Trip #11: Taos and Santa Fe, NM

October 3 – 7, 2008

TAOS WOOL FESTIVAL – Kit Carson Park, Taos, NM

SANTA FE, NM

Taos Camp Elev: 6,950  Hi: low 60s  Low:  probably about freezing in the am

Santa Fe Elev: 7,000 Hi: high 60s Low: not quite freezing

She's smiling 'cuz she's going to the wool festival!

First trip ever to the Taos Wool Festival! Leaves are bright yellow, weather overcast and cooler for the trip. Stayed at Monte Bello RV park near the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge near Taos. Petty windy, rained at night and snow appeared on the tallest peaks in the distance. Saturday I went to the wool festival, then later we went to the Millicent Rogers Museum, very interesting. She was an artistic socialite who fell in love with Taos and had lots of money to burn—born the granddaughter of Standard Oil financier Henry Huttleson Rogers at the turn-of-the century. Later we checked out the town and the always busy Taos Inn for margaritas. Sunday was another dreary day with light rain, but had to hit the festival one more time and also toured Kit Carson cemetery and Mabel Dodge Luhan’s house (Mabel was a yet another socialite from Buffalo, and Dennis Hopper once owned her house in the 1960s after Easy Rider). Early afternoon we headed to Santa Fe to get the Touareg serviced, driving along the Rio Grande. In Santa Fe, we stayed at the full-hookup Ranchero de Santa Fe RV campground about 8 miles from town. Discovered Harry’s Roadhouse for dinner, fun place, good food. Monday the car went in for service so we hit the town shopping, toured the Georgia O’Keeffe museum plus, of course, made a stop at our favorite SF restaurant, Maria’s. Best margaritas around. Warm and sunny day. On the way home we made an unplanned stop in Abiquiu at the Ghost Ranch (Georgia O'K put it on the map), cool place. Tallest mountains have some snow, even Wolf Creek and LaPlatas. 230 mi one way to SF

Area Info: Taos is home to more than a dozen sites on the National Register of Historic Places. These include the Ernest L. Blumenschein House, the Kit Carson House, the Mabel Dodge Luhan House, the Governor Charles Bent house, and the Taos Inn. Three miles north of Taos is the Taos Pueblo; further north is the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge.

View out the door in Taos

It was a beautiful drive to Taos that fall day.

Ever heard of an "earth ship"? There are many of these green structures on the way into Taos.

Rio Grande Gorge bridge. That speck is our car in the parking lot in the background.

A long way down.

At last!

Live wool.

Mabel Dodge Luhan's house, Taos - quite a story there if you feel like googling.

Bird houses outside. Don't know if Mabel added these, but if she did, she's OK in my book.

Indulge me while I show more of Mabel's crib -- as you can see I was quite taken with this place.

If these doors could talk -- so many famous artists walked though them. Google it I tell you!

Mabel's dining room. This is a B&B now, what am I waiting for.

They were kind enough to let us roam around for some pics. Love this room.

You can't go to Taos without checking out this place.

On a corner in Taos: Will flamenco for food. 

New camp: Santa Fe.

Georgia made the walk of fame in Santa Fe.

Guess I felt like shooting B&W after seeing the B&W prints at the G O'K museum...

Driving toward the Ghost Ranch in Abiquiu, NM

Area near the Ghost Ranch

Apparently they found this guy in the land around the Ghost Ranch - a big dino gator!

Here comes winter.