August 14 - New Mexico: The Enchanted Circle

We left Santa Fe early (admittedly, not giving this great town enough of our time) and set off toward a route called The Enchanted Circle. The Circle winds through quaint foothill towns at 7000-10,000 feet.

Our first stop was Chimayo, known for the miracle performed at the site of its church.  Thousands make the pilgrimage to worship, pray, and seek healing.  The location was extremely peaceful (and hopefully for those seeking, miraculous) with its little creek and outdoor gardens.

Taos is a village known for its traditional pueblo and ski hills. The pueblo is the longest continuously inhabited structure in North America. Families in the pueblo apartments, stacked one atop of the other, have lived in their dwellings for generations.

Parking Sign at Taos Pueblo

We looked through a small art fair that was being held in the town plaza, eating yummy frito pies. The architecture in both Santa Fe and Taos is the adobe style. I adore the traditional adobe homes. They invoke such a comfy/cozy feeling.

We left Taos early evening, looking forward to seeing the outstanding landscapes in the soft evening light. It was truly amazing. It's no wonder so many artists flock to this area for its fabled light.

We stopped in another skier's enclave, Angel Fire, which is one of Josh's favorite towns. In Angel Fire, the landscape and architecture completely changes to one of pine trees and alpine cabins. It's pretty bizarre given the proximity of Angel Fire and Taos (about a 40 minute drive). We took the kids to a very nice public children's park in Angel Fire where they could run out some of the energy they had been saving up through the day's car ride, art galleries, and antique shops. They got their fishing lines wet in a nearby pond -- no luck.

We gathered up the kids and drove in to Eagle Nest for the night -- another little town nestled into seemingly the middle of nowhere, but surrounded by the mountain tops.

You feel very relaxed and connected here. Hard to describe, but definitely something to experience. It would be hard for someone not to imagine living in their cozy adobe, fire cracking in their kiva fireplace to keep out the crisp night air, and a classic ol' pick up truck parked in the drive. It just sort of beckons...