THE HIGH ROAD TO TAOS

Sancturario de Chimayó

Looking for an escape to the old-world? Take the High Road to Taos. and come back of the Low Road. Winding through the Sangre de Christo Mountains, the trip from Santa Fe to Taos is very scenic and the views are spectacular when you get up into the mountains. Be aware that the road numbers change a lot. Keep following the signs for Taos. The first stop on the High Road is the historic village of Chimayó. Stop at the Santuario de Chimayó, a historic church famous for healing miracles and at the weaving shops. Chimayó weaving is a weaving style that bears the village’s name and has been passed down through a few families for hundreds of years., most notably the Ortega's and the Trujillos. Both of these families have shops you can visit. The road winds through old mountain villages that were settled hundreds of years ago by Hispanic immigrants to the New World. Rumor has it that until the mid-1960’s, English was rarely spoken here and that the people spoke a Spanish that had close ties to 15^th Century Castilian. Truchas, a bit up the road from Chimayó was where Robert Redford filmed The Milagro Beanfield Wars in 1988. At the village of Las Trampas, take a right and view the historic church circa 1760, a great example of New Mexican rural ecclesiastical architecture. It is just steps from the High Road. Artists who cannot afford Santa Fe rents have moved up here and opened galleries. A highlight of the year is the High Road Art Tour held over two weekends in September. At Peñasco, make a left onto NM 518 (a right turn takes you towards Las Vegas NM). You will now be driving through the natural beauty of the Kit Carson National Forest with its Alpine landscape and beautiful views. When the road meets 68 at Rancho de Taos, turn right and Taos is minutes up the road. I recommend taking a jog to the left and at the blinking light turn left for the historic Church of San Francisco de Assisi dating to the late 18^th Century. This adobe structure was painted by Georgia O'Keeffe and photographed by Ansel Adams and many other artists have been inspired by it. Stop at the Taos Visitor’s Center on the right as you come into town. They have lots of helpful information to offer travelers. Taos is a charming town, home to artists and other creative types (hello Julia Roberts) and home to the historically significant Taos Pueblo, a must visit on any trip to here. This the perfect summer for a visit to Taos. They are celebrating the Taos Summer of Love, a commemoration of the 40^th anniversary of the 1969 movie, Easy Rider, which was partially filmed here. Taos is also home to actor/artist Dennis Hopper, co-writer of the film with Peter Fonda (they both starred in it). The cinematographer was the late, great Lazlo Kovacs (an honoree at the Santa Fe Film Festival several years ago). For this celebration, Hopper has curated two exhibits at the Harwood Museum on LeDoux Street. One is an exhibit of his own work, "Selected Photographs and Paintings" and the other, "Forty Years of Friendship: LA to Taos," featuring five Taos artists (transplants via LA). There are also other planned events and a schedule on The Summer of Love website. To get a feel for the town, stroll the streets around the small, inviting Plaza. Check out the historic La Fonda Hotel. In particular, Bent Street is very charming. Shop, dine, people watch. One of my favorite places in Taos is the Millicent Rodgers Museum, northwest of town. Millicent Rodgers was an heiress (Standard Oil), a jewelry designer and a collector of Native American and Spanish Colonial art. If you like these genres, the museum is a MUST. The collection is superb! Other historic attractions include the Kit Carson House and the Martinez Hacienda. The Rio Grande Gorge Bridge, fifth highest bridge in the US, is short distance northwest of Taos on Rte 64. You can park and walk on the bridge, the views of the Gorge from here are spectacular, but the bridge vibrates and not for those sho are faint of heart or have height issues. When you are done exploring Taos, return to Santa Fe on the Low Road, which wends through the Rio Grande Valley. If you prefer, you can go up the Low Road and back down the High Road- personal preference. They both get you there and the old song is true. The trip takes about 1-½ hours (less if traffic is light) on the Low Road, about two hours on the High Road.