Today we also visited the Monastery of Christ in the Desert. It is a 13 mile dirt road that winds through some of the most beautiful red rocks sculpted by wind and water of long ago. It must have taken us an hour to get to the Monastery because the photographer had to stop every 2 minutes to take endless pictures of the river and red rocks. The Monastery is off-the-grid and pretty self-sufficient by the looks of it. I would hate to traverse this road in the winter. But it was a beautiful drive in. Surprisingly it was lush and their gardens were beautiful. The Monastery is flanked by the Chama River and there are numerous campgrounds along the way (rustic at best). There is a guesthouse, gift shop & a bookstore. Visitors of all faiths enjoy silence, solitude and prayer services. The Monastery is located just 2.5 miles north of Ghost Ranch. If you are in the area it is well worth the effort to traverse the 13 mile dirt road, with or without a camera!
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Yes, “the photographer” really DID stop every few minutes to compose yet another awesome memory! This back country road traverses magnificent scenery…I understand why Georgia had to spend the later years of her life here to capture it in her art! Even the brown waters of the Chama River rushing through green sagebrush pastures added to the palette of red rocks with yellow and silver color brushings. Captivating
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