December 27, 2023 • 14 mins
Explore the Turquoise Trail National Scenic Byway and find your next road trip vacation with artist Kevin Box's larger than life origami sculptures, unique beers from New Mexico’s oldest brewery at Santa Fe Brewing Company, authentic green chile cheeseburgers at The Mine Shaft Tavern in Madrid, and the challenging Santa Fe Century bike ride. Darley Newman shares where you can discover creativity and art at Origami in the Garden, master planned by the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture. Entrepreneur Brian Lock relays why locals and travelers seek out his brewery for pints of New Mexico IPA and food truck tacos at Santa Fe Brewing Company. Darley joins locals to cycle along the Turquoise Trail through the old mining towns of Cerrillos and Madrid, which have served as a filming location for hit movies and TV shows like Longmire and Wild Hogs. Get tips on where to stop, shop and eat along this iconic byway.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Where can you hit the open road and stretch your legs amid larger than life oragami,
(00:04):
rising out of red rock landscapes, or feast on authentic new Mexico style
hatched green chile cheeseburgers in a historic mining town that served as a
set for hit movies and TV shows. Or take on the Santa Fe Century bike race and
toast with truly local beer at the state's oldest craft brewery. It's all
(00:26):
along the Turquoise Trail National Scenic Byway which runs between Santa Fe and
Albuquerque and the southwestern state of New Mexico. We're driving and
biking this epic Scenic Byway. I should've done a little training before I came! It's just over 50 miles long just outside of
Santa Fe, New Mexico, one of my favorite places. So let's dive into this
(00:48):
episode of the Travels with Darley Podcast, an experiential podcast which
immerses you in authentic food, culture, history, and adventure with locals as
the guides. So if you like learning about new places to travel or just want to
escape, please subscribe.
We're starting south of Santa Fe along the turquoise trail byway with artist and
(01:14):
entrepreneur Kevin Box. He and his wife are the masterminds of Origami in the Garden
Their studio and collection of very large origami sculptures was planned
by the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture and is located along the Turquoise Trail.
It's here at his sustainable studio amid the rugged landscapes that you'll
(01:34):
find delicate looking yet durable, soaring birds, galloping ponies, and chipper chipmunks.
A marvel of creativity. When I arrive Kevin Box is using a hand truck to
push one of his latest works across his white cement driveway into the open air
garage bay of his large studio and home. On top of the dolly is a rock topped with a
(01:56):
series of white origami birds set one on top of the other like a Jenga tower
and rising several feet above him into the sky. He's wearing light wash jeans, a
blue plaid button down, and funky white rim sunglasses. Inside I hear the sounds of
soldering as another artist works on a large bird sculpture amid the beautiful
(02:18):
chaos that is his desert studio. Kevin's taking us on a tour of his garden. A
whimsical world of the origami I've never been able to properly fold that he and
his team have managed to make into colossal sculptures. So Kevin, explained what
I'm seeing here because this is our crane that we've seen so many times in origami.
This is a really important part of the storytelling that I've created and the
(02:42):
inspiration of why I love origami because we can tell two stories what we see
with our eyes in the outer world but what we all know is most important is
invisible right like who we are, our thoughts and our feelings. And when you
unfold origami this incredible pattern emerges and to me that's really an
important part of why I do what I do, and this is a great example of the same
(03:04):
subject matter, same uncut square paper but folded by a PhD physicist named
Robert J. Lang who got all the detail including three toes on each leg all the
feathers and you can see that when it's unfolded. Now I can't fold this so I collaborate with...
Definitely couldn't fold this!
...with great great masters like this. There's this accessibility to it, you know, anybody can pick up a piece of paper and
(03:28):
learn to fold a simple design, but the sky's the limit.
We walk along the sandy path past large blue and red horse and foal sculpture as Kevin explains more of his ethos.
