As we read news of the impending mega storm about to pummel Seattle we appreciate the sunny 75 degree days we are enjoying here in New Mexico. We certainly hope all stay safe and dry in the rainy and windy Pacific Northwest. We’ll be checking the updates tomorrow, ya sur ya betcha!

Today we headed up to Taos by way of a highway that at times followed the Rio Grande river and the Rio Grande Gorge. (We also spotted a distillery to stop at, but it did not open until later – DARN!)

The scenery was enhanced by the changing colors of the trees along the river. At some points the road overlooked the vast plain stretching to the west with the gorge cutting a deep chasm through the unending plain. It was dramatic and beautiful and far too vast to try and capture in a picture. But we did manage to get a few pictures of the river and trees! The hard part was finding places to pull over on the narrow highway to take pictures – Mike finally resorted to taking some out the window as we drove.

Fly fishing – Tami would like to be out there

On our way to Taos, we made a stop at the Santa Clara Pueblo. On our last visit a quarter century ago, we also stopped at the Pueblo and visited a number of artists in their shops where they were showing some of their pottery. It’s one of our favorite styles and we bought one small pot back then. We had hoped to see some more pots directly from the artists again because we haven’t been seeing much of this style so far on this trip. As we drove through the Pueblo, though, there was not a single sign for anyone showing any work so we had to head back out. It seemed kind of odd, but perhaps it’s more worthwhile for them to just offer their art through the galleries now. We were disappointed but times change!

Taos was a far different town than our last visit as well. What had previously been a very small town with just a shop or two was now a much larger town with blocks of galleries and shops. Like in Santa Fe, we wandered around until our shoe leather was burning, before driving up towards Taos Pueblo. Unfortunately it was too late in the day to go inside the Pueblo, but the drive there was nice.

Tami liked this blue gate in Taos.

Seen on the way up to the Pueblo

There were also a lot more restaurants and we were fortunate to get steered to a wonderful lunch choice by one of the locals, Bella’s Mexican Grill. This was not just any Mexican restaurant. We started with a roasted ear of corn that was wonderfully seasoned with spicy mayo, lime, and red chili powder; followed by a green chile stuffed with seasoned beef (it actually tasted somewhat middle eastern – from the menu: “Chile en Nogada –  fresh fire roasted poblano chile, stuffed with ground beef, tomato, almonds, raisins, apples, jerez, walnut, cream, pomegranate); and a sopapilla filled with Mayan pork (seasoned with orange and pineapple). We split both entrees and while we forgot to get a picture of the corn, which was truly photograph worthy, we did get a picture of the entrees after we had split them. Some of the best food yet.

This is for you Peggy!

The drive back to Santa Fe followed the same road, but it seemed like an entirely different drive for most of it as we followed the river again with the sun setting. Truly beautiful country.

It was evening by the time we got back to Santa Fe, so we headed right to dinner to finish out the day at the Second Street Brewery (beer was sounding really good after a long day of driving and walking). This brewery is located in the Railyard district of the city, which seems to be kind of the up and coming hip part of town (so hip in fact that one of the waiters sported a combination of a twirled handlebar mustache and unnaturally bright red red hair). They had a good selection of brews and we finished off the day with two wonderful dinners, and even got pictures again, as requested! It was Oktoberfest week, so Tami had the chicken schnitzel with mushroom gravy and Mike had the farmer’s platter that included lamb sausage.

Chicken and mushroom schnitzel

Lamb sausage, cheese, several chutneys, and sprout salad

Getting dark out the window

As we were finishing our meals a band started playing what we thought of as Hispanic folk music that was thoroughly enjoyable. We could have easily stayed to listen longer, but it was time to get back to the room to collapse and relax after a busy day.