Memorial Day Weekend and I am back in Santa Fe, New Mexico, with my friends. What more could I ask? From the marvelous Spanish architecture, to my wonderful friends, the great food, magnificent sunsets, and a sky so clear blue, the puffy clouds appear to float in suspension after being tossed high in the sky. There is a saying, “Taos Mountain will call back those it wants to return, and I honestly feel the pull.” The Land of Enchantment has captured me. I will forever return.
Sunday and the Turquoise Trail
Saturday my friend, Al, and I head off on the Turquoise Trail to Madrid, New Mexico, on his motorcycle. With my camera in hand, I must admit I make him stop many times for, “Pull over, I have to take a picture!” For those who saw the movie Wild Hogs, Madrid is the place Wild Hogs has taken from “Oh, I know the place” to “I have been there! Want to see my t-shirt?”
Madrid was booming in it's heyday, supplying coal for the Santa Fe Railroad, local consumers and the US Government. This company town became famous for its Fourth of July parade, lighted Christmas displays and minor league baseball games in the first lighted stadium in the west. When coal use declined the town fell silent. It became a ghost town. In the early 1970's, artists and craftspeople arrived.
Before we stopped in Madrid, I took Al to Cerrillos where I introduce him to Mary of Mary’s Bar. Mary will be 95 in July and still runs her bar; with so many stories to share, we spent a good bit of the afternoon listening to her memories of Cerrillos. The Los Cerrillos mining district is one of the oldest and most marked of the Old Spanish mineral developments in the Southwest. Cerrillos was full of hearty miners who extracted gold, silver, lead, zinc and turquoise from area mines at its peak in the 1880’s. According to Al, the coalmine was in Madrid and the 300 miners lived in Cerrillos and walked the 3 miles to Madrid everyday to work in the coalmine and these 300 miners and families supported the town’s 21 saloons and four hotels. While it was once seriously considered as the capitol of New Mexico, today Cerrillos, with its dirt streets, is a picturesque reminder of the Old West. While in Cerrillos we also visit the Casa Grande Trading Post and discover an MK Paine Celery Compound bottle. Interesting, MK Paine was my Great-Great-Great Uncle and he bottled Celery Compound in Windsor, Vermont! Small world.
Monday, Memorial Day and Taos
Another gorgeous day and we decide to ride the High Road to Taos, one of New Mexico’s National Scenic Byways. I remember the first time I drove The High Road to Taos, I was awestruck and camera happy as I gazed at the snow capped Sangre de Cristo Mountains. I remember carefully maneuvering my car along this curvy road as I made my way from Taos to Santa Fe driving through the alpine meadows, stopping in the picturesque Spanish and Pueblo villages, and visiting the many galleries to help sustain the rural economy of this charming, centuries-old region. This beautiful road has inspired many artists and artisans.
Since Al had never been on the High Road, what better place to ride a motorcycle then this curvy road to Taos on such a beautiful day.
Arriving in Taos, I wanted to visit all my friends and “show off my book!” Sun Shades where you can get the best designer eyewear, thank you Tammy and Rob for fixing my glasses. Robert Faurie owns Maison Faurie, the most interesting antique shop (it’s for sale). If you want to buy a velvet-lined box of eyeballs, contact Robert, he has them and a metal chastity belt from 1800’S! We stopped to visit Charlie Collins at his gallery but he was on holiday. Charlie enjoyed (I think) critiquing my photographs when I lived in Taos. Then of course, we had stop in Horse Feathers to visit Lindsey and peruse through his Cowboy Shop. This is the shop where I got my very official Kansas City Brothel Inspector badge!
After lunch at Renato’s Café in Taos we ride the "Low Road” back to Santa Fe.What a fun weekend. Now back to the tasks at hand: the book and driving back to Maine. Hope you enjoyed this quick tour of a place I find so very special.
