has an historical hotel and cabins, but the campground is a really great deal even though you have to pay to use the springs.

The springs all flow down this valley into the various mineral pools.

The 1924 hotel has a few rooms, a neat wine (and beer) bar and a very good restaurant.

Nanc in the desert garden.

The newest building is part of an ongoing update of the whole facility.  We talked to people who have been coming here for years and were told that many improvements have been made recently.

The oldest building is the 1868 bathhouse.  It is now used for spa treatments and has a steam bath and sauna that we took advantage of a couple of times.  One day we did the water in the evening.  Another we both had massages and a body scrub in addition to using the pools.

There are seven different pools with combinations of waters containing iron, soda, arsenic and lithia.  In addition to the water they also have a mud bath that was great.  On Thursday we had a total relaxing day that stared with a morning soak followed by a great brunch that Nanc cooked.  We then took a five mile hike, another soak and watched the Prexies beat up on the Hawks.  We ended the day with a nighttime soak and dinner in the bar. 

LIFE IS REAL GOOD!!!!!!

Three more of the pools that range in temperature from 89 to 109 degrees.  If you are looking for a relaxing spot to just kick back, Ojo needs to be on your list.  The whole place is about taking it easy, even to the point of no cell phones allowed.

Above Ojo there are several miles of hiking trails on BLM land the we took advantage of a couple of times.  The trails offer fabulous views of the surrounding mountains.  There was just a bit of snow on some of the farthest peaks.  On the morning we left when we closed the slides there was ice on them so it is time to be heading south.

While Ojo is in the high desert it was a bit greener then normal because of all the rain they have had recently.  When we called six weeks ago the campground was closed because of flooding.  We sure were happy they got it repaired and open. 

On one of the hikes we found a spot with several cairns so we decided to leave our marks.  We had a great time at Ojo and can't wait to get back.