Return to Taos, Taos Pueblo, Heading to Colorado: July 23, 2018

After checking out the mountain town of Red River where we stayed last night, we completed the second half of the Enchanted Circle through the mountains around Taos.  Red River is a scenic small mountain town with lots of restaurants and tourist shops.

 
The last half of the Enchanted Circle found us coming out of the mountains and back down to desert scrub. 

Back in Taos, we stopped at the Taos Pueblo, the oldest continuously inhabited residence in the United States!  College kids give tours around the community.  There are still 50 or so people living in the old Pueblos (North and South) without running water, electricity or sewers.  Many of these folks are elders who have lived there all their lives as well as some younger artisans that have shops to sell their beadwork, paintings, and pottery. 

The church in the central square.  Inside were gorgeous painted saints in bright turquoise blues (no photos allowed inside)

Painted "stained glass" church windows

Looking out from the church to the central plaza where traditional dances for feast days and pow wows are held

Many homes had interesting front doors

Remnants of original church that was bombarded by the Spanish during the Pueblo Uprisings, killing women and children who were inside  This was active cemetery until 2008

Many homes had these log-roofed that were originally used to dry meats, now just used for shade

An old home under rehabilitation

The ubiquitous oven - they load with cedar wood and burn till all ash, remove the ash, put in bread and seal up front and top draft holes and bake about 45 minutes.

Mountains around Taos

North Pueblo

South Pueblo

Lifeblood of community- a creek that runs all year.

We drove the short distance to downtown Taos (the town, not the Pueblo) to explore the central Plaza shops and had lunch at a great Mexican cantina.

After lunch, we headed west out of Taos to walk the bridge high over the Rio Grande - we can't seem to get away from this river!  

The Rio Grande is clear and fast-moving

This ram and his family hanging out by the Gorge

While Jack napped, I drove northwest and encountered these homes that had been on the local tv news the night before.  They are off-the-grid houses, fully self-sufficient for energy and some also have extensive greenhouses for growing food.  There probably a couple dozen homes spread over a couple of miles - some looked to just be a small sod-type home, while others were mansions!

Passed through some small towns with derelict housing and  rusting metal everywhere

Further north, we entered the mountains with lots of green pastures and cattle grazing.  We spotted real cowboys, herding cattle.  

We stopped in Chama, near the Colorado border for the night.  A great day!