There are two routes from Sante Fe north to Taos. Both are very scenic. The Low Road follows the main highway up through the gorge of the Rio Grande. On Thursday, August 9th, we instead took the High Road, through the hills. We started on the same route (Highway 84 and 285) that we had the day before, but instead of turning west at Pojoaque, we headed east, on Highway 503. At Nambé, famous for its metal alloy used in art-dishware, we stopped at Sacred Heart Church, cordially let in by one of the parishioners, who said that we should also see the replica of the church in the graveyard across the road.
We then went into Nambé Pueblo, in order to see Nambé Falls. This required payment of a $15 fee (to the Pueblo) and a fifteen-minute walk, some of it a little steep and rough. Niagara it is not, especially in the dry season, but it was pretty, and led to a good, short hike. A group of kids was there, too, for a picnic at one of the ramadas, or picnic shelters. I think that they only took the lower valley walk.
Next, we went to the Catholic shrine and pilgrimage site at Chimayó. This was more developed than I remembered it to be from our last visit there, a number of years ago. Besides the main church, over 200 years old, with its "pocito," or "little well," where a crucifix was found in 1810, there is also an 1857 chapel in honor of the Christ Child of Atocha. At the pocito, pilgrims dig out "holy dirt," which is supposed to useful for healing various ills. For Mary Joy, "holy dirt" is an oxymoron, but we are, nonetheless keeping an open mind, though we did not ourselves take any. I don't remember that all the shops and other facilities for pilgrims and tourists existed the last time we were there.
We stopped for lunch at a Lonely-Planet-recommended cafe on the main street of tiny Peñasco: Sugar Nymphs Bistro. We had a very good light lunch there, that, unfortunately, didn't leave us room for any of their delicious-looking baked goods.
While we were eating, it started raining, and continued to rain on and off almost all the way to Taos. I think that the High Road is more impressive in better weather--at least, so I remembered it from the last time. We went to Dreamcatcher Bread and Breakfast, which was out in the country, in what didn't seem to be a great neighborhood, and it turned out that the owner, Mary Beth, had just taken over a week before. But Taos is so small that we were a five-minute drive from the Plaza, Mary Beth was very welcoming and our room, Kachina, was very, very nice, so our concerns were completely allayed.
We drove into town, easily found free parking, and wandered around looking in stores, or at least their windows. Taos is, like Santa Fe, an upscale, artsy town, and has been so since the early 20th century. The novelist D.H. Lawrence owned a nearby ranch, where he is now buried.
A rock band was playing on the Plaza, while we decided where to eat dinner, eventually deciding on Lambert's. The meal was good, but not outstanding.
We then went into Nambé Pueblo, in order to see Nambé Falls. This required payment of a $15 fee (to the Pueblo) and a fifteen-minute walk, some of it a little steep and rough. Niagara it is not, especially in the dry season, but it was pretty, and led to a good, short hike. A group of kids was there, too, for a picnic at one of the ramadas, or picnic shelters. I think that they only took the lower valley walk.
Next, we went to the Catholic shrine and pilgrimage site at Chimayó. This was more developed than I remembered it to be from our last visit there, a number of years ago. Besides the main church, over 200 years old, with its "pocito," or "little well," where a crucifix was found in 1810, there is also an 1857 chapel in honor of the Christ Child of Atocha. At the pocito, pilgrims dig out "holy dirt," which is supposed to useful for healing various ills. For Mary Joy, "holy dirt" is an oxymoron, but we are, nonetheless keeping an open mind, though we did not ourselves take any. I don't remember that all the shops and other facilities for pilgrims and tourists existed the last time we were there.
We stopped for lunch at a Lonely-Planet-recommended cafe on the main street of tiny Peñasco: Sugar Nymphs Bistro. We had a very good light lunch there, that, unfortunately, didn't leave us room for any of their delicious-looking baked goods.
While we were eating, it started raining, and continued to rain on and off almost all the way to Taos. I think that the High Road is more impressive in better weather--at least, so I remembered it from the last time. We went to Dreamcatcher Bread and Breakfast, which was out in the country, in what didn't seem to be a great neighborhood, and it turned out that the owner, Mary Beth, had just taken over a week before. But Taos is so small that we were a five-minute drive from the Plaza, Mary Beth was very welcoming and our room, Kachina, was very, very nice, so our concerns were completely allayed.
We drove into town, easily found free parking, and wandered around looking in stores, or at least their windows. Taos is, like Santa Fe, an upscale, artsy town, and has been so since the early 20th century. The novelist D.H. Lawrence owned a nearby ranch, where he is now buried.
A rock band was playing on the Plaza, while we decided where to eat dinner, eventually deciding on Lambert's. The meal was good, but not outstanding.
No comments:
Post a Comment