Home Care In Cerrillos, NM

The daughter of a successful Hollywood songwriter, Eliza Gilkyson was born and raised in Los Angeles. Yet, Gilkyson, who has followed in her dad’s songwriting and travel footsteps, has become a New Mexico expert.

She recently sold her home in Austin, Texas, and moved full-time to a “rambling 100-plus-year-old adobe” in Taos. In the past, she also lived in New Mexico in Santa Fe, Cerrillos and Lamy.

“I have been going to and from New Mexico since I was a little girl,” says Gilkyson, whose father, Terry, was a Hollywood songwriter-folk singer best known for writing "Bare Necessities" for Walt Disney Productions’ 1967 animated film The Jungle Book. “In the early visits, it was mostly dirt roads and a small art community, but it has now grown to an international destination, a market for Western/Native American art and a retirement mecca.”

Gilkyson’s new album, Songs From the River Wind, is a nod to her love for New Mexico, Wyoming and Colorado. She lives in Taos at the foot of Pueblo Peak, an inspiration for her song “At the Foot of the Mountain.”

“I now find myself at the foot of this beautiful mountain,” she says, “appreciating its magnificent benevolence as our big snow and rain catcher that feeds the water systems that make this part of the West so beautiful and lush.”

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ByAmy DaniseEditor

ByAmy DaniseEditor

Gilkyson, whose songs are mostly folk, rock, blues or New Age, says she hadn’t expected that her full-time move to Taos would be so fulfilling.

“I had no idea that the door to my past would open for me just by living here again — so many memories flooding in of the years when I wandered the West as a traveling musician and even farther back to my childhood adventures in Wyoming and New Mexico,” she says. “I was overwhelmed with the recollections of the iconic characters and loved ones — now gone — who influenced me early on, and the sweeping landscape that had always been my sanctuary. I wanted to make a record that captured this feeling.”

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Gilkyson says “there’s a joy and a sort of bitter sweetness” in the new album that everyone feels when they come home.

Among other places, Gilkyson sings on the new record about Wyoming’s Wind River and the Colorado Trail.

“The Wind River is a wild, scenic river that is born in the Wind River range and comes down through Dubois to Lander,” she says. “I spent my childhood summers at a ranch in that part of the world, and it hooked me on the Old West. The Colorado Trail was a south-to-north cattle trail in the old days of the open West and range lands, and the song was an old cowboy love song that I rewrote a bit to be more from a woman's point of view, which was rare in music back then. I wrote it late one night after a show. I was driving a Colorado back road with the white line stretching ahead of me, a late-night moon coming in through the windshield and a broken heart.”

Her heart and mind have lately been filled with the magnificence of Taos, where she bought her adobe home nine years ago and rented it until the COVID-19 pandemic struck. She recommends various sights for visitors.

“There's so much to see and do here,” Gilkyson says. “The Columbine Trail on the way to Red River is a nice gradual climb along a lovely creek with easy crossings that actually goes all the way up Lobo Mountain if you have the wind power. There are also the trails to Williams Lake or the falls in El Salto. If you come the second weekend of September, you can hit Michael Hearne's Big Barn Dance. It has turned into a really special outdoor music festival with a place to sit down under a big tent, listen to the best singer-songwriters and musicians and dance on a dance floor. Visitors must go to Taos Pueblo, a feat of architecture and history. The Millicent Rogers Museum is my favorite, because the Native American art collection is first-rate, and the touring exhibits are world-class. Whitewater rafting on the Rio Grande is fun, and you have to try the blue corn enchiladas at Orlando's New Mexican Cafe.”

When Gilkyson first left home in Los Angles in the late 1960s, she rented an old wooden boxcar that sat atop cinder blocks next to train tracks in Lamy. It’s a tiny depot town about 18 miles south of Santa Fe with a population of about 210 residents.

“There's a song on the new record, ‘Hill Behind This Town,’ about that place and time,” Gilkyson says. “It seemed to fit with all these other songs about the West.”

Besides New Mexico and the West, Gilkyson looks fondly at Switzerland and Europe. She lived “off and on” for nearly two years in Switzerland where she wrote and toured with the Swiss harpist Andreas Vollenweider for his 1993 Eolian Minstrel record.

“That was an education!” Gilkyson exclaims. “Other than trips to Mexico, I had never been outside the USA before and was plunged into an alternate culture in a tiny country with such dramatic beauty and wonderful people. We toured Europe in grand style, and I had fun being a chanteuse in the crack band he put together. It was an entry into a whole other world of music, style and geography. We took trains that turned into cable cars and went up over the Swiss Alps. We looked out at the little mountain villages that had been there since Roman times and then played at night in fabulous, old European music halls where Mozart and others had played.”