Kevin how did you come up with this concept in general? As an artist
and a designer I think I looked at how do I create something different and fresh
(03:50):
with ancient objects and ancient subject matter and ancient materials and
combining something very fragile with something very durable like paper and
bronze. Sculpture and metal casting dates back six thousand years so how do I
make that different in a new era? So many of these maybe all of them are
collaborations with other artists, it's not just you. Yeah I really feel like we're more
(04:15):
like in a band an origami band and I didn't want to find myself all alone in a
studio you know working away by myself. I really like people and I'm a
gregarious person but from a standpoint of design and beauty you know origami is
very sculptural at a small scale, and I just thought you know this is being
overlooked a lot of people don't consider it as a fine art but if you blow it up and
(04:39):
sort of bring it to a different medium, it really has that sense of beauty and we
can examine the design and the details, and bringing it into metal just makes it
into a museum quality work of art.
We pass monumental origami in the shape of bison, turtles, and when Kevin calls "Stone paper scissors" which reminds me of the
(05:00):
game rock paper scissors. The rock base is capped with a white paper crane and a
pair of blue handled scissors. We walk further to see Kevin's wife Jennifer
standing by a sculpture of olive branches which form the outline of a tall house,
topped with a roof under which two white origami doves sway in the breeze.
(05:22):
So this is Spirit House which is really inspired by an experience my wife and I had,
Jennifer, of building this amazing place together.
Kevin and Jennifer hold hands, standing alongside the spirit house.
We built a house from scratch in our 30s and everybody thought we were quite ambitious you know something we've been told our
(05:43):
whole lives I think but when we when we built the property there were olive trees on
the property and this is cast bronze olive branches which is a Greek symbol of
peace and compromise as well, and we created this as a collaboration together sort of
as a natural you know inspiration from having built a home and figuring things
out. So we built this beautiful dream home for two lovely birds. I love it and I
(06:09):
love when I see a harmonious husband and wife team working together and
building a house together because you know that required a lot of compromises but
looks like it turned out okay. We're happy.
Jennifer smile says it all, and with that I'm onto my next location along the Turquoise Trail National Scenic Byway. Santa
(06:32):
Fe Brewing Company is another Turquoise Trail stop that's worth a diversion
housed in a series of flat-roofed Adobe colored buildings Santa Fe Brewing
Company encompasses tens of thousands of square feet of beer hall brewery and
outdoor space where locals and travelers congregate for beer produced in
packaged right on site, as well as events like local bands, food trucks and outdoor
(06:55):
family friendly games entrepreneur Brian Lock walks me through the factory floor
above with activity well over six feet tall and with sandy blonde hair falling
just above his shoulders, a scrappy circle beard, and in a short sleeve plaid
button down in jeans he kind of reminds me of Aiden played by John Corbett in
Sex in the City. Not a bad guide! Beers are coming off conveyor belts and
(07:20):
then packed into crates stacked up towards the ceiling.
Brian, a lot of beer to choose from here. Yes lots of beer. What is different about the
beer that you're making is kit the water or what what makes it taste different?
All of our beers are made with 100% natural well water and so I feel like that is a
big reason that we're successful as a brand and it kind of distinguishes us a
(07:44):
little bit from the competition and other breweries in the state. So interesting
because they say in New York, you know, get a New York bagel water different. I
guess when you're in Santa Fe you got to get a Santa Fe Brewing Company beer
because the water is different. Absolutely. We head through the dimly lit
beer hall and out back to an outdoor area where a fire pit picnic tables
Adirondack chairs, lawn games, and food trucks welcome all ages. Brian suggests
(08:10):
grabbing tortas or tacos from a Mexican fusion food truck and we order and
plop down at wrought iron tables on a wooden patio adjoining the colorful food
truck. Brian hands me a plate of soft chicken tacos covered in green chile
salsa and a pint of beer. All right green chile for the traveler the tourist and
(08:31):
red chili for the local. Yes. I'm going hot. The red's
hotter here. Let's try these tacos. All right. We got a lot of green chile on this one.
