Taos, New Mexico–Land of Enchantment

Lounge Area at Inn on the Rio - photo from www.innontherio.com

I have been away for too long.  Today I would like to share about my trip to Taos, New Mexico the first week of May.

Bill and I went to Taos for some refreshment and touristy stuff.  I had never been there before, and I had a great time.  We stayed at a friendly relaxed bed and breakfast called Inn on the Rio.  Jules and Robert were fabulous hosts.  Our rooms were on the ground floor with our own entrance from outside, like a motel.  The b&b is an adobe structure with bright painted flowers around the doorway and cute decorative art in bright colors.

It was a short walk from our room to the dining area where Jules and Robert served us breakfast each day.  They are both excellent cooks and wonderful conversationalists. My favorite dish was a frittata that Julie made the first day.  It contained cream cheese, Vidalia onions, and mushrooms.  It was light as a feather and scrumptious.  

The Plaza

We spent time at the Taos square in the middle of town.  I enjoyed shopping and added a piece of Navajo horsehair pottery to my beginning collection.  It is my second piece.  The shops offer lots of different unique items, the shopkeepers are delightful, and prices are mostly reasonable for us everyday traveler type folks.

The Gorge Bridge

We also went out to the Gorge, where there is a bridge over the canyon of the Rio Grande.  We enjoyed looking at that.

Gorge Bridge over Rio Grande near Taos NM

Taos Pueblo

The Taos Pueblo is located on the north side of town.  It is the oldest continuously inhabited structure of its type in North America.  The Pueblo tribe has lived here for about 1000 years.  I did not have an opportunity to walk around there, although it is open to the public.  It is fascinating.

Arroyo Seco

We also drove up the road to Arroyo Seco, a small spot in the road where there are a number of cute shops.  We went there about 10:00 am in the morning, and many of the shops were not open yet.  I did get to visit a shop that was open.  It was a gift shop, and the lady tending shop told me that Julia Roberts is one of their customers.  She said that Julia Roberts is a resident of Arroyo Seco.  I did not know that, but I do not keep up with celebrities on any regular basis.

High Road to Taos

Taos is not too far from Santa Fe, so we jumped in the car and took the High Road to Taos in the opposite direction.  We took it to Santa Fe.  It was a beautiful drive.  As we neared Santa Fe, we could see out over the desert landscape and mountain visits.  It was an incredible sight.

We visited some old adobe churches along the High Road to Taos, one at Chimayo, and a few others.  The church at Chimayo is quite old, and it was the only one open for us to go into.  We did that.  They were preparing for the 11:00 AM mass.  It is such a treat to visit such an old place that is in continuous use on a daily basis.

Old Church at Chimayo NM

The St.Francis d’Assisi church at the Taos end of the drive is one of the most photographed churches, so I tried my hand at photographing it as well.

St. Franics D'Assissi Church near Taos, NM

Studio J Bead Shop

So I found a bead shop in Taos that I really liked and spent some money there on supplies. It is called Studio J and I had fun talking with the shop owner and her mother.

Here are a few of the items I made using beads from that shop.  

The green one below is made with magnasite round beads that have a similar look to turquoise. I got those at Studio J.

I made two of the blue one, and both are sold. The blue beads are drizzled glass and have a lovely sheen to them.  I got those at Studio J as well.

A Hidden Gem in Northern Colorado

Poudre Canyon - Nice Drive Any Time of the Year

Tucked away in northern Colorado just north and west of Fort Collins, Colorado is the Poudre Canyon.  I am so lucky to live about 45 minutes from this gorgeous area.  Bill and I enjoy driving through the canyon several times a year.  We were able to do that on Friday, December 27.  It was a bright sunny day, and the temperature in the sunshine was just over 50 degrees.

As we started on our trek to the west, the first place we stopped was Picnic Rock.  This is a beautiful area on the Poudre River that is very popular for picnics.  In the summer, people swim and frolic in the water here.  Snow is on the ground now but it is great looking at the peaceful river here.

After walking around there for awhile and talking to a man and his daughter who were also visiting this day, we got back in the van and started back up the road.  The further up the road you go, the more rapids you see in the river.  The road runs along side the river.

