After our late arrival in Taos the evening before, we spent overnight zonked out at the Sagebrush Inn & Suites - our first real taste of the Southwest, New Mexico style.
Breakfast was off to the right, eggs and bacon for Norm, yoghurt and french toast for Pam.
Death Valley Days comes to Sagebrush Inn. The Inn is actually a multi-building conference center. Being hosted while we were there was a "Priests Convention". We felt very safe.
A Sausage Mcmuffin without egg is still disgusting, Taos or no Taos.
Spent the morning browsing the shops in The Plaza in central Taos. With one season winding down and the other yet to begin, few people around gave the morning a laid back, relaxed feel. One store probably made 50% of its day's receipts off us - big spenders that we are. Could take our pick of parking spots (still metered, though).
Pam, becoming less selective in her choice of new buds; plus, Norm is forced to take the photo of this too cozy arrangement.
You could roll a bowling ball from one end of the walkway to the other without interference.
Now, this is more like it - a big teddy bear dressed as a ghost!
Norm posing with a wooden Native American...it's just not got the Pam zeitgeist.
As the joke goes, one day the Lone Ranger found out what this really means...
The Pueblo is the only living Native American community designated both a World Heritage Site and a National Historic Landmark. That's quite a record to uphold for those people still living there - who, by the way, are not to be disturbed by those who paid 16 bucks a pop to be invisible guests. This will not be an issue at Mesa Verde.
Not far outside Taos, the claim to fame of this National Monument is the bridge spanning the Rio Grande gorge. At 650' over the river below, it's the second highest bridge in the U.S. Highway system.
People hawking their souvenirs at the south entrance to the bridge. It was once called the bridge to nowhere because there was no funding to build the portion of the highway on its south side.
How to seem insignificant.
This is a bridge the pioneer wagon trains could have used.
Seen from the highway, this and the following structure is the Earthship Biotech World Headquarters and visitor center, also outside Taos. It was closed today, but typically offers tours of one of the buildings. The structures lean heavily to use of recycled and sustainable materials.
We had detoured from a direct route to Santa Fe to head for our third natural hot mineral springs, Ojo Caliente. Coming from Taos, It took a jog of quite a few miles to the west to reach. We really were ready to soak our bones by this time.
Ojo Caliente is one of the oldest natural hot mineral spring spas in the country, more than 147 years. It was deemed sacred by Native American tribes - archeological evidence shows that humans have visited the springs for thousands of years.
"Camp Caliente"
Ojo Caliente is the only hot springs in the world with four different types of mineral water. Over 100,000 gallons of the geothermal mineral waters come to the surface daily.
Eleven different pools with temperatures ranging from 80 to 105 degrees, well tended surroundings.
Get with your counter culture self.
The surrounding vistas are magnificent.
The pool in the foreground is at 104 degrees and was our favorite temperature-wise. The large pool in the background was a leisurely 89 degrees, good for a cool down.
Dip into this brown bath of watery mud, climb out into the sun and dry into a mud person. Yum. Then shower. Be gone, you toxins!
The view while relaxing in another of the pools.
Pam lolls in 103 degrees of mineralized bliss.
Norm relaxing in the lobby inhaling the smell of incense and other head shop aromas from the nearby gift shop, while listening to the haunting notes of Kokopelli flute music. At Ojo Caliente, New Agers rub up against those guests on pricey Roads Scholar tours. But once in the healing waters, all are equal.
After having our springs surfeit, we got chairs at the bar just before it filled with others who suddenly had the same idea. Two local brews and a margheritta pizza later and we were off for the hour and a half drive to Santa Fe, where we will kick back for three nights and two days. The Weather Channel is giving panic mongering rumblings about a change in the weather which will drop temperatures and bring rain storms to the Southwest. Perhaps there is a price to pay for our day after day of beautiful weather - but maybe not. All that we can do is bob and weave, bob and weave.
We drove 127 miles today.
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