Mmm. That's good. Just enough crunch and just enough heat for me and the cheese is
really a compliment. I'm excited to try this beer. I understand you're
(08:56):
giving me kind of a local standard like what I would maybe want to try if I'm
visiting. 7K IPA is a West Coast tropical IPA. It's the number one selling IPA
in the state and it's really our flagship beer. It's a palatable beer and
it's not super hobby. Cheers. Cheers. I do try a lot of local beers on my
(09:20):
travels so you know I think I'm gonna start becoming a beer connoisseur.
Well good! One of the joys of travel is encountering new challenges. Sometimes
those challenges are natural parts of your experience and sometimes you choose
right off the back to include them in your itinerary. I chose to travel to
(09:41):
Santa Fe in May in order to participate in the Santa Fe Century, an annual
bike race that's been held in northern New Mexico for over three decades. Cyclists
can choose to ride 20, 50 or 100 miles either on paved roads or long nearby mountain
biking trails. I'm riding with local Cynthia Baca who's participated in the Santa
(10:03):
Fe Century over the past few years. So Cynthia why do people do this race? I think
to say that they've accomplished 100 miles, the challenge, the hills and we're on a
scene in byway I'm seeing the signs. Oh yeah we are. Love it. One of the attractions of
(10:24):
this particular bike race is the course. Cyclists travel along the Turquoise
Trail and in particular pass through old mining towns along routes once
traveled by Spanish missionaries, outlaws, and Confederate soldiers. One of the
highlights is the town of Madrid, spelled like Madrid, Spain but pronounced here as
Madrid. If you visit Madrid you'll see why locals decided to say it a little
(10:49):
differently because in Madrid everything is done a little differently. We pass
old mining cabins that have been turned into art galleries and a coffee shop and a
popular haunt for motorcycle riders. The Mine Shaft Tavern and a ways out of town,
were back to smooth cycling. Well Cynthia, you love those town hills but then it
(11:10):
leads you to those uphills. Yes that's correct. Here we go. The most difficult part of
the race for most is Heartbreak hill. Let's do this. Let's do this. A mile long and at an
average 12% grade, you'll see people ride in all kinds of ways, including walking
their bikes in this grueling part of the race. Now it's getting hard. For most out of
(11:36):
towners like me, Santa Fe's higher altitude makes simply breathing a challenge.
Cynthia gets to the top before me and cheers me on. Come on Darley you can do it!
You survived Heartbreak Hill. Woo! Only 60 more miles to go. Post-race and after a
(11:56):
spa experience in Santa Fe, I circle back to the town of Madrid. If you're a fan
of quirky small towns, green chile cheeseburgers or visiting locations where TV
shows a movie's film, or all of the above, Madrid should be on your list. Here,
traveler shop for the blue green turquoise for which the Turquoise Trail is named
(12:16):
and they stop to refuel at the Mine Shaft Tavern, which I noticed on my
cycling adventure. The Mine Shaft Tavern served as a stand-in for the Red Pony in
the Longmire TV series and the town was filmed for the movie Wild Hogs with
John Travolta and Tim Allen. They also have an award-winning green chile
(12:37):
cheeseburger that I dare you to pair with the cucumber chile margarita. It's a
winning combination. The even smaller town of Cerillos is also nearby, and has also
served as a film location for the 1980s flick Young Guns and has a truly
rugged old west vibe. The scenery along the Turquoise Trail is worth the trip all
(13:00):
on its own, but as usual it's the experiences through the people that I find the
most awesome. So next time you're looking for an easy road trip that you can
accomplish in one day or over a few, fly into Santa Fe or Albuquerque and take a
step on the wild side, where art, food and drinks, adventure, and history combine
(13:20):
along the Turquoise Trail Scenic Byway. I'm Darley Newman and I've been traveling
the world for over a decade and a half and have been filming for my PBS and
streaming series Travels with Darley for many years too. I love sharing
adventures and people who help us all understand life a bit more and perhaps can
help us find the joy in the everyday, because life is short so you have to grab
(13:44):
the reins. Grab onto more life and travel adventures by searching and
subscribing to this Travels with Darley podcast on iHeart or wherever you listen to
podcasts and stay tuned for more adventures in and around Santa Fe, New Mexico and
beyond.
