Author: Jen Bianco

When I woke up after a good night’s sleep at Sierra Grande Lodge, I was thrilled that there was piping hot coffee service ready in the lobby downstairs. I helped myself to a couple of cups while checking my email and getting ready for a full day of exploring southern New Mexico.

Once hunger kicked in, it was time for breakfast at the Lodge at Sierra Grande’s Restaurant. Breakfast (a $25 dollar value per person) is included for guests of the hotel. I ordered the huevos rancheros and thought they were great. My husband went for the breakfast burrito, and a delicious juice of the day (Berry Blast). Both got high scores from my husband.

Then we got a tour of the two-bedroom casita at the hotel. It’s a lovely stand-alone property located next to the main Lodge and has its own outdoor soaking pool and landscaped grounds. Sometimes La Casita and its grounds are booked for weddings. The casita also has a full kitchen and dining room complete with gorgeous stained glass. It is definitely the room to book if you want a large private space to hang out, since there is a large living room separating the two bedrooms.

Most of the day was spent taking a tour of nearby Ladder Ranch with Ken Stinnett of Ted Turner Expeditions (TTX). This was the highlight of the trip! Ken picked us up at the Sierra Grande Lodge and drove us to Ladder Ranch, which is located about a half hour’s drive away in Hillsboro. Ken was a great guide. He was personable and knowledgeable about both the Ladder Ranch as well as the Turner Foundation, which is focused on protecting and restoring the natural world in this part of the county.

The Turner Foundation has projects and initiatives intended to safeguard the natural habitat and promoting sustainable living. Ken also told us about the Turner Endangered Species Fund (TESF) and a few of their programs. Some of these projects take place right on the Ladder Ranch, including helping restore populations of the Chiricahua leopard frog, prairie dog, and Bolson tortoise.

Once we drove through the gates to Ladder Ranch, we had an enjoyable time watching the goings on of Prairie Dog town. We saw the cute critters for ourselves popping in and out of burrows as we drove onto the property.

Ken then showed up the headquarters for the Chiricahua leopard frog project including the tadpole hatching pools. It’s an impressive set up and it was interesting to see the tadpoles thriving until they are large enough to release into their natural habitat.

We got into a Polaris Ranger to drive around the ranch. Ken gave us a quick tour of the bunk house on ladder ranch, which is sometimes used by groups who come for seasonal turkey hunts. We also toured the main house of Ladder Ranch, which was renovated back in the early 90s. It is a lovely property, complete with an impressive pottery collection and gorgeous billiard room. Comfortable as the main house is, it is intentionally down-to-earth, keeping with Turner’s ethic and vision. This impressed me.

Next Ken took us on a drive off to explore more of the ranch. We drove passed wild turkeys, quail, and geese and even bumped into three young deer bucks. The Polaris doesn’t have a windshield and the ride was exhilarating, with the wind blowing and the skies shifting. There were storms off to one direction and the clouds shifted from puffy to moody several times during our tour of the property.

Next we got off the Polaris and took a short hike where we explored a gorgeous slot canyon by foot. There we saw some wildlife, including red tailed hawks, turkey vultures, and lizards. Ken knew all the birds and could mimic them with expert calls. He even pointed out some plants, including a sort of thistle that can be used as a salad green when it is young.

While exploring the ground, were found some very cool shelters carved into the walls of the canyon, and we even saw some ancient petroglyphs and old pottery shards. There were even artifacts of a mortar and pestle type tool used by previous populations who lived on this the land.

TTX is starting to ramp up their active tourism options and Ken told me that the Ladder Ranch has excellent terrain for mountain biking and other outdoor activities which can be arranged through Ted Turner Expeditions.

We returned to Sierra Grande Lodge and Spa in time to enjoy an afternoon soak in the geothermal waters. It was very pleasant and the water temperature not as hot as I feared it might be. It helps that the private pools have steps so you can vary how deep you are sitting in the water to help regulate your temperature. The 30 minute soak was relaxing and a private shower allowed us to rinse off before heading back to our room.

For dinner we headed back down to the restaurant to try some of chef Tatsu Miyazaki’s cuisine, which we had heard raves about from all the staff. We started with the pecan-crusted chile rellenos. Green chiles are the local food of choice in New Mexico and I was a bit afraid they might be too hot. But they were delicious! The pecan breading was light and not the least bit greasy and the cheese the right degree of melted. The dish wasn’t overly heavy and paired nicely with the chile lemonade.

For our main course, my husband ordered the bison burger. We spent some time on the Ladder Ranch searching for the bison herds that free range but were unable to find them. I suppose losing sight of one’s bison herds goes with the territory of Ted Turner being the largest private land owner in the state of New Mexico. Chef Tatsu’s burger was served with pepper jack cheese and tomato on a Kaiser bun. The burger was lean and deliciously memorable.

I ordered the Hot Rock Steak– marinated Black Angus beef tenderloin skewers that I got to cook myself on a rock heated to 500 degrees. The dish was served with brown rice, seasonal vegetables and sunomono cucumber salad. Chef Tatsu finds and gathers the rocks himself on his travels and has them treated so they are safe to cook with. The meat was flavorful and light and the whole meal a fun and satisfying experience. Unfortunately we were too full to try dessert. The berry crème brulee sounded delicious!

We took an after dinner stroll around downtown Truth and Consequences before getting a good night’s sleep back at the lodge.