Lately DH and I have been fantasizing about moving to remote Jemez Springs. It is about as far away from his job as our house now in the other direction and he'd get to avoid driving in the big city altogether. Jemez Springs is about halfway between Rio Rancho and Los Alamos and is notorious for a now closed treatment center for priests.
I think it is the 2nd most beautiful place in NM I've seen (My #1 choice is Taos Ski Valley) and certainly the most colorful. The red rocks are the reddest I've ever seen. Here's the view across from the Walatowa Visitor Center on the Jemez Pueblo. I was really rushing to get photos but next time I'll get some photos of the Pueblo itself and all the hornos (outdoor clay ovens) in the yards for baking bread. The Jemez Pueblo is also famous for some very colorful pottery.
Here is the Jemez Springs bath house. The town also boasts 3 or 4 funky restaurants, a Zen Buddhist center, and some art galleries. Although there is a nearby winery and even an alpaca ranch the nearest grocery store is 30 miles away.
Here is main street. The town has around 375 residents with an alternative vibe and reminds me a bit of either Madrid, New Mexico or Dolores, Colorado. It even has a little river running through it.
Recreational opportunities abound and DH would be in heaven hiking and cross-country skiing. There's even a nearby alpine lake (a rarity in NM). This photo is the Valles Caldera National Preserve north of Jemez Springs - it is a massive collapsed volcanic crater.
