Taos

I decided I needed to spend a day in Taos.  It is beautiful here!  This is where I'm staying.

I got up slowly and then headed up 64 north in search of a restaurant called Farmhouse Cafe.  It is a farm to table restaurant surrounded by artsy shops.  There is art here everywhere.  Even on the back of people's vehicles.

After breakfast I went to the Taos Pueblo.  It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  It is one of the oldest continually inhabited communities in the United States.  About 150 people live in the pueblo full-time.  Every building is made with adobe.

The St. Geronimo, or St. Jerome, Chapel was completed in 1850 after the original church was destroyed by the US Army during the War with Mexico.  I sat in the church for awhile, soaking up the sacredness of the space.  Eventually, I paid $1 and lit a candle and prayed for Donald Trump.

I strolled around the pueblo.  I always gravitate towards cemeteries.

There were outdoor ovens everywhere.

It made me decide I had to have some fry bread.  I chose the pumpkin fry bread.

When I left the Pueblo I headed to Rancho de Taos to see the San Francisco De Asis Catholic Church.    Construction of this church began around 1772.  It is adobe in the shape of a crucifix with buttresses. The website says it has a mystery painting, the Shadow of the Cross, painted by Henri Ault before the discovery of luminescent materials.  During the day it is a painting of Jesus by the Sea of Galilee. But at night it becomes a silhouette of Jesus holding a large cross above his shoulder.  Some claim to see it move.  The website says you can experience the painting in daylight and darkness if you stop in the gift shop and pay $3.  The gift shop was closed and I was disappointed.

I had read online that there is an awesome bridge over the Rio Grande gorge.  I decided to head there.

My weather app had warned me that wind was in the forecast.  I didn't think about what it would feel to be in the middle of this bridge when the wind was gusting through the gorge.

But I will do scary things in search of a photo.

Next I headed back to Taos and paid an exorbitant $10 to park my car just to stroll around.  I found the Taos Plaza.  It was ho-hum.  ButI did enjoy poking my head into a store filled with gems and fossils.  I wanted everything in the store.  I bought nothing.  I stuck my head in a few more shops.  I got some greeting cards and stocking stuffers.  I ended by going to the Taos Inn to get some food.  I returned before late to enjoy my room and go to bed early.