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It was a beautiful crisp morning in Santa Fe. Temperature was 35 degrees at 6:30am. At an elevation of 7,198 ft, it was also very dry. Why would we even think of getting up at 6:30am? Well, it was time to change the motor oil and we wanted to be the first in line at Jiffy Lube...and we were. Walt and Barb got to sleep in a little longer. We planned to meet at the Walmart near the Jiffy Lube to drive to Tao NM.
We had initially planned to make Bandelier National Monument our first stop on the way out of town, but it does not have a RV friendly parking lot. So, the next best thing was to take a longer scenic route to Taos called, "The High Road to Taos". This is a 54 mile route that winds through the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Along the way are small isolated mountain villages. We wanted to stop at Chimayo, one of the oldest Spanish villages left in the Southwest. It is known for Santuario de Chimayo, a place that has special healing dirt. People travel from all over the world to rub some of this dirt on themselves. However, the streets are narrow. Not a place for big rigs. We will just have to come back. We picked a good time to take this drive. The trees were changing colors. Especially around Penasco, which is in a valley at the foot of Jicarita Peak.
We arrived at Taos Valley RV Park around 11:30am. Once The Beast was disconnected from Testie, we all piled in and headed to Old Town Taos for lunch. Christine, the daughter of the owner of the park, recommended "The Gorge". We were seated out on the back patio overlooking the plaza below. The staff was very nice and we loved their shirts. On the back of the shirts were different sayings. Our favorite was, "Tequila may be the road to no where, but at least it's the scenic route". We like scenic routes. Just before we sat down, Bob found out that his daughter and grandkids were going to be present for the closing bell on NYSE. The bartender found the station and we got to see them on the podium.
After lunch, we walked around the plaza and window shopped to burn off some calories before we climbed back into the beast to visit the Taos Pueblo, a living Native American community. It is located about a mile outside of modern Taos. It was interesting to see up close.
Our next stop was the Gorge. We drove out on highway 64. From a distance, the land appears flat, but crossing the brige and looking down and out in the distance, the Gorge was absolutely breathtaking. We parked the car and walked out on the bridge to take pictures. Unfortunately, the sun was coming at an angle and we couldn't capture the true granduer of the gorge. Some of us had to hang on the railing to keep the heebie jeebies at bay.
We were going to cook, but we saw and read about so many amazing restaurants that we decided to go out. Besides asking locals for recommendations, we like to check Trip Advisor for the top choices. We had it narrowed down to La Cueva, Bella's Mexican Grill, and the Love Apple. We decided on the Love Apple. And why? The name was catchy and odd for this area and they specialize in using local ingredients in dishes made with love...cute. Also, they had a Trout dish that sounded good. The restuarant is housed in an old church from bygone days that has been a daycare, shop, and for the past 6 years, the Love Apple. For an appetizer, we ordered what they call Charcuterie Plate, a sampling of local cheeses and meats accompanied by homemade bread slices. That could have been our meal. For the entree, we all ordered the trout. Absolutely mouthwatering. It was ruby rainbow trout grilled on corn husks and lime butter, topped with a chipolte creme served with a Quinoa pinon fritter with a lime relish. However, the dessert stole the show...homemade chili chocolate ice cream. We all wished we ordered own serving instead of sharing one. It was wonderful finish to a fun day.
Tomorrow, we continue to head west with a stop at the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve.
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