Where can you hit the open road and stretch your legs amid larger than life oragami,
(00:04):
rising out of red rock landscapes, or feast on authentic new Mexico style
hatched green chile cheeseburgers in a historic mining town that served as a
set for hit movies and TV shows. Or take on the Santa Fe Century bike race and
toast with truly local beer at the state's oldest craft brewery. It's all
(00:26):
along the Turquoise Trail National Scenic Byway which runs between Santa Fe and
Albuquerque and the southwestern state of New Mexico. We're driving and
biking this epic Scenic Byway. I should've done a little training before I came! It's just over 50 miles long just outside of
Santa Fe, New Mexico, one of my favorite places. So let's dive into this
(00:48):
episode of the Travels with Darley Podcast, an experiential podcast which
immerses you in authentic food, culture, history, and adventure with locals as
the guides. So if you like learning about new places to travel or just want to
escape, please subscribe.
We're starting south of Santa Fe along the turquoise trail byway with artist and
(01:14):
entrepreneur Kevin Box. He and his wife are the masterminds of Origami in the Garden
Their studio and collection of very large origami sculptures was planned
by the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture and is located along the Turquoise Trail.
It's here at his sustainable studio amid the rugged landscapes that you'll
(01:34):
find delicate looking yet durable, soaring birds, galloping ponies, and chipper chipmunks.
A marvel of creativity. When I arrive Kevin Box is using a hand truck to
push one of his latest works across his white cement driveway into the open air
garage bay of his large studio and home. On top of the dolly is a rock topped with a
(01:56):
series of white origami birds set one on top of the other like a Jenga tower
and rising several feet above him into the sky. He's wearing light wash jeans, a
blue plaid button down, and funky white rim sunglasses. Inside I hear the sounds of
soldering as another artist works on a large bird sculpture amid the beautiful
(02:18):
chaos that is his desert studio. Kevin's taking us on a tour of his garden. A
whimsical world of the origami I've never been able to properly fold that he and
his team have managed to make into colossal sculptures. So Kevin, explained what
I'm seeing here because this is our crane that we've seen so many times in origami.
This is a really important part of the storytelling that I've created and the
(02:42):
inspiration of why I love origami because we can tell two stories what we see
with our eyes in the outer world but what we all know is most important is
invisible right like who we are, our thoughts and our feelings. And when you
unfold origami this incredible pattern emerges and to me that's really an
important part of why I do what I do, and this is a great example of the same
(03:04):
subject matter, same uncut square paper but folded by a PhD physicist named
Robert J. Lang who got all the detail including three toes on each leg all the
feathers and you can see that when it's unfolded. Now I can't fold this so I collaborate with...
Definitely couldn't fold this!
...with great great masters like this. There's this accessibility to it, you know, anybody can pick up a piece of paper and
(03:28):
learn to fold a simple design, but the sky's the limit.
We walk along the sandy path past large blue and red horse and foal sculpture as Kevin explains more of his ethos.
Kevin how did you come up with this concept in general? As an artist
and a designer I think I looked at how do I create something different and fresh
(03:50):
with ancient objects and ancient subject matter and ancient materials and
combining something very fragile with something very durable like paper and
bronze. Sculpture and metal casting dates back six thousand years so how do I
make that different in a new era? So many of these maybe all of them are
collaborations with other artists, it's not just you. Yeah I really feel like we're more
(04:15):
like in a band an origami band and I didn't want to find myself all alone in a
studio you know working away by myself. I really like people and I'm a
gregarious person but from a standpoint of design and beauty you know origami is
very sculptural at a small scale, and I just thought you know this is being
overlooked a lot of people don't consider it as a fine art but if you blow it up and
(04:39):
sort of bring it to a different medium, it really has that sense of beauty and we
can examine the design and the details, and bringing it into metal just makes it
into a museum quality work of art.