Gilkyson says there’s “a special place in my heart” for the Netherlands, Great Britain and Ireland.

“There’s such lush beauty and historic architecture — all so connected to the past,” she says. “It's a songwriter’s dream over there with lots of support for the kind of music I make.”

The great state of New Mexico is known best for sun-kissed mesas, beautiful desert sunsets, and fabulous cities. It is also famous for possessing towns with the most awe-inspiring historic districts in the country. From historical tales of Billy the Kid as he fought his way across the Old West to the historic presence of the San Jose Gracia church in the town of Las Trampas, the great state of New Mexico is truly a Land of Enchantment that is overflowing with the ideal blend of wisdom from the past and knowledge for the future.

Mesilla

Situated just outside of Las Cruces, New Mexico, the town of Mesilla is alive with historical and geographical attractions that keep visitors coming back for more. Located in Dona Ana County, this quaint town of approximately 2,000 residents welcomes history daily through the Mesilla Plaza, known most aptly for La Posta, the restaurant William H. Bonney, or Billy the Kid, ate in just before he was incarcerated across the street.

Messila is also known for the Mesilla Valley Bosque State Park, which is just west of town, Old Messila Village, and the Billy the Kid Giftshop, which is also the site of the courthouse where Billy the Kid was found guilty.

12 Small Towns In New Mexico Were Ranked Among US FavoritesWhile most people are familiar with the capital city of Sante Fe, there are many small towns throughout New Mexico that are often overlooked.

Silver City

Silver City is another scenic town in the great state of New Mexico that has an excellent, note-worthy historic district, along with being Billy the Kid’s hometown for a number of years. Located a little over 100 miles west of Las Cruces, in the center of Grant County, Silver City is filled with history and culture.

From the Silver City Museum, established in a house built in 1881, the Western New Mexico University Museum, encasing the history of South-western New Mexico, and the Elizabeth Warren Historic House, built in 1886, to the Gila National Forest and Lake Roberts, Silver City and the area surrounding it encompasses old-world wisdom with new-world endeavors.

Tucumcari

Hidden in Quay County, in the eastern part of the state, the pretty town of Tucumcari is a historian’s dream. Not only are there several museums in Tucumcari, including the Mesalands Community College’s Dinosaur Museum, the Tucumcari Historical Museum, the Tucumcari Railroad Museum, and the New Mexico Route 66 Museum, but there is also a variety of other activities for historical fanatics on which to spend their time.

Along with Tom Coffin’s Route 66 Monument, there is also the Historic Downtown Main Street District, which includes several significant buildings that possess murals of the history of Tucumcari, like the Love Tucumcari mural, the Tucumcari Legend Map mural, and the In Memory of Moynihan mural.

Las Vegas

Otherwise known as Vegas, the town of Las Vegas – in the state of New Mexico rather than the state of Nevada – in San Miguel County is a wealth of historical knowledge and wisdom. The Las Vegas Plaza, again, not confusing this with the Las Vegas Plaza in Nevada, is home to several historical buildings and stores, including the Veeder Buildings, which were built from the years 1880 to 1908.

Several natural environmental attributes are well-known in the town of Las Vegas as well, like the Las Vegas National Wildlife Refuge and Storrie Lake State Park, which offers visitors hiking, camping, and fishing prospects in the depths of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.

Los Cerrillos

The town of Los Cerrillos, with approximately 2,000 years of history, has perhaps the best historic district in the state of New Mexico, except that it is not directly a district. Located in Santa Fe County, Los Cerrillos has over ten times more years of history than it does residents. Los Cerrillos began as a settlement and tent camp between the production of the silver mines to the north and the production of the gold mines to the south.

Now, with a population of just over a hundred residents, Los Cerrillos is a ghost town with a history that keeps bringing visitors back every year to learn more about the town and what made it exhilarating.

Acoma Pueblo

About 200 miles north of Silver City and 60 miles west of Albuquerque, Acoma Pueblo, along the western border of New Mexico, is the oldest continuous settlement in the United States. Comprising of four communities – Sky City, Acomita, Anzac, and McCarty’s - Acoma Pueblo is an underrated destination that has a plethora of historical wisdom.

From the San Esteban del Rey Mission Church, built in the early 17th century by Spanish Franciscan friars and now one of the oldest Spanish missions in New Mexico, to the adobe homes of the pueblo itself, Acoma Pueblo offers visitors a taste of what it was like to be one of the original settlers.

