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After another hearty breakfast knowing that on the road, we would only be able to have a very light lunch of mandarins and pretzels with some cheese (very fancy lunch!).
The drive from Santa Fe to Taos on the High Road is 105 miles. You can drive it in about two hours or so with no stops. But it took us much longer as we stopped to see sites and take photographs, of course!
Chimayó is a U.S. National Park American Latino Heritage site, nicknamed the Lourdes of America for its famous healing miracles. The Church, El Santuario de Chimayó, attracts 300,000 pilgrims a year seeking cures from the holy dirt (called el pocito) that’s located in a small room inside the church. Even before the Spaniards arrived in the area, the Pueblo and Tewa Indians considered Chimayó to be a healing site. The short slideshow below represents a sample of interesting art in the small village.
We stopped at a small village called Las Trampas which is considered part of the American Latino Heritage. The village of Las Trampas was settled by Spanish families in 1751 and was built within a defensive wall with low buildings packed around a central plaza. Within the village is the San José de Gracia Church considered one of the most-original and best-preserved examples of Spanish Colonial architecture in New Mexico.
Some of the other villages and historic points of interest were more difficult to see during winter time but even more challenging during a pandemic. Instead, we continued on our way through the Carson National Forest. There was snow in some of the areas we drove past. It would be great to come back on a summer day to go hiking among the pine trees, junipers, and mesas.
Surprisingly, we found easy parking in Taos, had our light lunch in the car before walking the historic part of town. Taos Pueblo unfortunately remains closed due to the pandemic so we were not able to visit it. The Taos Plaza was not much to see except for some stores. We could see that the pandemic has been hard on the town with the lack of tourists.
We decided to take a slight detour Northwest of Taos to see the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge. The Bridge is considered the seventh highest bridge in the United States. We parked and walked to different locations around the bridge and on the bridge itself to take pictures. Here again, we took our time capturing some artistic photos. Quite impressive to walk on the bridge… and it vibrates as cars drive past! Luckily, we don’t have vertigo!
There were some merchants from Taos Pueblo selling hand-crafted jewelry, woodcarving statues, knives, etc. I bought myself two Christmas gifts – two necklaces.
Finished, we drove through Taos once more to head back to Santa Fe. Right outside Taos, we stopped to see Rancho de Taos, a village which was original established in 1725. On the small plaza, there are some really old structures, but the original Native American Village (over 300 years old) can no longer be seen, except for a couple of buildings.
On the plaza, we visited the San Francisco De Assisi Mission Church, another Natural Historic Landmark, dating back to the late 18th century. We read that this particular church was painted by Georgia O’Keeffe and photographed by Ansel Adams.
Then as night was falling quick, it was time to drive back to Santa Fe on the Low or River Road, winding through small farming communities of the Rio Grande Valley.
Back in Santa, Fe, we decided to head straight to a restaurant called Jambo Café in Santa Fe.
Jambo Café is a blend of North African cuisine with Swahili, Indian, Arabic, Caribbean, and European flavors. Winner of numerous awards, Jambo Café has been featured on the Food Network’s Diners and in various cooking magazines.
The food was very flavorful, fresh, and so different from what we’re used to. We loved all the spices used in the dishes we chose.
Chef Ahmed Obo is from Kenya and has created a very successful restaurant. He came to our table to say hello and cleared up the dishes.
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One thought on “Day 5 – High Road to Taos and River Road to Santa Fe, December 23, 2021”
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