Day 13: Santa Fe and a Taste of Taos

Since we were a little backed up on posts, here are two to enjoy! We were too busy last night enjoying the beauty of Taos to bother with technology!

In the morning, we said goodbye to Caitlin and Albuquerque and headed north to Santa Fe. The drive was only about an hour (an hour long drive seems like nothing to us now) and when we got into the city, we parked near the Plaza to walk around. The Plaza in Santa Fe is a large city square surrounded by shops, restaurants, historic buildings, and art galleries. We stopped in a local oil and vinegar store and chatted with the owner, who had just moved to the area from Seattle. We met some local artists with prints and jewelry for sale on the streets, and of course handed out some post cards.

After lunch, we went to this part of town called the Railyard, which is (not surprisingly) near Santa Fe’s old railway station. This collection of shops and restaurants just opened in 2008, so everything was pretty new. We read that all the new buildings were made with environmentally friendly materials and used sustainable energy (whatever that means these days), so Ashley gave the Railyard an A+. Not much was open and not many people were around (it would have been a little weird had there been hoards of people shopping and dining out on a Monday at 2:30pm…), so we decided to check out Canyon Road, an area of town known for its art galleries.

Canyon Road was incredible. We couldn’t even count how many art galleries there were on this flower-lined winding street. Every single building was a different gallery, studio, or sculpture garden. There was Native American art, contemporary art, photography, mixed media, and metal crafting. We must have gone in at least 20 galleries, but we weren’t even able to finish half of the street. Some advice if you ever visit Santa Fe: allow at least a whole day to explore this part of town. It is well worth it. We had a great time exploring the galleries and picking out what pieces we would buy for our (nonexistent) homes with our (very nonexistent) money. It was a fun game to compare our tastes in art though – some pieces we both fell in love with and others we had very different opinions about. The painting class we took in the spring definitely gave us an appreciation for some of the more modern, abstract pieces.

Around 4pm, we somehow tore ourselves away from the Santa Fe art scene and started our journey to Taos. The hour-and-a-half drive probably the most breathtaking drive we’ve ever been on. The mountains towered above the side of the road, taller than any buildings we’ve seen, and the canyon gorges cut so deeply into the brown clay earth that we swear if you jumped in, you’d hit lava. We passed tiny towns and fruit and vegetable stands on the side of the road, and stopped to take pictures along the way. We were completely struck by the geography and talked about all the different ways these landforms could have been created, why the mountains were flat plateaus, etc. Where we drove through felt like an entirely different world – like a deserted paradise. It took an incredible amount of self-control for Meredyth to keep her eyes on the road and not out the window during the drive. Just when we thought the New Mexico couldn’t get any more awesome after leaving Santa Fe, this drive confirmed that we hadn’t seen ANTYHING yet…

When we drove up to the house where we’d be staying the next two nights, we died on the spot and LITERALLY went to heaven. If this place isn’t part of the afterlife, we’re not interested. India’s house is incredible. The view of the mountains, canyons, and Taos itself is incredible. There is a gorgeous front, back, and side yard complete with an apple tree, hot tub, and gorgeous flowers. The house itself is full of beautiful art, antiques, books, pictures, pillows, pottery, and fireplaces… one stunning room leads to another, and everything about the house is charmingly picturesque. We sat on the pack porch and watched the sun set, ordered a pizza, and relaxed all evening. Meredyth counted her lucky stars (literally!) from the hot tub while Ashley curled up in the Master bedroom’s bed so fluffy and cushy you might just be able to disappear in it under the covers. We completely understand if those of you reading this are ravaged with envy (we’d be jealous too) but there’s just no way we could sell this place short. We can’t wait to see what Taos has in store for us tomorrow!

- Miles to go: 1,250

- Total Post Cards Given Out: ??

- Post Cards Received: 2 (we got another from our yoga teacher in Ohio!)

- States Traveled: VA, MD, WV, PA, OH, KY, TN, MS, LA, TX, NM