Santa Fe, Taos and Chama

After leaving our quaint village style motel with floral murals and small mosaics we visited the Sante Fe Plaza. Although the town architecture was Abode in style the population was a mixture of Mexican and English speaking individuals. For the last two or three weeks we have not seen abundant strip malls or huge supermarkets. Fresh vegetables were limited in some places so we assumed people grew what they needed in their back yard. People would have a very different style of eating which included chillies and lime juice. If you knew what to ask for the new flavours would be quite exciting or refreshing. Mexican and Indian food, art and architecture predominate in this area. Shops around Santa Fe Plaza are small, personal and highly individual. The 'deep south' feels quite alien to the rest of America. A total change in cultural experience.

The Burrito Co. Cafe, located just off the square, served traditional bacon and eggs, and made a light , fluffy bacon and egg tortea with potato folded in. It worked well. We then inspected the numerous jewellry stalls displayed under the cover of the Palace of Governers walkway

Our next visit was to the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum. As an artis she loved to draw inspiration from the beautiful landscapes of the area.

One of the beautiful Adobe style buildings comon to this area.

Frida Kahlo's work also features in this area.

As we left Sante Fe we could not help but notice the beautiful Indian and Mexican designs on the bridges and walls along the freeway.

One of the churches along the road. Adjacent cemetaries are totally packed with floral tributes. Roadway casualties have a similar treatment.

Heading out of Espanola we travelled on gravel for a mile or two where they were upgrading the highway. The breezes are quite cool in the morning and it is not until you stop at roadworks that you realise that this beautiful clear blue sky can be quite hot.

We turned off the road on TX76 to Chimayo, passing through several sleepy villages, some with large trees. You realise that they must be on a river as the other side of the road is a desert.
(Road upgrade metioned above)

The TX518 turnoff took us to Taos, another Adobe style village with a central square.

Carpet design outside a store.

A mural in the parking area.


Pottery and carpets.

The central square has plenty of seating.

Stopping for a drink at Noula's Cafe we noticed some striking artwork by Miguel Martinez in the foyer of the hotel next door.

The outdoor sculpture by Charles Collins also had some interesting features.

Taling US 64 to Chama we stopped at the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge. This stunning gorge can really give you vertigo if you are that way inclined. The bridge is 650ft above the river. You could feel it tremble as the trucks rolled across it without slowing down. Just past the gorge there is the Earthship Project where sustainable homes, made from recycled materials can be viewed from the roadside. These homes are embedded in desert conditions, yet completely off the grid.

We followed two motorcycles crossing the San Juan Mountains. As the elevation increased the landscape changed from small desert (Rabbit and Sage) bushes, to stunted Cedars and eventually int fully grown furs, pines and Aspens which were changing into a brilliant yellow. Autumn has set in in the highlands. The road followed a small winding creek which glistened in the sunlight. Cattle and horses had a regular, clear supply of water.

The highest point was about 10,500ft, after which was a spectacular view as the road dropped much more rapidly than it rose, giving views of a colourful and never ending valley below.

The other two motorbikes stopped for fuel while we continued on our own to Chama NM, arriving just in time to book our Cumbres to Toltec Scenic Railroad Trip for tomorrow. It must be popular because accommodation was not easy to find. We finally found a very reasonable motel on the outskirts of town with a flaky Wi Fi connection. The High Country Bar and Restaurant was packed and we hadto wait almost an hour to get a table. TThe meals were excellent and well worth the wait.

Walking back to our motel in the dark we had the weird experience of each street light switching off just as we approached it. Spooky! (We aren't anywhere near Roswell are we?)