The drive from El Paso to Taos was an experience on it's own. Before this summer, I've never left the shady groves of the east coast. I couldn't stop taking pictures once we entered the "Land of Enchantment". As we neared Taos, the highway turned to state road NM68 which cut through the valleys of northern New Mexico. It was a scenic drive through sage-spotted hills, with a couple of small towns in between. A trio of tepees welcomed us to the southern branch of Taos.
Driving down US HWY 64 (a.k.a. "Paseo del Pueblo Norte") takes you straight through the hub of town. Once we passed the WalMarts, Wendy's and McDonald's, the road suddenly changed-- traffic slowed down and pedestrians popped out of hidden alleys. We passed the town plaza, where the streets are lined with adobe galleries, boutiques, and restaurants. Tourists were everywhere. California, Alaska, Colorado, Florida, Texas, Kansas, Massachussetts, we saw license plates from all over the place. People drove hundreds of miles to wander through the mysterious town of Taos. A mile down the road, kitschy shops came down to a trickle and cowfields interrupted the line of stores and supermarkets. We were on our way to the Mesa.
About four miles down, we hit the Ole Blinking Light, a four-way intersection that decides whether you enter the Taos Ski Valley, the mesa, go straight back to town, or leave Taos for the next town over, some 20 miles away. We made a left and headed to the mesa, where it seems that everything goes and no one really cares. Homes were sparce, save for the litter of trailer homes that appeared every now and then between sagebrush. Several miles ahead, we saw a steel cantilever bridge that connects the land divided by a 700-foot gorge carved by the Rio Grande. (Appropriately named the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge.) Vendors were set up on the roadside to add to the roadside curiosities. They were selling the same things you'd find in town- cowboy hats, turquoise jewelry, wooden carvings, emu oil, and "really good jerky." A colorful old schoolbus, dubbed the "Hippy Bus," sold ice cream and coffee. Not reccomended, unless you want to donate some bucks to the hippies who live in it. For the price of a scoop of ice cream, you can buy a pint of the same exact ice cream at a WalMart. Not a bad business plan- resell scoops of ice cream for the price you paid for the gallon.
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| View from one side of the gorge. Notice the clouds. |
There were two men with leathery brown skin sitting at a booth selling jewelry. I poked around their display tables and started conversation when one of them tried to convince me to buy something I didn't need. I asked him how long he's been making jewelry- "since always." I caught him say something in spanish and then I asked him where he was from. He replied that he was from Taos. Thinking that he didn't understand my question, I asked him where he learned spanish. But he insisted- he was a Taoseño. "Spanish is my language." He was born in Taos, raised in Taos, and will die in Taos, but spanish is his language. It struck me how deep the history of the southwest has soaked into the daily lives of the locals. Any other place in the country, people would identify that their family came from Mexico and passed the language to the next generation. Here was this guy, an American from Amurikah, asserting that spanish is his language. It's something I wouldn't expect in a place where you see "You're in America- speak English" bumper stickers flying around.
Another 1.5 miles and we noticed a pair of buildings by the road sticking out from the flatness of the mesa. They looked like something out of a Dr. Seuss book. We had arrived at the Earthship's visitor center. For the next month, we would be setting our camp about 500 feet from the visitor center. For the next month, these odd-shaped buildings marked the entrance to our home.
Enough of this long introduction. Needless to say, we learned a lot about Taos during our stay. On to more travel-related topics:
The town plaza is where you collect your Taos mementos. Many shops sell crafts allegedly made by the Pueblo Indians (After all, the Taos Pueblo is located 5 miles from town), but these will cost you a pretty penny. There was a nifty store (Seconds Ecostore) in the historic John Dunn Plaza that sold goods made out of recycled materials. I later learned that the owner's husband works full-time for Earthships. According to a brochure I picked up, 30% of the Taos population are artists, which explains why every other store is an art gallery. I never do more than window shop, but it's pleasant walking around, nonetheless.
The town plaza is where you collect your Taos mementos. Many shops sell crafts allegedly made by the Pueblo Indians (After all, the Taos Pueblo is located 5 miles from town), but these will cost you a pretty penny. There was a nifty store (Seconds Ecostore) in the historic John Dunn Plaza that sold goods made out of recycled materials. I later learned that the owner's husband works full-time for Earthships. According to a brochure I picked up, 30% of the Taos population are artists, which explains why every other store is an art gallery. I never do more than window shop, but it's pleasant walking around, nonetheless.
FOOD
We had a meager budget, but when ramen and canned food didn't satisfy our foodie tastes, there were a few places that relieved our cravings. The SuperSave discount foods store, located south of town had a wide selection of hispanic/mexican foods. During the day a tortilla machine prepares freshly-made warm tortillas. In the evening, they mark down the price of prepared foods. You can buy a good-sized chicharron burrito for no more than a buck. There is a yellow tamale truck parked permanently in the corner of the parking lot where you can satisfy your tamale/burrito/torta needs for relatively cheap.
If you're looking to dine out, skip all the restaurants and go to Doc Martin's. I gague good food on how many days/weeks/months after the meal I salivate thinking about it. Doc Martin's is it. With rattlesnake-rabbit sausages, elk burger, and bison steak, it has a menu for any exotic pallate. Their duck and goat cheese quesadilla with pumpkin mole was exquisite. The bonus: If you go between 5:00pm-6:30pm, you get a free entree (salad or chili).
