Taos and Cimarron
The Rio Grande Gorge, seen from NM-68.
I’ve finally stumbled across some free time, which means it’s time to blog photos from my spring break trip with Chris to New Mexico. We drove from Columbia, through Kansas and Oklahoma and crossed into New Mexico from the northeast. After stopping briefly in Cimarron and visiting Philmont, we drove through a mountain pass to Taos, then south to Santa Fe where we spent most of the rest of the week.
About seven miles outside of Taos, the Rio Grande snakes through a deep gorge that seemingly appears out of nowhere in the middle of the desert. Chris and I both had been to the gorge before, but still wanted to return. The picture above was taken from a pull off on the low road from Taos to Santa Fe. The picture below was taken from the steel truss bridge that crosses the gorge. The rails on both sides of the bridge are etched with many years worth of graffiti and carvings.
Graffiti, Rio Grande Gorge River Bridge (US-64).
We didn’t have a whole lot of time to spend in Taos itself. Other than eating lunch at the excellent Guadalajara Grill, we mostly just drove in and out of town after visiting the gorge bridge. I took a few photos out the window from the passenger’s seat as we drove past distant mountains and a deep blue sky. Of the few shots I took at 60mph, this was definitely the best composed and sharpest.
The Taos Ski Valley is back in those mountains somewhere.
As Chris explained to me, and as I saw in person, the village of Cimarron survives almost solely around the existence of thePhilmont Scout Ranch and the influx of thousands of campers during the summer season. In the off-season, it’s quiet, easygoing, and almost deserted since many of the shops and restaurants are closed because of lack of patrons.
Back in the day, some crazy shit went down here.
One of the landmark attractions in Cimarron is the historic St. James Hotel. The hotel has hosted many infamous guests of the old West, including Wyatt Earp, Jesse James, and Buffalo Bill Cody. It was the scene of many shootouts, holdups, and even murders. The hotel is said to be haunted, and paranormal believers consider ghost sightings to be frequent occurrences.