day of Lisa's recommendations

Monday November 2

Taos Pueblo was closed until noon for “traditional activities”. They turned out to be one of the most important days in their yearly calendar, when they’re allowed to visit the graves of their ancestors, and I felt a little bit honored to be there on that day. Our guide, Jaro, was informative and also emotionally connected to life in and around the Pueblo. I was out of cash but wanted to leave him gratuiti, and then found out that Citizens’ bank considers the Pueblo nation a foreign country and refused to allow me to withdraw cash from an ATM on the reservation. So I wrote a check. Thanks, Citizens.

 

North big house and sacred Taos mountain

I stopped at the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge on (one of) Lisa’s (many) recommendation(s), which was scary! It’s the highest bridge in the US, I think, and honestly, if it’s not, I’m not sure I want to stand on the one that’s higher than it. There was a herd of goats or sheep on one side of the gorge who seemed totally nonplussed by the height. Good for them.

 

I cannot express how high up and scary this bridge is

Just a Monday to them

Further along the road I popped into Ojo Caliente for what may have been the fastest spa visit ever (my mom would have been very disappointed that I didn’t get my “money’s worth”). It took a couple of tries to find the hottest pool (the one that’s higher than the others, which gets the water directly from the spring!), and after sitting under the spout to sooth my cricky neck for a while I was off to the mud treatment area.

It looked like I was slathering on chocolate milk rather than mud, but when you sit out it does dry into a thin clay film, which felt pretty cleansing. Then again, it might have been the subsequent steam room time that really cleansed me. It’s hard to say. They also had great hot showers (I mean, they kind of have to).

By the time I made it to Tsankawi the sun had just gone down and it could arguably be said to be dusk, which is when the park closes. Stupidly, I decided to go in anyway, thinking, oh a 1 ½ mile loop can’t possibly take more than an hour. The first half of the loop is kind of sad, as it is a bunch of paths and ruins (piles of bricks/stones). The second half included some carved out rooms in the side of the rock and was really cool, but at that point it was getting dark and I managed the cliffwalk back to the car pretty much in the dark. Pretty foolish, but at least I have good night vision...

Bad judgement but cool spaces