ramblings of a Seattle travel, food and photography hound
To get to Santa Fe, rather than returning the way we arrived in Taos along the Rio Grande, we drove an alternate route, called the High Road, which winds through small towns in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. All the towns are at least 7,500 ft in elevation (with Truchas at an amazing 8,000 ft),... Continue Reading →
In 1976, an American anthropologist, Spencer MacCallum, sought out and found Juan Quezada, a potter in Mata Ortiz, a small town in the Mexican state of Chihuahua, approximately 100 miles south of the U.S. border. Years earlier, he had been impressed with and purchased one of Quezada's pieces at a general store and began a... Continue Reading →
Doc Martin's sits inside the Historic Taos Inn. It is a well regarded restaurant in Taos, having been in business for over twenty years. Two nights ago, we scarfed down margaritas and chips in Taos Inn's bar area, Adobe Room. This morning, we decided to do brunch here, served only on the weekends, before heading out of... Continue Reading →
When the Catholic Church under the Spaniards tried to Christianize pueblo peoples in the seventeenth century, one of the biggest revolters were the Taos. Resistance to religious imposition lasted for many years, resulting in the killing of priests and destruction of St. Jerome church on two separate occasions, until over a period of time, St.... Continue Reading →
One of the things I wanted to do on this trip was to have a great example of New Mexico's green chile cheeseburger. Since we were in Taos, I had to try out 5 Star Burgers. USA Today rated it as the best in New Mexico. The review focused on the quality of the ingredients: freshly-ground,... Continue Reading →
Like Doc Martin's, the Adobe Room is part of the Taos Inn, a bar where you can also order snacks. Since we weren't too hungry, we just decided on a basket of tortilla chips and margaritas. The salsa (☆☆☆) was pretty good, thick, tomatoey and spicy. The chips also came with a side of nice... Continue Reading →
Michael's Kitchen is a very popular restaurant with the locals. One big reason is that it serves all kinds of food besides New Mexican, a diner that appeals to many tastes. Today being Saturday, patrons (including families with children) were out in force. There was a wait for us to get seated. It's a testament... Continue Reading →
Having just left Chaco, where the night before all we had to eat was freeze-dried food and this morning, coffee and nut bars, we were ready for some real food. Luckily for us, one of the legendary restaurants in New Mexico happened to be in Cuba, less than 2 hours away, and on the way... Continue Reading →
In 2009, we avoided it because of its remoteness and the difficulty of getting there on unpaved roads. This time, we reversed course and decided to visit Chaco Culture National Historic Park (a mouthful, but it used to be called Chaco Canyon National Monument). This is the mother lode of all ancient Puebloan ruins, having... Continue Reading →
Of all the places in the Southwest, known for its extraordinary rock formations, that can claim the title of the weirdest and most fantastical, it would have to go to a part of New Mexico virtually inaccessible by car—the vast wildernesses of Bisti and De-Na-Zin. Visitors most likely to make the effort are adventurers, the curious and the intrepid... Continue Reading →
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