New Mexico state of mind

I just started to get a little bit nostalgic for New Mexico. For whatever reasons, there are just certain places that grab a hold of you and never quite let go. For me, so far in this lifetime, those places have been Maine, San Francisco, Paris, Greece, and New Mexico. Perhaps I will add to this list on my upcoming journey.

Whenever I need my faraway fix of New Mexico beauty, I log on to http://www.geraintsmith.com/ and get caught up on the Photo of the Day. Geraint is an amazingly talented photographer and all-around awesome person. It's hard to describe why you like someone's work or not, but I think what I love about his images is that they are simple yet stunning. Definitely check out his website!


A fence is an odd choice I know, especially when there's so much wide-open breathtakingly beautiful scenery out there. I loved these fences, though - a good use of the resources and a work of art in their own right.

Last night in Taos

So tonight is my last night in Taos. As is the case almost every night here, the sunset was spectacular.

It's just hard to beat such magnificent views from the road. Most of the time at dusk I feel like I'm walking around in a pastel painting.

I got a short hike in today. These juniper berries just happened to be catching the light in a really lovely way.

Originally I had wanted to drive up to El Salto waterfall, of which I have pictures from April. However, I decided that the road was just too rough for the Cruiser (I've already had to have one tire repaired from a puncture), so I turned around and found another hiking spot. I felt good about my decision when I saw this car:

... just kidding, this was where I did end up hiking, but parked safely up above.

Morning hike

Where I am staying is right next to the Rio Grande gorge, so I started the day with a hike down to "Taos beach," essentially a small patch of river bed where people can go to swim. It was a nice little hike, not a cloud in the sky of course. On the way down I passed a man who says he does this hike every morning. Not a bad way to start the day.

Welcome Back to Taos!

I got a very kind email with the above message from a photographer out here who I am looking forward to meeting. Welcome back, indeed. There is something truly magical about this place. Everywhere you turn there are beautiful views, mountains in nearly every direction, it seems.


Yesterday included an almost two-hour yoga class (!), errands around town, and a trip up to Taos Ski Valley, which is unbelievably steep. The town of Taos is at 7,000 feet above sea level, and the mountain ranges from 9,200 to 12,000. Whoa!