* Taos, NM * January – February 2023 *
Coming to Taos my expectation was that it would be akin to Sedona, AZ. Taos is NOT Sedona. Maybe its little dirty cousin. Not dirty in a bad way. Just unsophisticated, less manicured, about as real as you can get. Take Sedona, remove the glitz and glam and you have Taos. Quirky, Mexican vibe, full of drifters, off the gridders, artists, and aging hippies.
In setting the base to understand Taos, it makes sense to start with the landscape. It is a typical, spectacular, high plains desert. Red dirt and sage brush abound. But the backdrop to this desert is the massive, awe-inspiring Sangre de Cristo Mountains.
It’s a rugged, take your breath away sort of beauty. Then layer on the architecture. 95% of the buildings are traditional adobe. The buildings are made from straw, clay, and sand, then parged with a mud mortar and supported by logs. The landscape and the buildings feel unified as one, structures rising from the earth itself. Below is a pic of San Francisco de sis Catholic Mission Church we attended for Sunday Mass. Check out the back of the church. Great example of the simplicity of the builds.
Accompanying these earth born structures, you next must layer on the dirt and the garbage. Most homes here remind me of junk yards. I think Taos has the largest collection of old pick-up trucks in the world. Not sure what percentage still run, but an impressive amount of them. Whether on the road or in the front yard, they serve as a testament to the dry arid weather. I assume the junkiness of the area is a result of the high level of poverty. Besides tourism, I did not see many other signs of industry. The local philosophy must be ‘Why toss a potential future resource?’ The locals were a mix of Mexican decent, native Americans, old hippies, and artists. It’s an eclectic and charming mix and the people are the heart of this land.
Although we only got a few days on the mountain, we enjoyed Taos Valley Ski Resort. The last day we skied they had 28 inches of powder in the previous 48 hours. They had roped off most of the tree skiing. Very odd. It is Presidents Weekend coming up so maybe they were trying to keep untracked powder stashes for the throngs of Texans that will descend upon the resort this weekend. The town of Taos and the Taos Valley Ski Resort are 40-minutes apart. One road in and one road out, so I can imagine it can get dicey when the roads are not cleared. The mountain is smaller than the big resorts off i70 west of Denver, which is good, it means less crowds. Good, advanced terrain, including many you must hike to. Saw one spectacular fall on a drop-in cliff. The skier was OK, but apparently broke a ski as he had to ski out the double black chute on one ski. Made for some solid entertainment watching that feat from the safety of our chair lift. Not much at the base. Lodging seemed limited. Just a few boutique hotels, a few restaurants, a few high-end stores, and a bar. The outdoor seating at the base was sunny and festive with a great view of the incoming skiers. Overall, a cool, fun vibe with a Swiss charm.
Another highlight of Taos is the food. Ample great restaurants, especially Mexican. We had four favorites. If you visit be sure to check out Antonio’s the Taste of Mexico. Get the queso dip! Also check out Ranchos Plaza Grill (open for breakfast and lunch), Gutiz Restaurant, and ACEQ Restaurant (about 20 minutes outside of Taos in Arroyo Seco).
For fellow RVers, we stayed at Taos Valley RV Resort. Nice, quiet park. Beautiful landscape. View was pretty. The staff was friendly and accommodating.
Taos proved to be a good launch spot for day or weekend trips. It is 2.5-hour drive to Wolf Creek. We ended up there one weekend chasing snow. We did not ski Angel Fire but looked like a great little ski town. Last year we stayed at Red River. Great town with a ski resort close to Taos. See earlier posts to check out Ojo Caliente Mineral Springs Resort. It’s a must visit if near Santa Fe or Taos! Be sure to check out Biotecture Planet Earth and the Rio Grande Gorge, just a 20-minute drive from Taos. Oh, and check out the posts on Santuario de Chimayo and Great Sand Dunes National Park. Easy drives from Taos.
Being trailer dwellers, we don’t shop much, but the shopping looked good. Cute boutiques for aging hippies like us. I did buy some cute bell bottom jeans at Boxy Tees and Bill got me some great soaps, bath salts and scrumptious moisturizers at Bison Star Naturals for Valentine’s Day. Simply divine! Thank you honey.
Curious to the vibe in the summer. But in the winter, it’s a bit sleepy, deeply authentic, and with a beauty from the people, the land, and the architecture that you will not soon forget.
