Mathilda and I decided to take a trip and spend three days in Taos, New Mexico. We had been there 30 years ago for a skiing trip on our honeymoon and thought it was time to return for a visit!
Flagstaff, Arizona
We left our house in the morning and headed to Flagstaff, Arizona. We went to El Centro and then took Highway 78 to Interstate 10 at Blythe, California. On the way, we passed the Imperial Dunes at Glamis and stopped on the Colorado River at Pirate’s Cove for a late lunch. We left there and headed north on US 95 to Interstate 40 and into Flagstaff.
We arrived at the Little America Hotel in Flagstaff to stay the night. The hotel was decorated for Christmas and the room was incredibly nice with a comfortable bed. We went to the hotel lounge for drinks and appetizers and then called it a night.
Taos, New Mexico
We got an early start leaving Flagstaff and headed towards Taos. We travelled on Interstate 40 until we passed the New Mexico border. Shortly after we passed the state border, we took a series of small highways picked our way north and east on sparsely travelled roads through small towns, Indian reservations, and national forests. It was a relaxing drive, and sometimes we would not see another car for 30 minutes or more!
Finally, we got on the last highway to Taos that followed the winding Rio Grande and made it to our hotel, the El Pueblo Lodge; for the next three nights in Taos. Our room had a small kitchen and a wood-burning fireplace, and two bundles of wood outside our door!
It had just gotten dark when we got to town; after we checked into our hotel, it was time to find a place to eat. We drove down the main street and looked at the different options to eat, and we ended up at a brewery and pizza joint. We enjoyed the night with pizza and beers. We returned to our room to get ready for the next day of exploring Taos, New Mexico.
Taos Pueblo
Taos Pueblo is right outside the city. Here you can find a Native American village where the same peoples have lived in the village for over 1,200 years! The homes are made of adobe – clay mixed with grass and straw. The homes last for generations and are repaired every year after the seasonal rains, snow, and winds. At the height of the population, there were over 1,500 inhabitants. Now only around 150 people live here, but many of the families are still close by.
This place is a living museum, and you can pay the entrance fee and walk among the pueblos. Some are closed to the public, but many are open for viewing the inside. We took the guided tour of Taos Pueblo and learned about the history of the native peoples, the Spanish Conquistadors, and finally the U.S. taking over the territory from Mexico.
There is a picturesque Catholic Church on the grounds, the St. Jerome Chapel, and was completed in 1850. It was built to replace the original church destroyed by fire in an attack by the U.S. Calvary.
Today you can find Native American craftwork for sale, Native American food, and sometimes watch how they prepare the food or make the craftwork. They speak their own native language among themselves. They still practice their native heritage, with some events open to the public. This was an informative visit and if you are in the area, I highly recommend that you visit here.
Taos Ski Valley
Our next stop after Taos Pueblo was to drive up the mountain to Taos Ski Valley. This was an important stop for us because almost 30 years ago we came here for our honeymoon! For our honeymoon, we stayed at Taos Ski Valley for three days and skied every day. There was not enough snow for skiing on this trip, and our skiing days are most likely done.
Because it was early in the season and there was not much snow, the Ski Village was almost deserted and only a few shops and restaurants were open. We found a brewery that was open, and we had a couple of beers and some appetizers. We will have to come back and see what it looks like with snow at the resort.
Rio Grande Gorge Bridge
Our next stop was the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge, just a few miles out of town. Driving up to it, you just see the wide plains and not until you get closer do you see this deep, narrow gorge cutting through the plains. We crossed the bridge and parked in the parking area near the bridge. We walked across the bridge, and it was quite a sight to see the river 600 feet below you!
Construction on the bridge began in 1963 and completed in 1965; and is a part of U.S. Route 64. The span of the bridge is 1,280 feet (390 m).
We accomplished a significant bit of sightseeing on our first full day in Taos. Once we returned to our hotel from the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge, we headed out on foot to explore the small shops nearby. Taos is an artist town, with a number of photography and art galleries available to browse through their offerings. One of our stops was the Baumann Gallery, and we met the owner and painter working on some of his artwork.
Now it is dinnertime and walk by Martyrs Steakhouse and decide to have a good steak dinner. We got in at 5:00 pm and were seated immediately. The steakhouse filled up with customers shortly after our arrival. We both ordered steaks, baked potatoes and I added a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon. Our steaks were delicious, and after we finished, we added dessert at the end. What a great meal and restaurant!
Puye Cliff Dwellings
At the hotel I did research for places to visit, and I found out about the Puye Cliff Dwellings an hour southwest of Taos. The next morning, we took the scenic drive to Española, New Mexico and on to the Puye Cliff Dwellings. We signed up for the two-hour Adventure Tour with a Native American guide from the area.
Mathilda and I, along with the guide, were the only ones on our tour. It started with a van ride to the top of the mesa, where there were stone structures still standing. The Puye Cliffs Dwellings were home to 1,500 Pueblo Indigenous people who lived, farmed and hunted game here from the 900s to 1580 A.D. Puye Cliffs comprises two levels of cliff and cave dwellings cut into the cliff face, as well as dwellings on the mesa top.
Our guide narrated the history of the location and guided us to the different areas. There were shattered small pieces of pottery everywhere on the ground, and some pieces were picked up and placed on large rocks to view. The Native Americans hunted game of the area – buffalo, elk, deer, and rabbit. They made clothes out of the hides of these animals.
The structures on the top of the mesa had no doors. Instead, the people would use ladders and enter into the homes by ladder. In case of attack by warring tribes, they would go inside the structures and pull up the ladders. This method would keep the invaders at bay.
Once we were done walking on the mesa top, we climbed down a long wooden ladder to explore the cliff dwellings. We went from one cliff dwelling to another and our guide would point out unique features of the cliff-dwellings and told us how the people lived during this time. The cliff dwellings were one, two, or three-story structures built into the cliffsides. Part of the structures were made of wood, but the original wood was long gone from decay.
We finished touring the cliff dwellings, and we walked down the trail back to the Visitor Center. The Puye Cliff Dwellings were such an interesting place to visit, and I am glad that we took the guided tour. Our Native American guide looked up at dark clouds in the distance, pointed to them, and told us a storm is going to roll in tonight. We bought a couple souvenirs and took a different route back to our hotel in Taos.
Snow in Taos
Our route back to Taos from the Puye Cliff Dwellings took us back to the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge for a second time. Along the way to the bridge, the dark storm clouds that our guide pointed out to us were coming from the north and soon covered the sky, and we got some light rain. We stopped at the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge and I got some more photos with the storm clouds overhead. We left the bridge and went back to our hotel.
For dinner, we walked to the nearby Taos Ale House and order burgers and beers. It was a great way to end our day of exploration in the area!
It had been raining in Taos and when we walked back to the hotel it had changed to snow and coming down at a rapid rate. We went into our hotel room, started a warm fire in the fireplace and watched the snow come down. It was funny watching the two of us who lived in the winters of Nebraska getting excited about snow!
The Journey Home
We got up the next morning and there was a 4-inch cover of snow everywhere, it was quite a beautiful sight! We had our breakfast at the hotel and started our journey back home. On the way outside of Taos we stopped at the Rio Grande Gorge Visitor Center and saw some displays about the wildlife and history of the region. From there we make our way to Phoenix, Arizona and visited family and the next day we made it back home.
It was quite a nice vacation, and we got to go on some cool adventures!
See our adventures on YouTube: @HBMaverick
See what Camera Gear I use in Peru.
“We will see YOU on the next adventure!”
