Road Trip v.2 (Part 10): Taos and Santa Fe

Cartoon house

Gorge

The road from Durango to Taos was stupid, looping me down into New Mexico, back up to Colorado, and back down into New Mexico. I get it; mountains are big. Still, I was annoyed. At least I passed several snow-capped mountains and lovely valley villages. The other bonus of my route was the really bizarre houses built into the New Mexico countryside. Literally, built into the countryside. They were brightly colored adobe style houses that looked like they were half-buried in the ground. The architectural style was what I would describe as Fisher-Price Chic. It looked like living in a cartoon. So basically, the type of house I would like. On the way into Taos, I made a stop at the Rio Grand Gorge. A narrow bridge crosses the Rio Grande at a particularly deep point. People are allowed to walk onto the bridge to view the Gorge from above, as long as you can handle the swaying of the distressingly old bridge every time a car passes

I arrived in Taos and headed straight for the Taos Pueblo. Many of the adobe buildings in the Pueblo were built over a thousand years ago. The main structures were built between 1000 and 1450 A.D. The most amazing fact is that it has been continuously inhabited since that time. Most of the rooms and buildings house shops and galleries of Native American artisans. Some actually live in a few buildings, despite the lack of modern utilities. I was told that the majority of the people live on nearby land or on the reservation, so year-round occupancy in the original Pueblo buildings is likely relatively low. Still, from the posted signs and general goings-on that day, it seemed that the Pueblo plays a central role in ceremonies, rituals, and general governance.

I stopped at a gallery where an elderly lady was painting her clay works. We had a good conversation about the Midwest, namely the Kansas City Chiefs football team. Lawrence, Kansas, is home to both the University of Kansas and Haskell Indian Nations University. After talking to several different Native American individuals in both Taos and Santa Fe, I discovered that a surprising number of people in the Southwest had a connection to Haskell either by attending it or knowing a loved one who did. Turns out this woman's husband was once a track star at Haskell and instilled in her a love of all things Kansas and Kansas City, including Jayhawk basketball. Obviously, I had to buy something from her.

I also talked to a young woman who told me a bit about the history and demographics of the Pueblo while making me a deliciously fresh Indian Flatbread in a makeshift living room. She had actually lived in Lawrence and attended Haskell. As for the flatbread, it was delicious, but I owe her $2. After I ate, we discovered that nobody nearby could make change for me to cover all $5 for the treat. I felt rather guilty for partaking in her delicious homemade good.

Taos Plaza

In Taos, I visited a few other sites, including the main Plaza and an awesome toy store where I looked at buttons for twenty minutes. I'm easily entertained. I also visited the Kit Carson house, which was mildly informative. Kit Carson was a frontiersman credited as a major player in westward expansion and settling the Southwest. His house was well-preserved, but three rooms and a twenty minute History Channel video was not worth the entrance fee. I only went because I was running out of activities during my day in Taos. All in all, Taos was kind of a dump. The landscape was beautiful and I enjoyed visiting the Pueblo, but I was expecting a bit more. Perhaps I would appreciate Taos more if I cared about its proximity to awesome winter sports.

The sunset made up for anything that was lacking.

I left for Santa Fe just as it was getting darker, dreading the drive down a small highway in the dark. I stopped along the road to take a picture of the pink and blue disc-like clouds just as the sun was setting in the distance--a color in the sky that we had noticed in Arizona, and which Kim had aptly described as a pretty prom dress. I kept going and almost drove off the road when I saw the show the sun was putting on just before its bedtime. I pulled off again to take-in what looked like a horizon set on fire. I've seen a lot of great sunsets, but I don't think I've seen one so confoundingly breathtaking.

Artisans selling outside
Palace of the Governors

Santa Fe Plaza

When I got to Santa Fe, I was a hungry bear. I looked up a few food spots and embarked on an epic food fail, beating that of our frenetic, hungry afternoon in San Francisco. The first place I stopped on the Santa Fe Plaza did not serve dinner on Sundays. The second place was a few minutes outside of the heart of town, but it was touted as a cheap greasy spoon spot that was really popular with the locals. I found it pretty easily. Closed! I remembered seeing a restaurant open on one of the corners in the Plaza and decided to settle on that. I inadvertently walked into one of the spots I had seen online and vetoed because of its price-tag. I didn't realize it until I received the menu. I considered walking out, but was too hungry. Cafe Pasqual had received great reviews and purportedly had delicious food. I was broke, however, and not in the mood for a fine dining experience. I was awkwardly sat at their public table in between three sets of couples of varying ages on romantic getaways. I should have brought a book to read. Instead, I tried not to stare at any one person. The menu came out and the cheapest item I could order were veggie enchiladas for $30. Bah. Ordered. Eventually a few couples left and a few other parties of single diners arrived. They had books to read and fat pocketbooks to order whatever they wanted. Arrgh grumble grumble. The enchiladas were actually pretty good. Didn't blow my mind, but innovative, fresh ingredients pleased me. I'm a spice weakling, and the green sauce was a bit spicier than I expected. I was the lonely, bored diner, drinking water and ordering the cheapest item, while also dripping tears from my eyes and snot from my nose every time I took a bite. The guy next to me actually leaned over to ask if my dish was really that spicy while I was barbarically wiping my nose on the linen napkin. Not my night. I was tempted to order a dessert because they actually looked really good. Then I remembered what I paid for dinner and left.