Mogollon

The town of Mogollon, founded in the 19th century, is encompassed by the Mogollon Historic District, located in the Mogollon Mountains in Catron County. Though it is currently considered a ghost town, previously a base for gold and silver mines in the area of Silver Creek Canyon, the love of historical fact and the Little Fannie Mine, the most prolific mine in the area of Mogollon, has kept this town alive.

There are even tours of the Mogollon Museum, which offers visitors a sight of rare Native American pottery and artifacts, along with mining tools, clothes the miners wore, and heavy-duty mining equipment.

Pecos

Situated just above the Pecos National Historical Park in San Miguel County, Pecos is home to a plethora of history just waiting to be discovered. Between the history of the 1717 Mission Church and the Ancestral Sites Trail Loop, Pecos is an excellent place to learn about what came before.

Built on the ruins of the 1625 Mission Church, destroyed during the revolt, the 1717 Mission Church can still be seen today. The Ancestral Sites Trail Loop, which is a mile and a half long, takes visitors past a variety of ancient sites in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and across the wilderness of New Mexico, as well as several kivas, which are underground ceremonial rooms. Pecos River also flows past the town, traveling nearly 1,000 miles to the Rio Grande.

Truth or Consequences

The town of Truth or Consequences, known before as the town of Hot Springs due to the many hot springs situated along the Rio Grande, officially changed its name in 1950. This was because of a challenge made by Ralph Edwards, the creator and host of the television show, going by the same name.

The town of Truth and Consequences is also home to the Hot Springs Bathhouse and Commercial Historic District, which is an almost 60-acre area, listed on the National Registry of Historic Places, and controls 35 artesian wells and springs along what is known as the Hot Springs Artesian Basin, a direct link to the thermal waters of the hot springs in the area.

Taos

Hidden in plain sight in Taos County, at the top of the state of New Mexico, the town of Taos has an excellent historic district, as it is one of the oldest European settlements in the northern part of the Land of Enchantment. From the end of the 18th century to the present, Taos has been an important part of the shaping of New Mexico and even parts of the American Southwest.

This is predominantly seen in the types of houses along the historic district. Mission Revival houses and Pueblo Revival houses, with their love of ornamentation and arched walkways, are constructed next to Spanish Colonial houses, which prefer peaked roofs.

Lincoln

Perhaps known best for its connection to William H. Bonney, aka Billy the Kid, and his arch-nemesis, Pat Garrett, the town of Lincoln, and perhaps even Lincoln County, is a wealth of historical knowledge for the avid learner. The Lincoln Historic Site manages the majority of the historical buildings in town, with over 17 structures and outbuildings available for viewing, seven of which are open year-round.

There are several historical places in Lincoln worth checking out, including the Lincoln County Courthouse, where Billy the Kid actually fired a six-shooter and left bullet holes in the walls, and the La Iglesia De San Juan Bautista Mission Church, built in the late 19th century.

Las Trampas

The town of Las Trampas, or just Trampas to the locals, possesses a great historic district. This includes the San Jose de Gracia Church, which was built in the middle of the 18th century before much of the rest of the town by the townspeople. Historically speaking, the town of Las Trampas and the original twelve families, along with Juan de Arguello, survived by maintaining a seclusive presence as well as holding tightly onto their Spanish heritage.

Along with the historical aspects of the San Jose de Gracia Church and the Las Trampas Historic District, this tiny town also rests in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, which run from Poncho Pass in Colorado to Glorieta Pass in New Mexico.

Oldest Founded Towns To Visit In New MexicoThough the Land of Enchantment waited for statehood for a long time, by the time it was admitted, Europeans had enjoyed uninterrupted settlement in the state for more than three centuries.

The great state of New Mexico, otherwise known as the Land of Enchantment, is filled with small towns that are as rich in history as they are in culture. The best of these have historic districts that not only complement the town but add a sense of old-world charm to its demeanor. From Mesilla to Lincoln, and the history of Billy the Kid, from Tucumcari to Mogollon, and their museum experiences, the state of New Mexico is history exponentiated.

Engraved on the inside of the wedding rings Robert Egger and Claudia Crowley exchanged on May 26, 1984, are the letters PAIL. They stand for a phrase that everyone who knows the couple says describes them perfectly: Party animals in love.

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And if you were in Washington back then, you might have spotted those sentiments elsewhere: spray-painted on the plywood of boarded-up windows, on construction fences and on an Interstate 395 overpass at Fourth Street SE. The message read:

Robert + Claudia

Party animals

N love

“We always paled in comparison to Cool ‘Disco’ Dan, but we were pretty clever, man,” said Robert, 64, on the phone from Cerrillos, N.M., where he and Claudia, 65, recently celebrated their 38th anniversary.