We had brought a picnic lunch, and since we started our journey late morning, we searched out a good picnic spot.  It took awhile to find one in the sun.  Most of the picnic benches located along the Poudre River are in the shade.  That makes lots of sense for when you are there in the summer.  However, it was dramatically colder in the shade than it was in the sun when we were there last Friday .  We did find a wonderful sunny picnic location and set out our sandwiches to eat.  The river was beautiful there with small rapids.  It was running fairly quickly with light and shadows on the river.

Much to my surprise there were two stellar jays flitting among the pine trees by our picnic spot.  These birds are incredibly beautiful, and being a native of Missouri, I was not familiar with them.  They are a teal green/blue with a comb on the head similar to a blue jay.  One of these jays was very accommodating of me and sat still in a tree for quite some time while I snapped lots of shots.

After our lunch and visit with the birds, we continued up through the canyon.  The rock canyon walls keep the river in constant shade in many areas, and the ice was thick on the river.  Yet there were always areas where the water bubbled up.  This was quite impressive as the ice was several feet thick, and the water was gushing through holes in the ice.

Relaxing by the River - Bead Style

I often wanted to stay in a small cabin on a river and just relax and create my beaded jewelry.  I was so fortunate to do this in September.  We had such a good time taking a four day weekend to basically do whatever we wanted with no set goals to visit any other destination.

I packed up enough beads to make lots of beaded lanyards and jewelry.  The weather cooperated, and we had cool days with highs of mid seventies and sunshine.  Each day I took my bead tools and goodies out on the deck that was over the water.  There was a table and chairs there.  I would listen to the sound of the rapids on the Big Thompson River, bask in the sunshine, and create to my heart's content. Sometimes I would sit in the lounge chair and read, and even nap for awhile. 

We were located about a mile and a half from Estes Park, Colorado one of the most visited tourist towns in Colorado.  It was the time for the elk to bugle, part of their mating ritual.  We went to town several times, and each time we saw a herd of elk in a park or on a large lawn.  We went to a restaurant on Saturday evening, and the elk were out on the lawn.  One of the does came right up to the window and peered in at everyone. Everyone was enjoying and laughing.

Our time there was so refreshing and I produced four lanyards and a necklace.  I could have done more had I pressured myself.  But this was a vacation!  Hope I can do this again next year.

Wordless Wednesday Waterfall WOW!

Waterfall we discovered when driving south from
West Yellowstone, MT. through Idaho. 

Majesty of the Mountains - Inspiration for Creativity

Have you ever heard of the San Juan Skyway in Colorado?  It is one of America's scenic byways.  I had the pleasure of driving the San Juan Skyway on Sunday and Monday last week.  It is breathtaking and beautiful.  If you ever have a chance to do this, please take the opportunity.

This drive through the San Juan mountains refreshes the soul and allows us to put the world into perspective.  The loop winds through towns that are quaint and historic.  We drove through Durango, Colorado, a thriving western town, at the south end of the loop.  As we headed north out of Durango on Hwy. 550 we went through Silverton, an historic Victorian mining town, and then up the "Million Dollar Highway" to Ouray, a quaint town called the Switzerland of America.

I posted some of the pictures we took.  However, I have no pictures of the "Million Dollar Highway".  That's because I was driving the car on a two lane road with lots of switchbacks.  Driving north I was fortunate to have the mountain side to my right, which was rock cliffs going straight up.  I know not how high because I dared not remove my eyes from the road.  The traffic heading south had the excitement of hugging the edge of the road with no shoulder and no guardrails and a drop down into a canyon of I do not know how many feet.  This 23 mile drive was through a beautiful rock canyon.  But no pictures!  Nowhere to stop to take them.

Enjoy the beauty of these mountains in my pictures below.

San Juan Skyway Heading North on Rte. 550

Molas Pass

Heading North Again on Rte. 550

We're Almost in the Clouds - Rt 550 headed north

Oh Gee!  We're Driving in the Clouds!

MAJESTY!!!

Oh Lord, Oh Lord, How Majestic Is Your Name in All the Earth!