Nuevo Mexico

 

1-21-12

After a lot of nothing while driving through Kansas and Oklahoma yesterday, we finally made our way into New Mexico.   The scenery was very different from the plains that we had been driving in, which are quite boring.  We wanted to reach Taos, NM yesterday and we got there at about 9pm.  We did almost run out of gas before we made it to Springer, NM.  We surpassed our record for most miles to a tank of gas.  New record: 331.  It was few and far between gas stations at that point.  After a quick dinner of sausage, brussel sprouts, onions and pear topped with parmesan, at a picnic table in an abandoned little league field, we headed up the mountain to Taos.  We got into town when it was dark but it looked like a pretty funky town with pueblo style buildings and gas for $2.89/gallon.   So, we went to the local Native American Casino, played a Dean Martin Slot, used the facilities, and climbed into the back of our truck in the parking lot to sleep.  It was 19 degrees that night but we were quite warm with our new blanket, courtesy of Lance Corporal White and family. 

We awoke the next morning at about 7am and used the electric start from our bed in the back of the truck to warm it up.  All of a sudden we heard a knock on the drivers side window, then a knock on the truck cap windows.  The Pueblo Casino security guards came to see what we were doing and tell us that we weren’t allowed to park there.  We politely told them we were leaving, which worked out since we were leaving anyway.  The security guys didn’t seem too upset and we got ready to leave, but I wanted to get a picture first for the blog – you know, right?  Well the nice little Pueblo security guard came running back down the empty parking lot to make me delete my picture because we were apparently on tribal lands and weren’t allowed to take pictures – ooops.

Next, we went to Taos Pueblo which is the only living Native American community designated both a World Heritage Site by UNESCO and a National Historic Landmark. The multi-storied adobe buildings have been continuously inhabited for over 1000 years, they even still speak their own language of Tiwa.  They don’t have electricity and they walk to the small river running through the village every day to get their water.  We paid $17 to get in because I had to pay $6 just for my camera- dang!  It was worth it though.   

We drove on through New Mexico over the mountains and through the plateaus into Colorado.  We passed over the Rio Grande River Gorge on a really old bridge and cooked a hot breakfast at the rest stop there.  We passed an interesting village called Earthship which is composed of buildings made completely of recycled material and off the grid.  Interesting, but we decided not to pay the $7 per person for a tour.  We stopped and snuck into Salmon Indian Ruins which were pretty amazing and then hiked around an un-designated roadside trash dump in the rock canyon that also had quite amazing sandstone rock formations, and we didn’t pay for either of those.  We drove through the Pueblo, Apache, and Navajo Indian nations today, and got some cheap gas in the Apache nation.  We also patronized a native food truck to buy some Jumbo Fry Bread, which was excellent for $3 and the 12 year old girl who sold me the bread was wearing a Steelers shirt – coincidence?  We also bought some girl scout cookies, Somoas!!!!!  

We planned to drive straight through to Moab, Utah today, but got hit up by a wicked bad Rocky mountain snowstorm and decided to stop at a cheap motel in Dove Creek, CO until tomorrow when it’s supposed to lighten up.   I can use a warm place to cook dinner and a warm bed to sleep in tonight.  Tomorrow, off to Utah. 

FYI- Jon has been editing these and I think he has been putting Steelers bashing comments on these!  So, beware, but remember I still love the Steelers. 

Taos Pueblo, NM

Rio Grande River Gorge Earthship Home

Salmon Ruins                                                             

Roadside Rock Walk