Jemez River

I first stumbled across the Jemez area about 18 years ago, after taking a spontaneous detour off the main route from Taos to Albuquerque. My goal was simply to hike toward some interesting Native American ruins near Los Alamos. Hike completed, I thought it made sense to stay on rustic New Mexico 4, which would eventually loop me back toward the main freeway.

When Bob Crostic bought his first pair of stone-washed jeans recently, he discovered a small chunk of pumice in one of the pockets. There was more than a bit of irony in the find. Crostic, a U.S. Forest Service employee, oversees an open-pit pumice mine in the Santa Fe National Forest that is at the center of a noisy dispute about the use of public lands.

Dallas Cowboys Coach Barry Switzer was arrested Monday after a loaded revolver was discovered in his carry-on baggage at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. Switzer was detained, his .38-caliber weapon was confiscated and he was released about two hours later on his own recognizance, airport spokeswoman Angel Biasatti said.

Learn about pre-Columbian and Latin American art on a tour (Aug. 15 to 20) of Mexico City. Local guides will take guests on walking tours to the Zocalo, Mexico City's main square, to visit the murals of Diego Rivera and the Plaza of the Three Cultures. Travelers will ride to Teotihuacan and visit the archeological museum at the site. Guests will also visit the pyramid at Cuicuilco and take a boat ride at the Aztec Floating Gardens at Xochimilco.