Alpine Lodge & Hotel Red River

We visited the 1000+ year old Navajo Pueblo belonging to the red willow tribe. The day was sunny and very hot with sporadic clouds in the sky. During our visit just after the tour, we were hit by the most powerful thunderstorm that dropped lots of water, extreme lightning, thunder and pea sized hail. Attached are some of the pictures of Taos and the Enchanted Circle drive.
We stayed the night in Chama, NM home of the Cumbres & Toltec steam railway.

Taos is an eating extravaganza,
and our plans were no different. We had limited time and lots to do. 1st
eating sopapillas at Michaels along with Huevos Rancheros and a fresh green
chili sauce, then a walk around the plaza to look for either a coyote or
kokopelli sculpture for the backyard like we saw about 20 years ago. Wonder why ...

Twinks and I were on the road at 5:15a.m, on the way to Albuquerque, we had to pick up Dale at 12:40. We sailed along but I was watching the clock. Then I remembered that NM time was likely not the same as Oklahoma time. A rest stop was in order and after a quick bowl of cereal I found that the time was different so I had an extra hour to get to New Mexico.

We got into Albuquerque and down to the area but without thinking got off ...

... told if you are there early (opens at 8) you can smell baking bread and buy some hot out of the oven. Sounds like breakfast to me! And then to Salida, Colorado, where Sarah and Kaleb will come in later in the evening for the weekend with us, and hopefully Julie (Tom's Julie) too. Tom is up in South Dakota working at the moment and can't make it down - we'll try to catch him later on. Will be out of internet and likely cell contact for a few days. Colorado Rocky Mountain high!

I can't remember where I left off, but I am now back home and realize I did a bad job of blogging.  Maybe the fact that it truly was a restful one instead of one where we're running from one activity to the other.   For both Paul and I it was nice to have a few things on our calendars while not being slaves to our itinerary (read sleeping late, taking naps, staying up late).  I know that the first few days I slept till about 9am (if I hadn't committed myself to a few ...

... t until after we had raised the ti pi and gone on to other things that I found out that the native American that we help raise the ti pi was the head elder for the Taos pueblo nation. The purest of the the of bloodline, the head political figure, and leader of occasional sweat lodges. Looking back on it, it was an honor to have the opportunity to work with someone with such status and history. However, when we were raising ...

... if you haven't heard of Tinarawin, I suggest you do so very soon. The band was worth showing up for 100 times over, however the most interesting thing at the show was the audience. There was someone there from every kind of life imaginable. Old people, young kids, people with their children, travelers, locals, everyone you can imagine. The strangest thing was that besides looking at them, you couldn't tell them one apart from the others ...

Taos was a bit surprise. It must be nice when full of tourists, but imagine you are there in the beginning of the season with people wanting you pay for everything, for your every step or every picture. Is this the native spirit?? No, I am sorry, I donīt think so.

... The change in scenery from OK to NM cannot even be described....it is absolutely stunningly beautiful....too pretty to even describe. We were headed for what's called "The Enchanted Circle" along Scenic Route 64 and got a chance to take in Capulin Volcano National Monument, not long after we entered the state. Unfortunately, we weren't able to drive up to the rim of the volcano since we were hitched with the Eagle....even ...

The Plan: To spend a relaxing week in a scenic area with long soaks in natural hot springs. Take some hikes. Breath the clean mountain air. Chill out. Relax. Renew. Then drive to Mesa Verde and Moab. The Reality: We're overwhelmed by the options. Sand dunes to waterfalls, to rafting to Pueblo dwellings. A Gorge. Gary found a brochure on Ouray, a historic gold mining town, and the Million Dollar Highway. That's now on the must do list ...