After a reader wrote in with memories of seeing that graffito, I put out a request in my Tuesday column in search of the person responsible. It turns out, a lot of people remember Robert and Claudia, who were a sort of It couple in those new wave days.

Robert was bartending at the Childe Harold near Dupont Circle when Claudia walked in one day in 1979.

“Suddenly this door opens and all this light flooded into a very dark room,” said Robert. “There was this silhouette and in walked this beautiful young woman.”

Claudia had just moved to D.C. from New Mexico.

“She ordered a drink and stole my heart,” said Robert.

They were friends at first, then more than friends.

Claudia was a legal secretary. Robert bartended and booked bands.

“It was a [really] great time back then,” Robert said. “On any given night there must have been 20 good local bands, I mean really good bands. We’d get off work and go to Desperadoes, the Wax Museum, d.c. space and 9:30 Club — even Madam’s Organ.

“Claudia and I were out at a show every night and dancing. In fact, dude, we would say to the bouncer, ‘Let us in free and we’ll have everybody dancing and drinking in 10 minutes.’ All it takes is one couple.”

The pair would bring something with them on their nocturnal rambles.

“We always carried spray paint around,” Robert said. “Our bag was never defacing things. It was finding things that were gonna be torn down. … When F Street was all boarded up, and 17th Street, there were canvases everywhere. I should say temporary canvases were everywhere. Oliver Carr was rebuilding all of downtown so plywood was everywhere. I wasn’t into, like, vandalism.”

As for that concrete overpass — which they later amended to Robert + Claudia/Party animals/N gaged — it was just too inviting a spot.

“It was very spontaneous,” Robert said. “I'm a big believer in the world needs more joy. And remember, these were the Reagan years. D.C. needed something that was more positive.”

There was something else Washington needed and it came to Robert when he and Claudia were organizing their wedding. They lived in Georgetown at the time. Most of the neighborhood’s churches were expensive. But the pastor at Grace Episcopal Church on Wisconsin Avenue NW near the Whitehurst Freeway charged a token amount — around $100 — and made a request: Perhaps they could volunteer on the church’s food truck, serving people experiencing homelessness.

The community service changed their lives.

“Here we were in front of the World Bank and the White House serving people outside in the rain,” Robert said. “I just thought, ‘Man, this is messed up.’ Going back to those punk rock roots, I thought there’s no justice in this.”

All his life, Robert had wanted to open a nightclub. Now, he wanted to do something else: Open a cooking school for the homeless. Working in bars and restaurants — and with friends in catering — he knew how much food got thrown away every day, food that could go to hungry people.

In 1989, Robert launched D.C. Central Kitchen, using ingredients left over from George H.W. Bush’s inauguration to teach people the skills they’d need for a job in food preparation. The charity is still going strong. Among the chefs who would eventually stop by to check out the operation was José Andrés. Robert serves on the board of the globe-trotting chef’s World Central Kitchen.

In 2012, the Eggers left Washington and moved to Los Angeles, where Robert launched a similar operation. In 2018 they moved to Cerrillos, N.M., a town between Santa Fe and Albuquerque. They have an adult daughter, Julia.

“Just the other day we had our wedding album out,” Robert said. “The reception was at the Elks Lodge in Old Town Alexandria. The room was decorated with a big banner.”

And spray-painted across the banner was “Party animals in love.”

Are they still? “Forever, dude,” said Robert.

MADRID, N.M. (KRQE) – The history of mining for turquoise runs deep in New Mexico. One miner in Madrid is keeping her family’s business alive.

“Sometimes, you’ll get magic pockets where you find one, and then you’ll find another, and another,” said Trading Bird Gallery Owner Riana Newman Peaker.

Turquoise mines are hidden in the Cerrillos Hills near Madrid. They are considered the oldest mines in North America.

Newman Peaker mentioned, “It’s always good to look on the surface before we start digging and screening and raking because we may have turned up something in our last visit here.”

Peaker’s father, Waylan Peaker, started mining for turquoise in the area in 1988. He opened a business and was famous for his jewelry designs. Newman Peaker took over his legacy in 2002 and continues the tradition of mining turquoise for jewelry.

“It’s so relaxing. It can be hard work, but it’s really meditative,” said Newman Peaker. “It’s fun to connect with the land and with nature and supply turquoise that we’ve collected to locals and out to the world.”