We pass monumental origami in the shape of bison, turtles, and when Kevin calls "Stone paper scissors" which reminds me of the
(05:00):
game rock paper scissors. The rock base is capped with a white paper crane and a
pair of blue handled scissors. We walk further to see Kevin's wife Jennifer
standing by a sculpture of olive branches which form the outline of a tall house,
topped with a roof under which two white origami doves sway in the breeze.
(05:22):
So this is Spirit House which is really inspired by an experience my wife and I had,
Jennifer, of building this amazing place together.
Kevin and Jennifer hold hands, standing alongside the spirit house.
We built a house from scratch in our 30s and everybody thought we were quite ambitious you know something we've been told our
(05:43):
whole lives I think but when we when we built the property there were olive trees on
the property and this is cast bronze olive branches which is a Greek symbol of
peace and compromise as well, and we created this as a collaboration together sort of
as a natural you know inspiration from having built a home and figuring things
out. So we built this beautiful dream home for two lovely birds. I love it and I
(06:09):
love when I see a harmonious husband and wife team working together and
building a house together because you know that required a lot of compromises but
looks like it turned out okay. We're happy.
Jennifer smile says it all, and with that I'm onto my next location along the Turquoise Trail National Scenic Byway. Santa
(06:32):
Fe Brewing Company is another Turquoise Trail stop that's worth a diversion
housed in a series of flat-roofed Adobe colored buildings Santa Fe Brewing
Company encompasses tens of thousands of square feet of beer hall brewery and
outdoor space where locals and travelers congregate for beer produced in
packaged right on site, as well as events like local bands, food trucks and outdoor
(06:55):
family friendly games entrepreneur Brian Lock walks me through the factory floor
above with activity well over six feet tall and with sandy blonde hair falling
just above his shoulders, a scrappy circle beard, and in a short sleeve plaid
button down in jeans he kind of reminds me of Aiden played by John Corbett in
Sex in the City. Not a bad guide! Beers are coming off conveyor belts and
(07:20):
then packed into crates stacked up towards the ceiling.
Brian, a lot of beer to choose from here. Yes lots of beer. What is different about the
beer that you're making is kit the water or what what makes it taste different?
All of our beers are made with 100% natural well water and so I feel like that is a
big reason that we're successful as a brand and it kind of distinguishes us a
(07:44):
little bit from the competition and other breweries in the state. So interesting
because they say in New York, you know, get a New York bagel water different. I
guess when you're in Santa Fe you got to get a Santa Fe Brewing Company beer
because the water is different. Absolutely. We head through the dimly lit
beer hall and out back to an outdoor area where a fire pit picnic tables
Adirondack chairs, lawn games, and food trucks welcome all ages. Brian suggests
(08:10):
grabbing tortas or tacos from a Mexican fusion food truck and we order and
plop down at wrought iron tables on a wooden patio adjoining the colorful food
truck. Brian hands me a plate of soft chicken tacos covered in green chile
salsa and a pint of beer. All right green chile for the traveler the tourist and
(08:31):
red chili for the local. Yes. I'm going hot. The red's
hotter here. Let's try these tacos. All right. We got a lot of green chile on this one.
Mmm. That's good. Just enough crunch and just enough heat for me and the cheese is
really a compliment. I'm excited to try this beer. I understand you're
(08:56):
giving me kind of a local standard like what I would maybe want to try if I'm
visiting. 7K IPA is a West Coast tropical IPA. It's the number one selling IPA
in the state and it's really our flagship beer. It's a palatable beer and
it's not super hobby. Cheers. Cheers. I do try a lot of local beers on my
(09:20):
travels so you know I think I'm gonna start becoming a beer connoisseur.
