About That Land of Enchantment (September 18 - 24)

Dear Family and Friends,

Sunday was road trip day. Roger, Bear and I left Santa Fe in the morning and drove eighty miles to Taos. The trip through the mountains and along the Rio Grande River was beautiful and we soon found ourselves at the Visitor Center, located on the outskirts of Taos. It was there that we planned our day's schedule with the help of the Visitor Center staff. Our first stop was the historic Plaza Taos. This downtown square is the site of the original Spanish settlement and center of Taos, that has been in existence for over 400 years.

Bear cannot wait to start the tour.

Bear is taking a break at the Plaza Taos. 

The Plaza is like the one in Santa Fe, but on a smaller scale.  Shops and galleries line the four streets surrounding the square.

After the Plaza we walked over to the Kit Carson home and museum. Christopher Houston "Kit" Carson, a fur trapper and mountain man,  moved to Taos in 1826. Later he was an Army officer in the Civil War and Indian Wars of the Southwest. With his third wife Josepha, a Taos woman, he raised seven children during the next twenty five years. He was one of Taos' most famous inhabitants.

Roger and Bear outside the Kit Carson home.

Taos is filled with all sorts of art galleries. This picture shows Hopi masks.

After touring the downtown area of Taos, we decided to drive to the Taos ski area where we found a great hike in the Wheeler Wilderness area of the Kit Carson forest. The scenery was stunning and Bear had a ball off the leash. The vertical climb was challenging. No wonder that Taos Ski Valley is known for it's steep downhill skiing.

Bear and Roger before we headed up the trail for a hike.

Bear loves hiking!

My Mountain Man!

Great hike!

After the hike we drove to the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge. The following pics show the gorge as we crossed the bridge on foot. It is 600 feet from the bridge to the bottom of the gorge.  The first picture reflects the under pinnings of bridge.

The following pictures show the San Francisco de Asis (the spelling is correct) church. It is the most photographed church in the Taos area. Ansel Adams is one of the more famous photographers. I hope my pictures express the beauty of this church.

Hollyhocks at the church.

We returned to Santa Fe late in the day after a wonderful road trip in this Northeastern part of New Mexico. I truly understand their motto, "the land of enchantment." 

Monday evening we met our daughter-in-law's mother, Shanna, for dinner at a wonderful restaurant called Blue Corn Cafe. Over great regional food, we caught up on each other's lives. Though Shanna lives in Albuquerque, her office is in Santa Fe.  Shanna has an interesting and demanding job with the federal government, mainly in the fire fighting business.

We have had several cycling rides along The Turquoise Highway during our time in Santa Fe. It is a scenic highway with a wide bike lane. It runs between Santa Fe and Albuquerque. The scenery is beautiful. Luckily, we have seen buffalo and antelope along the way. Now where is that camera when I need it?

On Tuesday we toured The New Mexico History Museum that is located on the Plaza. We learned so much about the legacy of this State through the many peoples who have lived here. From Indians living on the pueblos, to Spanish explorers, to Mexico's influence, to mountain men, early settlers and more modern times, the history of New Mexico is fascinating. 

Thursday found us taking a break from cycling in order to hike Aspen Vista Trail (one of the more famous hikes in the area)  at the Santa Fe Ski Area. We quickly were surrounded by packed stands of Aspen and fir trees on this beautiful hike. Bear, Roger and I turned around at almost 11,000 feet. The following pictures are of this hike.

Say cheese, Bear!

Yes, we are having fun!

Roger is using his hiking poles! 

Santa Fe in the distance.

Tightly packed Aspens

On Thursday we decided to drive to Abiquiu, New Mexico in order to see Georgia O'Keeffe's Ghost Ranch and her home in the town. On Friday, we went to her museum in Santa Fe where we learned so much about this American treasure. The following pictures are from our trip to Abiquiu and Ghost Ranch.

The Abiquiu church.

Pedernal made famous by Georgia O'Keeffe.

We leave Santa Fe on Tuesday, so the next post will come from Arizona. After a stop in Tolleson for scheduled RV work, we head to Tucson for the month of October.  What a lovely two weeks we have had in New Mexico. Thank you for your interest in our adventures. We appreciate you reading the blog.