She purchased mining claims in order to mine the area. During warmer months, she drives out to the hills only miles away from her shop on Madrid’s main street. Her crew uses noninvasive techniques. They dig with shovels, then hand sift to find the colorful stones in the dirt.

“It’s something you kind of have to work for, and that’s why it’s even more satisfying once you find it,” said Bailey Hagen, an employee at Trading Bird Gallery.

Colors of the turquoise found in the hills can range from white, light blue, and dark green. Once found, the stones are cut, polished, and made into a piece by Newman Peaker and other artists across the state.

Newman Peaker hopes to start taking tours out to the mines to teach tourists about the history and importance of the area.

New Mexico has had a relatively positive relationship with cannabis over the years. New Mexicans have slowly crept towards the acceptance of the plant by legalizing its use and sale for medical purposes in 2007.

It wasn’t until 14 years later, in 2021, that the state decided to legalize recreational cannabis for personal use and adult sales. Needless to say, New Mexico’s relationship with weed has flourished in recent years.

Now that dispensaries are up and running throughout the state, we’ll help you find your favorite in the state’s capital, Santa Fe. See the best recreational and medical dispensaries in Santa Fe below.

Verdes Cannabis

Verdes Cannabis in Santa Fe on Shelby Street is perhaps one of the most beautiful dispensaries in New Mexico. Besides its appealing visuals, this dispensary brand has been serving New Mexicans since launching in 2010.

They have since become a reputable, fan-favorite shop with the best products for medical patients and recreational users in the state. The team is focused on inspiring wellness through cannabis and says to consider them your cannabis matchmakers. At any Verde Cannabis location, trust that you’re in good hands.

Location: 220 Shelby St, Santa Fe, NM 87501

Hours: Open Daily 12pm – 6pm

Phone: (505) 983-2738

Website: verdesfoundation.org

KURE Downtown Santa Fe

Located in downtown Santa Fe on North Guadalupe Street, KURE is a medical and recreational cannabis dispensary that’s here to serve your every need.

They are a locally owned and operated shop, and their friendly staff is dedicated to helping you find the perfect products for your desired experience. The team here also believes in ethical, sustainable, and heartfelt practices that set new standards within the cannabis space. They also have a drive-thru dispensary located at 3354 Cerrillos Rd, Santa Fe.

Location: 220 North Guadalupe Street, Santa Fe, NM 87501

Hours: Sun-Thurs 10am – 6pm, Fr-Sat 10am – 9pm

Phone: (505) 930-5339

Website: kureforlife.com

R. Greenleaf Med & Recreational Cannabis Dispensary

R. Greenleaf is another fantastic medical and recreational dispensary located in Santa Fe. The knowledgeable staff strives to offer patients and adult users a consistent supply of high-quality cannabis and assistance on how it can be used appropriately.

You’ll also find a few services like medical card assistance, a rewards plan, and a generous return policy. With an impressive product selection and a friendly staff to help you find what you’re looking for, R. Greenleaf never lets us down.

Location: 403 W Cordova Rd, Santa Fe, NM 87505

Hours: Mon-Sat 10am – 8pm, Sun 10am – 7pm

Phone: (505) 962-2161

Website: rgreenleaf.com

Minerva Canna

Minerva has two locations in Santa Fe, one on East Water Street and the other on Cerrillos Road. This medical cannabis dispensary prides itself on offering nature’s finest, highest-quality medicine for those who need it.

Their wide array of unique and familiar products ensures every patient can find something for their individual condition. From delicious edibles to infused topical products, the friendly and knowledgeable staff is here to help you find your bliss.

Location: 1710 Cerrillos Rd, Santa Fe, NM 87505

Hours: Mon-Sat 10am – 7pm, Sun 12pm – 5pm

Phone: (505) 982-1090

Website: minervacanna.com

Everest Cannabis Co.

Just off Cerrillos Rd. next to Enterprise Rent-A-Car, you’ll find a fan-favorite recreational and medical dispensary in the heart of Santa Fe. Everest Cannabis Co. has been offering the highest quality and best-tasting cannabis grown in the state since 2015 and started selling to recreational users in April 2022.

Here, you’ll find an impressive selection of the highest quality goods across all formats, from smokeables and edibles to topicals. Their accessible location and breezy shopping experience landed them an impressive 4.9 stars on Google Reviews.

Location: 3963 Cerrillos Rd Suite B, Santa Fe, NM 87507

Hours: Mon-Sat 9am – 8pm, Sun 10am – 6pm

Phone: (505) 416-5199

Website: everestnm.com