Road Trip DAY 5
Itinerary
Tour within Santa Fe or drive to Taos
Things to see
Taos
People come here to buy everything from fine Southwestern art and
traditional native crafts to ceramics, leather goods, jewelry, and
imports from all over the world.
This community-wide celebration of the holiday traditions of Northern New Mexico includes arts and crafts fairs, the lighting of the farolitos around Taos Plaza and historic district, and ceremonies at Taos Pueblo. Taos Ski Valley celebrates with a beer festival, a torchlight parade and fireworks. Local museums and galleries host holiday exhibitions. Restaurants plan special holiday wine dinners.
Driving the Enchanted Circle
A popular day trip from Taos or Santa Fe, the Enchanted Circle follows a high mountain route through Carson National Forest, circling Wheeler Peak, New Mexico's highest mountain at 13,161 feet.
Along your drive, you'll find lots of places for a nice picnic, but pick up your meal (or snacks) before you leave Taos, especially if you're visiting during spring or fall shoulder seasons, when many places along the drive may be closed.
Leave Taos going north on US 64/NM 68. This 80-mile drive takes about 2 hours with no stops.
On the north edge of Taos is the Taos Pueblo. Here you'll find a community continuously inabited for over 1,000 years, built in a distinctive multi-storied style.
Pueblo de Taos
Situated in the valley of a small tributary of the Rio Grande, this adobe settlement – consisting of dwellings and ceremonial buildings – represents the culture of the Pueblo Indians of Arizona and New Mexico.
Museums: http://www.taoschamber.com/museum.htm
Accommodations
Second night at La Fonda.
M-Journal
So, forget about Yuletide in Taos. Or, we did, anyway. It may be very nice, I'm not knocking it. We just decided it would be nice not to spend yet another day in the car. We actually did very little -- a bit of shopping: there is a bookstore in Santa Fe that Paul particularly likes, and I wanted to get a couple souvenirs, and we went to the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture. I was not expecting a lot from the museum, and was pleasantlly surprised. They had an exhibition called "Unraveled Secrets," by Sonya Kelliher-Combs, whose acrylic paintings really struck a chord with me. They were translucent and had thread and strings of tiny beads incorporated.
Supper was at the Coyote Cafe, which Paul had wanted to eat at the first time we went to Santa Fe, but it was closed. It had been closed all the way up until this day, also. We got a reservatin on the first day after they reopened. Apparently they make a habit to close for a while in December to do maintenance, since business is generally slow. Which was the case that night, there were only a couple other tables being served. The concierge had been very reluctant to make the reservation, saying that it was not considered one of Santa Fe's best restaurants any more, and it was not consistent. Her misgivings made us nervous. It was a good meal, though.
