Cool, clear waters of Santa Rosa

A short drive from Clovis / Portales, about 104 miles and just under two hours from Clovis, is the small community of Santa Rosa, offering visitors a great weekend getaway.

Photo by Eric Gunther via Wikimedia Commons

Blue Hole in Santa Rosa is fed by an underground source and is a constant 62 degrees.

Here, along Interstate 40, is where historic Route 66 has been a door to the West, and Santa Rosa has always welcomed visitors due to its natural sources of water.

This community is known as the city of natural lakes with three convenient locations to meet any aquatic adventure.

The best known is Blue Hole, then Park lake, and finally Perch lake. Also, the Wibit water park is open.

The city’s website says Blue Hole is part of a seven-lake system fed by an underground system, but clearly mentions these three as those best suited for visiting.

Blue Hole is the Southwest’s premier diving spot and is known as one of the best places for local divers to enjoy its moderate temperatures and azure waters. According to the official web page for the city of Santa Rosa, the crystal clear blue waters remain at a constant 62 degrees and visibility is approximately 100 feet.

Blue Hole is supplied by an underground source providing an endless amount of water, which constantly renews it every six hours.

Also, the waters of Blue Hole have been a stop for travelers as they made their way across an otherwise dry and parched land.

Since it is fed by an underground source, Blue Hole never had to rely on the weather to keep it renewed.

Another interesting fact about Blue Hole is due to its being located at the ground-level elevation of 4,620 feet, this would be the same as diving at 100 feet if the diver was at sea level.

Historically, Santa Rosa has been on the map due to its being located on Route 66, otherwise known as the “Mother Road,” as travelers used this highway to cross the United States.

TripAdvisor.com provides positive comments from visitors to the Route 66 Auto Museum who say that for $5 they were able to see carefully restored automobiles, some of which are available to buy from the owners.

Aside from the abundance of water, music plays a large part in the upcoming celebrations in Santa Rosa.

The Pecos River Motorcycle Rally / Route 66 Music Festival occurs during the Labor Day weekend, Sept. 2-5.

The activities include a Saturday morning poker run for motorcyclists, a beer garden, food and, finally, a gun fight reenactment staged at the Grzelachowski House at nearby Puerto de Luna.

If you are a motorcycle enthusiast and don’t have any plans for a long ride during this long weekend, then Santa Rosa could be the ticket for you and your family.

Mike Jimenez, 63, of Hagerman is an Eastern New Mexico University graduate who has been traveling New Mexico for decades, mostly on his motorcycle. His series of travel reports will run each Sunday through the summer.

— Contact him at: [email protected]