There’s just something about driving down a small farm town road for forty-some-odd miles without seeing a single sign of another human being that brings a smile to my face. Complete silence, and nothing but the horizon for as far as the eye can see in a full 360 degrees.
“Is anybody out there?”
Nope.
Good.
It’s an artsy little town with all adobe styled buildings, many of which are filled with galleries. You’ll also find lots of friendly people, lots Native Americans selling silver & turquoise jewelery, and lots of REALLY GOOD Mexican food! If you ever wander through Santa Fe, be sure to stop by Cafe Pasqual’s for some food. I ate breakfast there and ended up walking out with a tub-o-salsa it was soooo good!
Adios Colorado. Hola New Mexico. First order of business, Taos Pueblo. Said to be one of the longest continuously inhabited dwellings in the world, these multi-storied adobe buildings are made from only natural resources found in the surrounding area. It’s still inhabited today by about 150 Taos Indians who speak Tiwa, an undocumented language passed down through the generations. Oh and they also speak English so that they can charge you an entrance fee to this Unesco World Heritage Site.
I woke up this morning nice and early so that I could beat the heat and ride my bike out to the Royal Gorge Bridge. Normally a 6-mile bike ride would be a walk — er, ride in the park, but at this altitude (6,000 feet ASL) it takes a bit outta ya. The bridge is one of the tallest suspension bridges in the world at 955 feet up.
And speaking of death by suspension… on the way out of town I swung by the Prison Museum to brush up on my history of the Colorado Dept. of Corrections. Apparently there are 14 different prisons in this area, which is why that nice lady suggested against picking up any hitchhikers. Duly noted.
Denver certainly represented and provided oodles of entertainment this weekend, but it’s time to start heading south before the rain/snow makes it’s way here. On route to New Mexico I decided to take a stop off in Canyon City. It’s a friendly little town where everyone says hello and even offers suggestions of scenic bike routes when they see you pulling a bike out of the RV. Tomorrow I’ll check out one of those suggestions.
