Day 36 - (09/14) Elephant Butte, NM

We’ve had three delightful days at Ghost Ranch, but it’s time to move on. Our camp hosts (Kate Klein and Terry McMahon) shared some great suggestions about where to go and what to expect.

Today’s route was 276 miles south on US 84, US 285 and I-25. We passed Santa Fe and Albuquerque, ending at a wonderful state park at Elephant Butte, NM.

Highlights
NM has some wonderful traveler services. Their rest stop facilities include the common accessories … and covered picnic enclosures. Here’s an example. We think they have a great idea.

Rest stop south of Albuquerque on I-25

Buckhorn Bar in San Antonio, NM has been nationally rated as #7 in the top 20 best places for a hamburger. We both tried their award winning green chili cheeseburger and shared a basket of fresh, hand-cut fries. The place is small, the floors are uneven, and the meal was served on paper plates with no silverware. This is an out-of-the-way place to go for a sandwich, but it is well worth the stop if you pass this way.

Buckhorn Bar

Kate and Terry told us New Mexico has excellent state park camping facilities. Elephant Butte State Park certainly confirms their claim. We’re enjoying the site below for $14 a day. They provide electricity, water, rest rooms with showers and a great view.

Our site

A view of the lake from our site

Clouds and lightning roll in again today

We’re off to Silver City tomorrow.

Day 35 - (09/13) Abiquiu, NM

We started the day with a promised breakfast.

Welcome … we’re serving waffles with strawberries and real maple syrup, sausage and coffee.

Breakfast was followed by a 3 mile hike to Chimney Rock. It was pretty steep at some points. Hmm, aren’t we supposed to get smarter as we get older?

Yes, we’re really going way up there!

On the way – the trail climbs from 6,500 to 7,100 ft, but seems like more

Carol gets to the end of the trail

A view from the top

We finished the day with laundry, some trailer maintenance and (sadly) checking the internet for the OSU vs. USC game score.

Day 34 - (09/12) Abiquiu, NM

We awoke to a beautiful, sunny day. It was a perfect day for a drive to Santa Fe on US 84 and 285.

South of Espanola the route passed through an Indian reservation with numerous casinos. One (called Thunder Buffalo Resort) was designed as a huge pueblo. We made note and kept on driving.

We stopped by the Santa Fe Opera (7 miles north of the city). Classical opera is presented here in an open-air theatre. It was closed for the season, but we were able to get a look at the setting high on a hill.

We got a Santa Fe “transfusion” by taking a 2 hour historical walking tour of the downtown. Our guide Donna was able to teach and show history while helping us avoid the chaos of a festival on The Plaza.

Note: the Santa Fe story is incomplete, we'll add more later.

The return to Ghost Ranch included great views of rain showers to the north. The lightning displays and shower falls were captivating. Carol got some exceptional sunset pictures.

Ooh!

Ahh!

Day 33 - (09/11) Abiquiu, NM

We drove from Taos to Abiquiu, NM via the High Road to Taos scenic route today. The journey ended at the 21,000 acre Presbyterian convention and retreat center called Ghost Ranch.

About the drive –
The 94 mile trip went from US 64 to NM 68 to NM 518 to NM 75 to NM 76 to US 84. We saw little traffic and few services between Taos and Espanola. It was a lovely, curvy drive that included forest and valley views. Small, isolated mountain towns appeared along the way. The church below was the historical highlight.

San Jose de Gracia Church in Las Trampas was built in 1760.

Along the way

These grow along every desert highway. Amazing!

About Ghost Ranch –
We’re parked in a desert campground 14 miles north of Abiquiu, approximately 2 miles off the main highway (US 84), in north-central NM. This is the most remote campsite of the trip.

Ghost Ranch has a long and intriguing history that includes cattle rustlers, ghosts, poker games, atomic scientists and dinosaurs. Famous artist Georgia O’Keeffe explored, painted and lived on Ghost Ranch for over 50 years.

Agape Center

View from campsite

We’re planning a driving tour to Santa Fe tomorrow.

Day 32 - (09/10) Taos, NM

Our tour of Taos today displayed dramatic contrasts in time. The sights included examples of life separated by more than 1,000 years.

We started the day with this view from the trailer.

St. Francis of Assisi Church, located 4 miles south of Taos, was built about 1710. It took 45 years to complete.

Taos Plaza

Taos Pueblo is considered to be the oldest continuously inhabited community in the US. These 5-story structures have been combined apartments and fortresses for over 1,000 years. The buildings are made entirely of adobe and have no electricity or running water. Approximately 30 families occupy the pueblo today.

Hlaauma (North House) - the buildings are actually many individual homes built side by side and in layers with common walls and no connecting doorways.

Adobe structures require frequent maintenance. At least 6 teams of workers were busily replacing and repairing adobe surfaces on the North House.

San Geronimo Church was built in 1850 as part of the Taos Pueblo.

View from Rio Grande Gorge Bridge (NW of Taos)

The Earthship Community is located NW of Taos, just beyond the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge. It provided a view of a new life style. The demonstration Earthship (visitor center) is a "totally off the grid" home. It's built from recycled materials: scrap tires, cardboard, cans and bottles ... it's solar powered and is passivley heated and cooled. It uses innovative catch water, grey water and black water systems.

The visitor center was closed, but we could look around at some pretty unusual stuff.

Earthship visitor center

Another Earthship home - under construction


Earthship visitor center out buildings - we don't know their function

Another Earthship home - very little shows above ground.

Did you know?

Kit Carson came to Taos when he was 16. Taos was his headquarters and home until his death in 1868.

Day 31 - (09/09) Taos, NM

What a difference a day makes! The 197 mile trip to Taos (via US 64E) exposed dramatically new terrain. We went from deserts and canyons to mountains and pine forests. The route passed through Apache and Taos Pueblo Indian Reservations.

US 64E headed for Taos

The afternoon temperature in Taos was 64° F, the sky was cloudy and rain was visible in the distance.

We did a brief tour of the Taos Plaza and had dinner at Antoino’s (135 Paseo del Pueblo Sur). Antonio’s was highly recommended and didn’t disappoint.

We're staying at Taos Valley RV Park. It's very nice here, sites are landscaped with sage and mountain views surround us.

Day 30 - (09/08) Bloomfield, NM

Today we caught up on internet activites and relaxed. We also discovered a local treasure ... the Aztec Ruins National Monument (6 miles north in Aztec, NM).

Contrary to the name, these structures weren't built by the Aztecs of Central Mexico. Aztec structures were strongly influenced by Chacoan design. The West Ruin consists of at least 400 contiguous rooms of three stories and numerous kivas (ceremonial chambers).

View from visitor center



Lower level, inside - rooms used for storage and burial

The structures are very well preserved. Excavation continues today.

This is The Great Kiva; it was rebuilt in 1934