It's a beautiful morning to head out of Taos to Santa Fe. We would stop at a small town called Ranchos de Taos where the beautiful San Francisco de Asis Church was built between 1772 and 1816. The plaza at Ranchos de Taos was built for protection against Comanche attackers. It went on to become the subject of numerous paintings by Georgia O'Keefe and photographs by Ansel Adams. It was an amazing structure of adobe and wood which seemed to "cry out" to be photographed!!
We travelled into the countryside just outside of Taos to the "Hacienda de los Martinez" Throughout the 1700's New Mexico had continuously suffered from Comanche raids. By 1786 a permanent peace was established and commerce moved into the Taos area. The "Royal Road" out of Mexico City expanded to Taos and a Spaniard named Severino Martinez in 1803 built the Hacienda as both a home and trading post. By 1827 it had 21 rooms and two fully enclosed plazas. Today the building is on the National Historic Register and has been converted into a very informative museum.
We now retraced our route through the Rio Grande gorge. The views were awesome and numerous rafters were out for the day on the river. One final stop on our way to Santa Fe was at the award winning Black Mesa Winery. Enjoyed sampling various wines which were nicely paired with some delicious local goat cheeses. Did some serious damage there but knowingly will enjoy it all when we get home.
The drive into Santa Fe proper was very easy. It is a Capital city with a population of just over 80,000. Set up around a historic plaza that was established in the early 17th century by Spanish heading into this new territory from Mexico. It has served as a continuous capital since 1610, making it the oldest Capital city in the United States. It also is the highest in elevation Capital city in the United States at over 7000 feet. Santa Fe is a huge market for Art. Galleries run for miles down famous Canyon Road and total Art sales are second only to New York City in the entire United States.
We rolled into a great 55+ campground just 3 miles out of the city center and Plaza. It was on a direct bus line downtown so the RV could stay put for three days. A heated outdoor pool called and I spent the rest of the afternoon chilling there. I would spend the next two days in Santa Fe and eagerly awaited to see for myself why everyone loves this city!
We rolled into a great 55+ campground just 3 miles out of the city center and Plaza. It was on a direct bus line downtown so the RV could stay put for three days. A heated outdoor pool called and I spent the rest of the afternoon chilling there. I would spend the next two days in Santa Fe and eagerly awaited to see for myself why everyone loves this city!