On our second sojourn out to see the famous Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque we visited in 2018 the interesting New Mexico town of Taos.
It is over a two-hour car-ride, or 130 miles away from Albuquerque. The area is well worth exploring for at least two nights if not more.
The area was settled in 1610 with Spanish settlers. The Taos Pueblo Indians were close by, but we will discuss that further in this expose. The town was officially founded in 1795. Like most Spanish influenced cities, there is a large plaza in the center of town. On one side is a La Fonda Hotel, not as large as the one in Santa Fe.
There are definitely several quaint areas in downtown Taos.
This is the town where the famous trail-blazer Kit Carson once lived. His home is a National Landmark in the community.
Dime novels made Kit into a legend. It is ironic that Kit was actually illiterate. Kit once said, “I was a young boy in the school house when the cry came, Injuns! I jumped to my rifle and threw down my spelling book, and that it lies.”
He did guide the famous John C. Fremont into California and Oregon to name a few of many of his famous exploits. He was a U.S Army officer during the Mexican War and even during the Civil War.
Taos is one of the few communities that can fly a USA flag 24/7. This was due to the leadership of Kit Carson during the Civil War. In Taos, the flag on the pole was protected from Confederate sympathizers.
The flag can only fly 24/7 in just and few places in the United States such as the White House, Washington Monument, the Capitol, Valley Forge, the Iwo Jima Memorial, Pearl Harbor, Gettysburg and Fort McHenry in Baltimore.
Kit was known as “an Indian fighter.” Ironically, two of his three marriages were involved with woman in the Arapaho and Cheyenne tribes.
Kit learned his tracking skills while living amongst the indians. He met up with the famous mountain man, Jim Bridger. There is a picture of Jim in the Kit Carson Museum:
Who may recall Leonardo DiCaprio in the movie “Revenant” playing the life of Jim Bridger, who was left to die after being attacked by a bear. Everything is true about that movie except the ending. Jim never did kill the man who left him to die. Actually, the real Jim forgave him.
If you have any interest in Kit Carson, the museum is adequate. There is a short video that one can watch to gain a perspective with this fascinating man. This is where I learned that Kit lost a young daughter who fell in a pot of boiling water.
His last marriage was with a young Mexican woman (14 years old), Josefa Carson, and they had eight children.
Josefa had complications with the eighth child, and she died at the age of 40. Kit was devastated and died a month later at the age of 58 in 1868. These two are buried in a small cemetery close by in a park. Well worth while seeing if you are interested in the Wild West.
We choose to stay at the comfortable El Pueblo Lodge.
We were greeted by the door by two friendly, but sleepy dogs.
There were also freshly homemade cookies which were a nice treat.
The lodge is quite extensive. It was once an “apple orchard” and some of the old trees can still be seen.
Our room was very large, maybe one of the largest we have even had. It had wooden beams on the ceiling. An old-style AC that was more than adequate as the temperatures in late September dipped into the forties. The bathroom was small but doable.
What is nice about El Pueblo Lodge is the extensive breakfasts.
Across the street is “The Burger Stand” restaurant. They’re burgers are absolutely delicious.
The Lodge was no more than a twenty-minute walk into this historic town. Like most cities, there was a constant traffic jam on route 64.
We spent one day driving the 84-mile loop known as the Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway.
This beautiful route literally circles Wheeler Peak which is 13,161 feet high. The area of Taos is well known for its ski sloops.
We deviated bit for five miles to see the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge which is about 600 feet above the Rio Grande River. It was built in 1965 and is currently the tenth highest bridge in the USA. For a while, it was known as “The Bridge to Nowhere” as the road east did not exist for many years.
Walking the bridge, we did notice a hotline for “suicides.” Nearly three people a year, more than 125 people committed suicide off this bridge. It is a problem.
As mentioned, we traveled in late September. Fall was just beginning along the mountain.
We thought the village of Red River is quaint and worthy of a stay. It is well known for its skiing.
Near the resort of Angel Fire, is the Vietnam Veterans Memorial State Park. This stop is well worth seeing.
Victor and Jeanne Westphall dedicated this area for their son, David, who died with 16 other men in a battle near Con Thien in 1968. One can argue that this Memorial inspired the one in Washington D.C.
There is a neat informative museum about the Vietnam War. At our visit, the museum was playing the video “Hearts and Minds,” a famous documentary about the war.
The Moreno Valley is quite stunning.
We left going to the World Heritage site of Taos Pueblo the following day.
This adobe style village is the oldest continuously inhabited community in the USA. It has existed since 1000-1485 AD. Members from the famous Spanish conquistador Francisco Coronado expedition stopped here in 1540 looking for the Seven Cities of Gold.
We were the second party to arrive at the office to purchase our $16-dollar adult entry tickets. The person in charge never showed up! In front of the complex is a Memorial to all those that served and died in various wars.
There was a considerable number of members who were involved with in the infamous Bataan Death March in WWII. It has been estimated as many as 18,000 Pilipinos and 650 Americans died in April of 1942. This forced Japanese march of nearly 70 miles was done without water or mercy.
I did ask the young Pueblo guard if I could quickly walk-through the complex. The young man complied to my wish. I took these pictures.
I was not supposed to go into Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish church, but did.
I took these exclusive photos.
