On to Taos and a stop at Chimayo Sanctuary

  Taos, New Mexico, United States
Saturday, July 19, 2008

Taos is another stop on our art gallery circuit. On the rafting trip the previous day, Julius mentioned that there was a high road to Taos that was much more scenic than the road that runs along the Rio Grande. We decided to go that way because it also went by Chimayo.

Chimayo Sanctuary

Chimayo Steeple

Chimayo has a sanctuary that is built on an Indian holy site. The soil is reputed to have miraculous properties, able to cure physical ailments. Julius told us during our ride to the rafting site that during Holy Week, the road to Chimayo is lined with pilgrims walking from as far away as Albuquerque. The church has a large parking lot, but it is not set up for large vehicles like us. We were able to get in and out, but it was challenging. We walked up to the church which was built in the early 1800s. The "little well" where the soil is available is just off the altar area. There were people taking quart containers of the soil with them.
 
There was also a small café associated with the church that advertises "The best tamales in New Mexico since 1976". Since it was almost lunch time and Deb loves tamales, we bought some and carried them back to the RV. We ordered a pork one and a chicken one for variety. Those and a glass of wine made a wonderful lunch. Even the dogs appreciated the leftover tidbits. Then it was back on the road.
 
The highway was very scenic, but also had many steep grades. This means constantly keeping an eye on the engine RPM and temperature. On the long grades, you have to downshift to keep the RPMs up and the temperature down, or the engine will overheat. Coupled with the winding nature of the road, it makes for a demanding drive.
 
We arrived in Taos and are staying at the Taos Valley RV Park where we stayed last November. It is only a few miles from the plaza and a fairly nice park. This weekend in Taos is the fiesta, Las Fiestas de Santiago y Santa Ana.

Mariachi Still

This annual fiesta was started by the town back in the 1930s to boost the local economy battered by the depression. The fiesta begins with a mass and the crowning of the fiesta queen and her court and then turns into a street fair, highlighting Spanish culture. The plaza is closed off and street vendors set up to sell their wares. There's a large stage with mariachi bands, dancers, etc. I captured a small video clip of one of the dance performances. As usual for our stay in New Mexico the skies opened and there was downpour including pea-sized hail. We slogged back through this to the supermarket parking lot where we had left the car. Deb, like Luna, does not like getting wet!

After the storm

We returned to the RV to get dried out and then went to Orlando's, one of our favorite restaurants in Taos. It's not very big or fancy, but serves great New Mexican cuisine. I especially like their grilled shrimp with a chile relleno. Deb's favorite is carne adovada, red chile-marinated pork. And it's very reasonable!

Orlandos