Taos II

On Friday, we found a new hike between Questa and Red River.  The six-mile Columbine Canyon hike is south of Chevron’s massive molybdenum mine which is largely invisible from the trail.  This track follows a beautiful stream and, while it didn’t have the proliferation of columbines like the Williams Lake trail did, it was none-the-less delightful.

 Columbine Trail

We had long wondered how northern New Mexicans crossed the Rio Grande Gorge before the Gorge Bridge was built in 1965; the answer seems to be that they used the John Dunn Bridge which crosses north of the present highway, west of Arroyo Hondo.  There is a small gorge/canyon that is a stream drainage from Arroyo Hondo to the Rio Grande and the John Dunn Bridge is at river level.  We explored this area following our hike in Columbine Canyon and were pleasantly surprised to find 30 or 40 cars at the bridge.  It turns out that this is a major National Recreation area (that gets little or no publicity it seems) and is a popular input site for rafters on the Rio Grande.  A sign at the boat ramp indicated that the next exit spot was some 17 miles downriver.  Also, many small rocked in pools were being used by families for wading and general splashing around.  The river is relative tame this time of year, so it is a perfect spot for these kinds of activities.

Rio Grande River at the John Dunn Bridge

Of course the main crossing of the Gorge is US 64 from Taos to Tres Piedras.  The bridge used to be just a lonely stop with a beautiful view of the canyon and now it has turned into a bit of a circus.  It seems that someone figured out that if folks stopped there to take a gander they would be wanting to buy something, too.  So, venders of all kinds have set up shop on the side of the road to peddle their wares.  It’s obscene.

    Vendors at Rio Grande Gorge Bridge

Rio Grande Gorge from bridge on US 64

The Greater World Earthship Community is indeed a strange place.  Located just west of the Rio Grande Bridge and north of US 64 this straggly settlement of “earthship homes” constructed of old tires, used cans & bottles formed into bricks, solar panels, greenhouses, cisterns, recycled water, etc., consists of some seventeen dwellings with more being built.  The idea is that your home can be completely self-contained, requiring no utility payments of any kind and the ability to grow your own food at a sustaining level, depending on your commitment to vegan principles.  Needless to say, no one living here is now fully self-sufficient when it comes to food.  Apparntly, these homes cost about the same as current housing and are built to local code.  That also means that unless you are well off, you will have the usual mortgage requirement and won’t be living free.  While the concept is intriguing, the place is uglier than a baldheaded billy goat…I apologize to goats everywhere!  Given that the population of New Mexico is slightly over 2 million, seventeen households aren’t exactly overwhelming.

In addition to doing things we haven’t done before, the best part of our stay in Taos has been getting our Mexican food fix.  We grew up on New Mexican/Colorado style Mexican food.  While Tex-Mex food isn’t bad, it isn’t what we grew up with.  It has been wonderful to have long leisurely lunches with Negra Modello beer and stacked enchiladas smothered in green chili.