Parts Unknown

 Sunday - April 13

Taos

Song - Taos Round Dance - Part 2

Slept in, grabbed a quick breakfast and headed to Taos Pueblo about 6 minutes up the road.

The Pueblo was much bigger than I remember from 39 years ago when we traveled there with our 3 year old son, Andy. We took a small group tour today which was led by a Native American woman named Bear and it was very interesting. I didn’t know that the doors were painted blue to ward off evil spirits. The photo above is just about 1/3 of the Pueblo community. 

 

The people living here get into their home from above

Above is the Geronimo Church which is their Catholic Church. The original (see the cemetery photo below) was destroyed in 1847 during the Mexican American war. 

The cemetery and the ruins of the original Geronimo church

Two bread ovens 

On the way home we passed a “pop up protest”. Only 8 - 10  people but very passionate.  Gave them the thumbs up through my open window and got lots of whoops and hollers.  Also, I love a hat that I saw today which said “Make America Gracious Again”!!! It is made by a small business in Santa Fe. 

We returned home and freshened up a bit then walked around the corner to the Kit Carson Home & Museum. Fascinating but ugly history. Carson was married three separate times. Tragically, his first wife, an Arapaho woman named Waanibe (or Singing Grass), died giving birth to their second child. He then married a Cheyenne woman named Making-Out-Road, which ended up in her divorcing him by putting his child & personal items outside of her tepee.  He eventually married a woman from Taos, Josefa Jaramillo.  She gave him seven children, they adopted 3 Navajo children which seems incredible since he helped wipe out several Native American villages - men, women & children. Josefa died 3 weeks after giving birth to their last child due to complications and Kit died several weeks after that from an aortic aneurysm. 

Had lunch at The Bent Street Grille in Old Town and it was so good!  We sat outside and the light breeze kept us at the perfect temperature. Mr. B had a Grilled Ruben and I had Huevos Rancheros with just the perfect amount of heat. We walked around the Plaza in Old Town window shopping then headed back to our hotel for Mr. B to rest and me to do some blogging.

The best part was meeting Thunder! 

In the evening we decided to have something light in the hotel bar. Music tonight was Charley Solito. Our waiter Michael was great and when we asked him about which route to take tomorrow to Durango, Colorado he told us to talk to the bartender, Clint. So after dinner we sat at the bar and talked to Clint. He actually was from Klamath Falls, Oregon. Has ridden his motorcycle over to Durango many times. When we told him that I don’t like cliffs, he suggested us taking the Southern route and told us to stop at Ghost Ranch & Aztec ruins on the way. Great people here!  Well except for Kit Carson…

I had asked Mr. B to pose for a photo in his new jean shirt and this was what I got after I took several bad shots and asked him to give me a “sexy” look. 

Thanks Guido that’s just what I was looking for!

 

Pink Moon in Taos

 Saturday - April 12

Santa Fe - Taos

Song - Harvest Moon by Neil Young

Pink Moon - the Farmers Almanac explains that the moon doesn’t actually appear pick but was named that because a pink wildflower was blooming then, a type of Moss Phlox.  

Grabbed a breakfast on the road from Starbucks in Santa Fe and headed north to Taos. We had mapped out four different stops on our way - two Native American cliff dwellings and two chapels. The first dwelling was Tsankawi Prehistoric Sites and it was interesting from the parking area but as we began to walk we found out the path had changed and it was now 1 1/2 mile hike with ladders so we just took photos from as close as we could get. 

The second one was Puye Cliff Dwellings but found out that it was closed so we headed East to the Santuario de Chimayo which looked like a sweet little Pueblo chapel but instead it was a packed local destination with tour buses and extremely religious groups. Most had large rosary beads around their neck some were carrying posts with the stations of the cross and many were elderly or ill and looking for healing. Apparently it is an 1860’s Catholic Church with “healing dirt” so it has become a pilgrimage for many. 

Some were even bathing their feet in the nearby stream. Power was out so the church was very dark with only candle light  and we were asked not to take any photos inside.  The second chapel was Santa Cruz de La Cañada and it was locked! 

 Oh well, we began heading for Taos with a quick stop along the Rio Grande River which flowed along most of our route.

Lot’s of mountains, mesas, snow topped mountains in the distance and loads of rocks and chaparral! Enjoyed a light lunch at our hotel and headed to our car to unpack. 

Music tonight was the Arellano Brothers Band which was a local folk country band with Mexican Mariachi influences. Excellent and fun!