The Gila River Canyon. Photo by Carla Demarco

More than eight centuries ago, long before this country was discovered by the white man, a Native American people known as the Mogollon lived in southwestern New Mexico. They hunted, gathered and prospered. Around 1300 AD, they disappeared.

Their land became inhabited by the Apache. They, too, hunted, gathered, and prospered, led by chiefs whose names have become synonymous with the area: Victorio, Nana, Geronimo. Then in 1875, a U.S. Calvary sergeant by the name of James Cooney discovered yet another reason for gathering and prospering in this area: Some of the richest gold and silver veins in the world were here.

Without question, this corner of New Mexico is rich with the ghosts of those who came before. It also makes for one of the most spectacular tours my husband and I have yet to take in the West. This isn't a trip for those who require saunas, night life and five star restaurants. Rather, it's for those who love solitude, history, and breathtaking views.We made this trip by motorcycle, one of our favorite ways to sightsee. But your chosen mode of transportation is not important. This experience will be unique no matter how you get there. It's just that kind of place.

Living in Phoenix, we generally begin spring and summer road trips after sundown. Daytime temperatures reach well above the century mark in our lower desert elevations. And night riding has the added advantage of offering spectacular stellar shows. The desert night skies are world renowned for star gazing. Our adventure tour began around 7 p.m. as we headed our BMW motorcycle east toward the town of Globe, our first night's stop 88 miles down U.S. 60.

The sun shone brightly the next morning. With 200 miles in front of us, we were grateful to begin in the cooler temperatures that the 3,500 foot elevation provided. We took U.S. 70 out of Globe and then U.S. 191 to a crossroads named "Three Way," which gave us three choices. The northerly route led up the Coronado Trail blazed by the explorer Coronado and another great trip we took two summers ago. The southern choice, Route 75, led toward the Mexican border. We headed down the final choice, Mule Creek Road (Route 78), toward our destination: New Mexico's Gila (pronounced HEE-la) Forest and Wilderness.

The Gila Forest is our largest national forest, with 3.3 million acres. Located in the center is the half million acre Gila Wilderness. Set aside in 1924, it was the nation's first experiment to see if humans would appreciate the gift of pristine wilderness. Thankfully, they did. The mountains are rugged, the canyons deep. The forests have never known the sound of an ax and are home to elk, bear, wolves and much more.

Often, when you look at a mountainside in the West, you see what looks like long "fingers" running perpendicular to the ground. In between are the enormous tracks left from eons of erosion. Usually, mountain roads run wind uphill through these valleys. But the road we followed actually ran along the top of one of these "fingers." The views were definitely first class: all those acres of unspoiled land, broken only by the silver ribbon of highway coiled behind us. The switchbacks were tight and one lane in some spots. And in two hours' time, we passed only a handful of vehicles. This fact is understandable: New Mexico's Catron County (where most of the wilderness is located) is about the size of New Jersey, but has fewer than 3,000 people.

As the elevation changed, so did the climate and vegetation. The air became cooler and fresh with the scent of Ponderosa Pine. At the end of Mule Creek Road, we headed north on U.S. 180 to Glenwood (population 300). Glenwood (along with Silver City, 65 miles to the south) is one of the major access points to the wilderness area - the perfect hub. And the Los Olmos Guest Ranch, our next two night's lodging, is a perfect retreat.

The Los Olmos (known locally as the LO) is located on the site of the old stagecoach stop. The first buildings appeared in 1909 and by the mid 1940s, the fourteen rock cabins now in existence were completed. Each has all the comforts of home, minus the distractions: no TV, no telephones. The cottages surround the main lodge, a beautiful, rustic structure which houses the dining room, library, billiard room, movie room (home to an extensive video library and a big screen TV.) In addition, the property has a welcoming pool and jacuzzi, volleyball courts and horse stables.

While there are a couple of other restaurants and bars in Glenwood, the "for guests only" dining room at Los Olmos was perfect. Our room price included breakfast and dinner, and we chose from a diverse menu of well prepared dishes. There's no liquor sold on the premises, but we were invited to "bring our own" from the general store across the street.

There's so much to see in the area, it's difficult to decide where to start. We were advised to always have enough water, fuel and food with us, since not much is available outside of town. We appreciated the advice and heeded it carefully.

Just a few miles outside of Glenwood, at the mouth of Whitewater Canyon, is the site of an old mining town. All that remains are the ruins of a mill, built around 1895 to process silver and gold ore. Water was needed to run the electrical generator at the mill, so a pipeline was run three miles up the canyon to the closest stream. The famous trail running alongside it is known as the Catwalk, since the skill of a cat was needed to climb it. In some spots it clings to the sides of the cliff 30 feet above the stream. It's not for the timid, but unlike anything you'll see anywhere else!

Ten miles beyond the Catwalk is the ghost town of Mogollon. Hundreds of millions of dollars in gold and silver ore was hauled out of this town between 1878 and 1945. At that time, the population topped 5,000. Today, its population of 15 lives a pretty quiet existence. The operating businesses include the theater (today an antique and collectables shop,) the museum (the curator lived in Mogollon at its height when she was a small girl,) and a bed and breakfast. The remains of the rest of the buildings gave the eerie feeling that everyone had just left and would be back shortly.

Main Street in Mogollon. Photo by Judy Pearson

The road out of Mogollon led to our next quest: one of the area's tallest peaks, Bear Wallow Mountain (elevation: 10,000 feet.) This road, which crossed the Continental Divide, was filled with hairpin turns, each revealing a more breathtaking view than the last. The forest around us felt alive with wildlife and the area's history. These are the same mountains that hid such notorious outlaws as the Wild Bunch, led by Butch Cassidy, and Billy the Kid.

The distance up the mountainside was about 23 miles, and took us over an hour to complete. The last mile was pretty rugged, but our trusty red motorcycle rose to the challenge. And the reward that awaited us was well worth it. Talk about feeling like you're on top of the world! There was nothing in the vistas surrounding us that looked even remotely like human inhabitation.

The summit of Bear Wallow Mountain is the site of a National Forest Service tower. Used to spot forest fires, this tower has been managed during the past 12 summers by a ranger named Maryann. She invited us up for a view of her world another 50 feet above the mountain top, where she was hard at work pinpointing a fire several ranges over.

The final site within striking distance of our base in Glenwood is the Gila Cliff Dwelling National Monument. Located about 40 miles south off U.S.180 (and 40 miles north of Silver City,) this area was once the home of the Mogollon and Mimbres Indians. Their village, now in ruins, was carved into steep cliff faces over 1,000 years ago. Again, this slice of Native American history was surrounded by awe-inspiring scenery (and, thankfully, far fewer people than I would have imagined.) There's something magical about being in such a beautiful place nearly alone. It's an occurrence that doesn't often happen in our busy, crowded world.

Although our Gila Wilderness adventure took us just three and a half days in real time, we had the feeling of going back hundreds of years into the past. Traveling beside us all through the forests and mountains were Indians and miners, settlers and outlaws; the ghosts of those who came before.