Taos, New Mexico

Hello all.......

We're here in Taos, New Mexico. It's a beautiful place out in the high desert...altitude here is 7000'. It's a land of sagebrush desert....you can smell it in the air. The first picture here is of the desert......right outside our window. We have a great spot in the campground at the end of a row, and have a view of the desert with mountains in the background. Since this is high desert, there are no large cacti like you would think. There are low ones, and mostly just sage.

This town has an average of 300 days of sunshine a year, and 35" of snow in town. In the Taos ski valley, they get an average of 305". The mountains surrounding this town are towering.....we plan to take a loop trail today thru some of the mountain towns, to get a better feel of the area.

Today, Taos remains true to it's roots: a small, sophisticated, multicultural community combining traditional ways with progressive ideas. Historic buildings, once haciendas or trading posts,now house an intriguing mix of stores, restaurants and art galleries. There are 80 art galleries in the downtown area, with artists being 30% of the population here. There are six museums, including one of Kit Carson, 156 restaurants, and 62 Churches.

There is skiing, mountain biking, hiking, rafting, and horseback riding for the more adventurous. It really is a fun environment for just about any taste.

The Rio Grande River runs thru a beautiful gorge here, and we stood on this bridge to take some pictures. It was somewhat disconcerting, as you can feel the bridge swaying up and down with the fierce winds that blow thru here. Needless to say, we didn't stay on it long!

We're finding that no matter where we go, the land changes in a myriad of ways. But... it's always beautiful and we can appreciate the charm of each place. God knew what He was doing when He created this gorgeous country of ours.

Take care all, and I'll see you down the road.

Love.......Kathie