Lake Roberts is a small reservoir in a pine-and-juniper valley in the Gila National Forest, at about 2,000 metres, and it has the quiet, slightly secret air of a place that most travellers drive straight past. The lake is under a hundred acres, edged with reeds and ponderosa pine, with a campground and a small marina on one side and rounded hills on the other, and it is popular with anglers after trout and bass. Mornings are still, with mist rising off the water, and evenings bring elk and deer to the shore.
The valley sits in the heart of the Mimbres country, home of the Mimbres people, ancestors of the Pueblo, who from about the ninth to the twelfth century made some of the most beautiful pottery in the Southwest, black-on-white bowls painted with fish, birds and human figures. The designs are so lively that museums around the world collect them. To the north, the Gila Wilderness stretches into the Mogollon Mountains, and the Gila Cliff Dwellings, built by the Mogollon people in the thirteenth century, lie a long and winding ride beyond.
The roads are the reason to ride here. New Mexico Highways 35 and 15 form part of the Trail of the Mountain Spirits, a loop of tight, twisting mountain road through the national forest. The bends are constant, the surface decent but narrow, and the traffic very light. Hazards include loose gravel, the odd cow and deer on the road, and sudden storms in summer. Autumn is the best time, with golden cottonwoods in the creek bottoms, and spring is cool and fresh. In winter, snow and ice can make the higher roads treacherous.
There are no major services at the lake. A small store near the water sells basics and sometimes drinks and snacks, and the campground has toilets and water in season, but fuel is another matter. Silver City, about thirty kilometres south, has everything, and it is the place to fill the tank. Bring food, water and warm clothes, and tell someone your plans, because mobile coverage is poor. The stars are brilliant, the silence is deep, and nobody is in a hurry.