Well good! One of the joys of travel is encountering new challenges. Sometimes
those challenges are natural parts of your experience and sometimes you choose
right off the back to include them in your itinerary. I chose to travel to
(09:41):
Santa Fe in May in order to participate in the Santa Fe Century, an annual
bike race that's been held in northern New Mexico for over three decades. Cyclists
can choose to ride 20, 50 or 100 miles either on paved roads or long nearby mountain
biking trails. I'm riding with local Cynthia Baca who's participated in the Santa
(10:03):
Fe Century over the past few years. So Cynthia why do people do this race? I think
to say that they've accomplished 100 miles, the challenge, the hills and we're on a
scene in byway I'm seeing the signs. Oh yeah we are. Love it. One of the attractions of
(10:24):
this particular bike race is the course. Cyclists travel along the Turquoise
Trail and in particular pass through old mining towns along routes once
traveled by Spanish missionaries, outlaws, and Confederate soldiers. One of the
highlights is the town of Madrid, spelled like Madrid, Spain but pronounced here as
Madrid. If you visit Madrid you'll see why locals decided to say it a little
(10:49):
differently because in Madrid everything is done a little differently. We pass
old mining cabins that have been turned into art galleries and a coffee shop and a
popular haunt for motorcycle riders. The Mine Shaft Tavern and a ways out of town,
were back to smooth cycling. Well Cynthia, you love those town hills but then it
(11:10):
leads you to those uphills. Yes that's correct. Here we go. The most difficult part of
the race for most is Heartbreak hill. Let's do this. Let's do this. A mile long and at an
average 12% grade, you'll see people ride in all kinds of ways, including walking
their bikes in this grueling part of the race. Now it's getting hard. For most out of
(11:36):
towners like me, Santa Fe's higher altitude makes simply breathing a challenge.
Cynthia gets to the top before me and cheers me on. Come on Darley you can do it!
You survived Heartbreak Hill. Woo! Only 60 more miles to go. Post-race and after a
(11:56):
spa experience in Santa Fe, I circle back to the town of Madrid. If you're a fan
of quirky small towns, green chile cheeseburgers or visiting locations where TV
shows a movie's film, or all of the above, Madrid should be on your list. Here,
traveler shop for the blue green turquoise for which the Turquoise Trail is named
(12:16):
and they stop to refuel at the Mine Shaft Tavern, which I noticed on my
cycling adventure. The Mine Shaft Tavern served as a stand-in for the Red Pony in
the Longmire TV series and the town was filmed for the movie Wild Hogs with
John Travolta and Tim Allen. They also have an award-winning green chile
(12:37):
cheeseburger that I dare you to pair with the cucumber chile margarita. It's a
winning combination. The even smaller town of Cerillos is also nearby, and has also
served as a film location for the 1980s flick Young Guns and has a truly
rugged old west vibe. The scenery along the Turquoise Trail is worth the trip all
(13:00):
on its own, but as usual it's the experiences through the people that I find the
most awesome. So next time you're looking for an easy road trip that you can
accomplish in one day or over a few, fly into Santa Fe or Albuquerque and take a
step on the wild side, where art, food and drinks, adventure, and history combine
(13:20):
along the Turquoise Trail Scenic Byway. I'm Darley Newman and I've been traveling
the world for over a decade and a half and have been filming for my PBS and
streaming series Travels with Darley for many years too. I love sharing
adventures and people who help us all understand life a bit more and perhaps can
help us find the joy in the everyday, because life is short so you have to grab
(13:44):
the reins. Grab onto more life and travel adventures by searching and
subscribing to this Travels with Darley podcast on iHeart or wherever you listen to
podcasts and stay tuned for more adventures in and around Santa Fe, New Mexico and
beyond.
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