Taos

Taos in 2009 brings back an avalanche of memories beginning with the first visit about 1963, when I was in junior high school. It goes back a bit further - to Girl Scout camp in 1961 or 62 near Questa. Yesterday, Mike and I drove down to a neat fish hatchery nestled along a canyon stream that was refurbished in 1984 - weellll looking around I slowly remembered the lil ole Girl Scout trip to that fish hatchery - much nicer now and tons more trout.
Driving down the bumpy dirt road to John Dunn bridge spanning the Rio Grande north of Taos, I recall that was the only bridge between Colorado and Espanola to traverse the river until the gorge bridge was built in 1965 (yep, I had to look it up). We drove up the west side of the river, well - we bumped up - to the highway and then crossed the Rio Grande gorge bridge, 650 feet over the river. Looking up from the river and then down from the gorge bridge, the power of water erosion is disquieting, although the effect is spectacular.
Coming to meet my aunt and uncle around 1965, I was promised a great dinner in Taos. My Dad and uncle told crazy family stories until all the restaurants had closed and we had dinner at the only place open (and only fast food restaurant in Taos then), A & W Root Beer. I had a Bar-B-Que sandwich and a root beer. The payoff came the next several meetings, the parental units felt so guilty that I reaped a bountiful dinner for several years. I am sure I did not play that up at all, ah-hem.
R C Gorman sitting at the bar in the Taos Inn
Vendors on the Taos Plaza
Funky shops and art galleries (they have changed, still many funky ones)
Picnics up the highway toward Angel Fire
Huevos Rancheros for breakfast at the Sagebrush
Buying Toas Mocs, turquoise jewelry, and beaded necklaces
And then Mike enters the picture so another entire era of memories in Taos, New Mexico begins with trips to meet my parents, and later trips through Taos on our way to Albuquerque - the stuff of the next blog entry.