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Taos & Santa Fe, NM

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We left Chama on a cool, dry morning and headed east towards Taos. We travelled through high desert. We stopped for coffee in Tres Piedras in the only cafe within a 30 mile radius. There wasn’t even a grocery store or gas station in the area. 

The only cafe for miles around!
We continued along our journey and noticed a number of strange looking buildings shortly before we reached Taos. They were Earthships! We stopped to to get a closer view and discovered that we were at the world headquarters of Taos’ pioneering community for sustainable living - Earthships Biotecture. This was the brainchild of architect Michael Reynolds. There are 70 Earthships and they were all built using recyclable materials and are buried on three sides. These futuristic homes look part Gaudi-esque and part space-age fantasy. 

An Earthship

We then stopped briefly at the vertigo-inducing Rio Grande Gorge Bridge which is one of the highest bridges in the USA. 

View from Bridge
Soon we reached our destination in Taos. We stayed in a quirky loft-style adobe casita which was part of a 200 year old compound owned by a Swedish artist whose gallery was next door. She has a passion for colour and this could be seen in our casita. For more information about Inger Jirby check out www.jirby.com   

The front of our casita

Sculpture outside our front door 


Inside our casita

On the Sunday morning we visited Taos Pueblo, a few miles north of Taos. This is the only Native American community to be designated both a World Heritage Site by UNESCO and a National Historic Landmark. The multi-storied adobe buildings have been inhabited for more than a thousand years. 












In the afternoon we drove the Enchanted Circle, a 85-mile loop through canyons, mountains, forests and prairies. We passed through New Mexican villages where century-old adobes sit beside modern homes and W.E also visited the only Vietnam Veterans Memorial in the USA in Angel Fire. 









Tuesday morning saw us heading south to Santa Fe. We took what is known as the Low Road which passes through the Rio Grande gorge with the road side by side with the river for many miles. 
We stopped for a picnic lunch in the Mesa-top village of Los Alamos. This is “the town that didn’t exist” where the first atomic bomb was developed in almost total secrecy during WW2. 

 We reached Santa Fe in the afternoon. This is the second-oldest City in the USA and the highest state capital at an elevation of over 7,000ft. It is home to some great museums, including the Georgia O’Keefe museum and many, many art galleries. The city buzzes with life and the central Plaza is always alive with locals and the many visitors who are there to enjoy Santa Fe’s timeless, earthy soul. 
The Plaza
Museum of Contemporary Native Art


Sculpture at the Meyer Gallery

Sculpture at the Meyer Gallery

A typical adobe building

Comments

  1. Rosaleen22 October 2017 at 09:51

    No wonder you love New Mexico! I have just spent the last while on tour with you - your photos are quite amazing and it all looks so different from our usual views of the U.S. These photos are particularly nice and conjure up a different era. I loved your casita and I can see what you mean by the Gaudilike impression. You have memories and images here to draw on forever. Enjoy it all!

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