It may seem unsurprising that Doc Martin's would shine after weeks of eating canned tuna, but we also ate at Michael's Kitchen Cafe and Bakery after a friend's recommendation. This place was more like a diner than any cafe and bakery I've ever visited. The restaurant is highly rated but the plate didn't meet my expectations. I wasn't convinced. Ultimately, it comes down to a matter of quantity over quality.
TAOS PUEBLO (http://www.taospueblo.com/)
This is what Taos is known for, and this is its primary source of inspiration. Native American influence is found everywhere, from kitschy tourists traps to fine art galleries. Wikipedia cites that 1,900 Pueblo people are living there today. They held a powwow during the time we were there, so we went to check it out. Everyone, including toddlers, were decked in bright colors, bells and feathers. Outside the performances, there was not much. Vendors circled the powwow with food and crafts and even more kitsch, but all was forgiven. They have to make money somehow.
We went to the pueblo on a cloudy day. Only a section is open to the general public. The rest is closed to non-members. There were small family-owned shops selling even more trinkets and mutts running around everywhere, with some curious white foks poking about. The Pueblo was old and tired. It felt as if the it couldn't stop sighing. The overcast made our visit a even more depressing. One of the shops had bare walls with beaded necklaces hanging on nails on one side, and some bags of horno-baked bread sitting on a table against the other side. At the entrance sat an elderly lady who sat like a statue and reminded me of a modern-day living ent. We gave her $4 and walked away with a slice of her homemade cherry pie. You don't say 'no' to anyone who resembels the ghost of your grandmother. As we stepped out from her shop a mutt jogged up to us. I took one look at him and my heart broke even more. Its left eye was infected. There was an oozing green and pink orb rolling around in its socket.
We walked around the perimeter but didn't stay too long at the pueblo.
HOT SPRINGS
There are several natural hot springs along the Rio Grande in Taos. I won't disclose their location for fear of spilling a local secret--they're not really advertised in any of the tourist brochures. However, anybody who lives there knows where they are, and Google probably has a plethora of information about them anyways. Ojo Caliente is the other set of hot springs. The town revolves around the resort and spa that was built around them. For only $20 you can sit in hot pools with other people. After weeks of living in the desert and doig manual labour, Ojo Caliente was a soothing escape. But I still would rather hike down to the Rio Grande and have a hot pool to myself. The view is unmatched.
THE MESA
The Mesa has a culture of its own. It attracted a filmaker to summarize the area and its people in an exaggerated documentary, Off the Grid: Life on the Mesa (released 2007). It is worthwile mentioning that while some of the people interviewed for the documentary do exist, the majority of those who live on the mesa just want to have an unconventional lifestyle. What is true is that the Mesa has a "Las Vegas effect" where what happens on the mesa stays on the mesa.
We picked up a hitchiker who told us he was 17, but looked no younger than 21 on our way to town one day. He hitchiked to Taos from Florida the previous year for the Rainbow Gathering. --Y'all are working for Earthships for free? Why? You're living in a tent? Sounds like you guys aren't well off, I can help you guys out, if you want. Sayyy, d'you guys need bud?-- says the 17-year-old with a 3-year old son in Florida. Plenty of irony in the fact that he pitied us, but all in good spirit. Told us that if we ever want anything, just wait in front of a downtown coffeeshop and someone will have what we're looking for us. Anything. Also told us that a we could buy a half acre of land on the mesa for $400. And that he's selling his van for $600, in case we were interested. Our exchange with the hitchiker is much more accurate than a 68-minute documentary.
Taos can be summarized in a comment another intern made- Taos is cool, but it does have a creepy side. Two murders and at least one suicide (off the Gorge Bridge) occurred while we were in town. Not to mention that a fellow intern was chased by a chainsaw while he was visiting a friend. Taos is a center of cultural and historical richness, but it does has its sinister side.
Nonetheless, the mystique and beauty of Taos is in its landscape. I miss being able to escape the busy noise of town and find tranquility in the desert. I miss watching sunset in a 360° panoramic spectacle of light against the mountains. I miss listening to the chorus of coyotes and seeing the milky way and the billion stars, and feeling infinite and insignificant against the grandeur of the natural world.
Taos can be summarized in a comment another intern made- Taos is cool, but it does have a creepy side. Two murders and at least one suicide (off the Gorge Bridge) occurred while we were in town. Not to mention that a fellow intern was chased by a chainsaw while he was visiting a friend. Taos is a center of cultural and historical richness, but it does has its sinister side.
Nonetheless, the mystique and beauty of Taos is in its landscape. I miss being able to escape the busy noise of town and find tranquility in the desert. I miss watching sunset in a 360° panoramic spectacle of light against the mountains. I miss listening to the chorus of coyotes and seeing the milky way and the billion stars, and feeling infinite and insignificant against the grandeur of the natural world.
Melodyta, eres ahora uno de esos antiguos guerreros regresando a reconstruir la conciencia universal que fue desterrada. Los Shamanes de los pueblos originales americanos te están protegiendo. Adelante!
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