… or at least that was the plan. Having heard about Taos ever since McCloud rode into NYC on his horse, we made our way slowly there on Thursday. We stopped for photos with Camel Rock, across the road from the Camel Rock Casino …
… and then took what turned out to be quite a detour to see the Picuris Pueblo. The large sign on the highway promised a museum, restaurant and gift shop, which sounded great. Turning off the main road, we were thrilled to see that this was land the buffalo still roam.
Our expectations came to a crashing end when we drove into the dilapidated pueblo center to find there was no restaurant, museum or gift shop, all long closed. It was hard to believe that this small, run-down pueblo had once been the second largest in New Mexico, standing 8 or 9 stories high. Here’s what remains:
We bought a camera permit and took pictures of the lovely church, one of the prettiest we’ve seen, and the ancient round house ruins.
Back on our way toward Taos, we stopped at the Rio Grande Canyon overlook. It was hard to see and looked smaller than expected. We opted to stop again at the St. Francis of Asis (their spelling) church, immortalized in paintings and sketches by Georgia O’Keeffe. Frank and I were both struck by how much the structure looks like the Sphinx! We decided to do a late lunch at the historic Ranchos Plaza Grill across the road, and had another great meal.
We finally got to Taos about 2:30 and headed straight to the Plaza to wander the shops. Smaller than Santa Fe, Taos is filled with similar high-end shops. We got around the Plaza in a few hours, then headed toward Ojo Caliente, a spa with natural hot springs. We took a very long way to get there, which enabled us to see some fascinating things. Most amazing was the Spaceship Biotectural housing complex, with strange futuristic houses. Definitely worth checking into. They are self-sustaining and primarily made from rammed-earth filled old tires. We also walked across the Rio Grande Canyon bridge - not for the faint of heart.
Although we saw several elk crossing signs, we saw no elk, ibnly two foxes crossing the road. At Ojo Caliente Spa and Resort, in the middle of nowhere, we sampled the various natural hot thermal pools; sadly, the mud pool closed shortly before we arrived. However, there were still arsenic, iron and soda pools. The grounds are beautiful, and our stay was lovely and rejuvenating.
We took time out on the drive back to Santa Fe for some roadside star-gazing. Magnificent end to the day!
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