Taos: Warmly Inviting Despite the Weather

With an elevation of nearly 7,000 feet, visiting Taos, New Mexico late rather than early in our spring travels just made sense. As it turned out, we chose a week that was cold and rainy - unusually so, according to the residents. It didn't take much effort for us to find the silver linings in the clouds.

What luck: A Festival Weekend!

With our type of travel, it's not always easy to plan town visits to coincide with a festival so arriving in Taos for their annual Lilac Festival weekend was, indeed, serendipitous. Unfortunately, the weather (cold and raining) was great for the lilacs but not so good for the planned outdoor events. We dressed warmly and grabbed an umbrella, determined to make the most of it.

Didn't have to battle the crowds

No trouble getting restaurant seating

Galleries and Shops were a refuge from the rain.

Artists and shopkeepers had time to chat.

It didn't rain continuously.

Local Taos Landmarks

The remainder of the week, it rained only intermittently. And you can be sure we REALLY appreciated the one day it didn't rain at all! We drove to see the local points of interest. If this chapel in nearby Rancho de Taos doesn't look familiar, you may recognize it better from its back side. This view has been made famous by photographers and artistS alike. Ansel Adams and Georgia O'Keeffe both used it.

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St Francis Asiz Chapel

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Back side of St Francis Asiz Chapel

We enjoyed various views of the amazing Rio Grande River Gorge including one from this bridge.

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Rio Grande Gorge Bridge

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Rio Grande Gorge Bridge

Amazing, Whimsical, Whacky Earthship

Just west of Taos, we toured the visitor center and grounds of Earthship - a self-sustaining homes community. They take "living off the grid" to a whole new level. It was fascinating! We're just not sure why these homes all have to look so "funky".

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large indoor fruit and vegetable production

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Behind-the-scenes-view of the water and power systems

We managed to hike a local trail that wasn't too wet. After all that rain, the wildflowers are brilliant!

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Our free boondocking sites were limited to those accessible by paved roads but that's okay. We got into two free forest sites, used a $5.00 campground two other nights, and, for our final night in the area, were welcomed by a Boondockers Welcome host near Questa, just north of Taos.

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Appreciative of each ray of sunshine

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And the warmth of a campfire with a view of the Rio Grande

We know it's been a wet spring everywhere; Taos was no exception. Since this was our final stop in New Mexico, non-perfect weather means we aren't quite as sad to leave. Yes, we're on our long drive home, knowing that rain or shine, it too will be fine.

A Thought for the Road

In a Taos gallery, I came across this quote and immediately adopted it:

Keep your thoughts positive because your thoughts become your words.
Keep your words positive because your words become your behavior.
Keep your behavior positive because your behavior becomes your habits.
Keep your habits positive because your habits become your values.
Keep your values positive because your values become your destiny.
-Gandhi

Days on the road on current trip: 126
Total camping costs to date: $187.00

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