May 16 - Taos & Environs

 The rooster’s internal alarm was a few hours early, so I can’t say we slept very soundly the first night at the wine farm!  But we had beautiful blue skies waiting for us, so we mainlined our coffee and sucked it up, buttercup.  

Some lucky jerk was taking a hot-air balloon tour nearby as the sun rose.

I saw a female mountain bluebird out of the dining table window, but you’ll just have to trust me that it looked just like this stock photo.

Henry the cat came out to say good morning.

We drove across some scenic mountain roads en route to Taos.

We stopped at Nuestra Senora del Rosario, built 1764, in Truchas.

Too bad it’s only open during the summer.  Here’s one of the interior photos that Google cruelly taunted us with:

Further down the road, we stopped at San Jose de Gracia in Las Trampas, a larger and more elaborate church also built in the 1760s.  It is now a National Historic Landmark.  The adobe exterior is refinished every year by the community.  

The interior of this church is even more ornate than the first, but it was also closed. Sad face.  Enjoy it virtually:

Once we got to Taos, we browsed a few shops and used the facilities.  Not really in a shopping or dining mode, there wasn’t much to keep us occupied there, but it seems to be a very charming town.

We drove on to the Rio Grande del Norte gorge bridge.  

We’d been in the lower part of the gorge scouting campgrounds a week ago, but it gets incredibly high further north.

The gorge is so much bigger than it looks here.  Just one of those things that never photographs accurately.

Near the gorge is a large Earthship community with a visitor center.  

Earthships are self-sustaining homes made mostly from recycled materials.  Aluminum cans, glass bottles, and tires are used for structure, insulation, and decor.

We took the offered self-guided tour, which allowed you to walk through the entirely of the visitor center, which was built with the same structure as an Earthship home but outfitted with educational displays about the community and its founder.

We also walked around the construction site of a new communal-living building next door.

There are many functional Earthships dotting the nearby hills, but they’re either permanent residences or rented out like AirBnBs, so visitors aren’t allowed up-close.  

On the way back to Taos, we saw a hotel made up of vintage campers off the road.  We stopped in and chatted with the owners and took a peek inside one of the beautifully renovated accomodations.  It’s called Hotel Luna Mystica, and I’m definitely adding it to my list for my next SW trip.

There were two mysterious stone plinths on the central lawn area.  Mom tried touching one but it didn’t transport her into a hunky 17th-century Scotsman’s arms, much to her chagrin.

We got a late lunch at Guadalajara Grill North, which was highly recommended by our NM-local Boondocker neighbors.  I forgot to get a photo because were so famished and it was so delicious.  We got chiles rellenos, green and red chimichangas, and tacos and ate on the patio.  I finally googled what the fluffy white seed pods floating through the air are — cottonwood, or alamo in Spanish.

After a quick grocery run, we headed back to our campsite.  The two sweet grandkids living on the property invited me to play with the goats again, so I happily pulled my Goat Clothes from the day before out of the laundry bag and tagged along.  

Will I successfully smuggle Larry the goat into the camper and bring him on the road?  Find out tomorrow!!