The next day was a big one. By the end, I had mastered Santa Fe's confusing roads. First, I visited the Plaza, which was much prettier than the Taos Plaza. I stopped at the Palace of the Governors, which is the oldest functioning government building in America (or so the lady at the Christmas ornament store told me). It was closed on Mondays, so I couldn't go inside. I did stop to view what the Native American jewelry-makers were selling on the sidewalk in front.

San Miguel Mission

Somewhat Mysterious stairs

Wood window bars: Oldest House in USA
must have been in a rough neighborhood
where hoodlums had no access to saws...or their foot.

Santa Fe is heavy on historical churches. First, I visited the St. Francis Cathedral, which I had also seen aglow in its evening lights after dinner the night before. Then, I checked out the San Miguel Mission, a church built in the 1600s and known as the oldest church structure in America. Some of the relics inside the Mission dated back to the 1300s. On the way to the Mission, I walked by what New Mexico claims is the "Oldest House in the USA," also built in the 1600s. Because I like odd things, my favorite church stop was the Loretto Chapel. Inside the Chapel, there is a staircase with allegedly miraculous origins. When the church was originally built, it was lacking a staircase to the choir loft. The Sisters of Loretto, who were apparently uncomfortable with ladders, prayed for a staircase to be built. Then boom, out of nowhere, some vagrant shows up and offers to do it. He leaves before anyone can talk to him, thank him, or pay him. The true wonder of the staircase is in its design. It's a spiral staircase without any central or lateral supports. (The handrails and an additional support were added later.) No screws or nails were used in its construction, though wooden dowels hold it together. Architectural-types eventually examined the stairs. The structural technique was uncovered, and not quite the miracle it appears to be--though the private owners of the church who charge you $3 to enter might disagree. Still, the design and craftsmanship is worth seeing.

Davis Mather Folk Art Gallery

Canyon Road sculptures

Santa Fe is the one stop on the road trip where I was really lamenting being broke. I could have blown a fat stack on all the amazing art and jewelry galleries. I wandered through several galleries on Canyon Road, a street lined with countless art, craft, and jewelry shops. I pretended to have money (which is hard to do when you're wearing a hoodie) and collected a lot of business cards ... just in case...someday...next time? I visited the Davis Mather Folk Art Gallery, where I explored colorful Oaxacan and South American folk art for almost an hour. The Georgia O'Keeffe museum was last on my list. They are supposed to have the largest collection of her works in the country, but they apparently don't like to display much. It was a small museum and I went through it in about fifteen minutes. Though it was disappointing, I'm glad it led me past two of my favorite galleries: the Andrew Smith Gallery of photography and the Chuck Jones gallery. The photography gallery was a two-story house full of amazing original prints from big names like Annie Liebowitz and Ansel Adams. The average price tag on the pictures was in the tens of thousands. Chuck Jones was one of the original Warner Brothers animators. In that gallery there were dozens of cartoon screen prints from Jones as well as other famous animators, including Dr. Seuss.

Chocolate Elixir

Throughout the day, I went on the Santa Fe "chocolate trail." Santa Fe chocolate artisans are plentiful and skilled. I went to the four major chocolate makers and sampled everything from truffles, to almond bark, to caramels, to chocolate elixirs, to spicy chocolate ice cream. My lunch. After my long day and sugar-induced queasiness, I ended my evening at El Parasol, the popular hole-in-the-wall where I tried to eat the night before. Everything in New Mexico has green chile. Green chile stew and green chile burgers seemed to be the most ubiquitous. I ordered one of the specialties, the green chile burger. While waiting for my order and after reading articles on the wall, I went back and ordered a chicken taco as well. My Santa Fe trip ended beautifully back in my hotel room. Green chile burger: destruction. Chicken taco: dessert. Laying in bed watching football: done. Belly rub: in progress. I felt like a fat dude.