After continuing northwest across the plateau's flat landscape of scrub brush and ranches, the route winds high up into the San Juan Mountains through forests of aspen and pine before dropping steeply into the broad Chama Valley.

A few miles north of Tierra Amarilla lies the sleepy village of Los Ojos, home of Tierra Wools. A 100-year-old tin-roofed adobe building serves as both retail store and workshop for this cooperative enterprise. Founded in 1983, Tierra Wools has helped revive the traditions of sheep-raising and weaving in the valley. The company buys churro and rambouillet wool from local ranchers, then washes it, spins it, and dyes it. Skilled weavers use old-style looms to produce the colorful, superbly crafted blankets, rugs, ruanas, jackets, and shawls that are displayed and sold here. A 3' X 5' striped churro blanket sells for about $600. Four-ounce skeins of naturally dyed organic yarn range from $11 to $25.

Los Ojos marks the northernmost point of this trip; from here, the route heads south to Georgia O'Keeffe country. One of the artist's favorite spots was the Plaza Blanca, or White Place, located a few miles north of Abiquiu. A dry streambed leads into a labyrinthine canyon whose walls of gray volcanic tuff become blindingly white in the bright sun. Water and wind have sculpted the soft rock into majestic columns, towers, dripped-sand castles, and countless other shapes. It's not surprising that O'Keeffe found inspiration in this magical spot.

In the tiny town of El Rito, a restaurant called El Farolito proves that appearances can be deceiving. The simple adobe building looks abandoned, the weathered plywood sign is barely readable. Inside, seven picnic tables fill the tiny dining area. But the traditional Northern New Mexican food served here is outstanding. In fact, El Farolito's green chile won the International Chile Society's blue ribbon three years running, 1987-1989. The popular "Special" ($10) includes a chile relleño, an enchilada, a taco, red and green chile, and sopaipillas.

Leaving El Rito, the route heads to Bandelier National Monument before turning west for a precipitous climb over the Jemez Mountains and down into a broad, shallow bowl known as the Valles Caldera. Formed by the collapse of an enormous volcano more than a million years ago, the caldera is today a sea of grassy meadowland punctuated by forested hills and rocky outcroppings. Turnouts along NM Highway 4 offer excellent views across the valley floor, whose vast scale only becomes apparent when you realize that the tiny specs out in the middle are grazing cattle. In 2000, the U.S. government established the Valles Caldera National Preserve after purchasing the 89,000-acre Baca Ranch.

A long descent into the Jemez River canyon leads to the final stop on this trip, Jemez Springs. Squeezed between the canyon's towering red walls, this tiny resort town owes its popularity equally to its scenic setting and the reputed curative power of the hot mineral springs that bubble out of the ground along the river. The venerable Jemez Springs Bath House, built in the 1870s, offers half-hour baths in long concrete tubs for just $10, or $15 for a full hour. It's a relaxing way to end this sojourn across the enchanting landscapes of northern New Mexico.