Two years ago in July I decided to take a short trip, visiting the Taos, NM area to coincide with one of my routine “social media detox” periods. My trip included some of my favorite offline things: historical sightseeing, hiking, and sampling the local beer and wine offerings.
(Over the past few years, my love for both hiking and travelling has increased almost exponentially, and I’ve been fortunate to have had so many opportunities to travel recently. With the current health crisis, our travel plans for 2020 were scuttled; as I write this, I should’ve been packing for a trip to Honolulu later this week. So I decided I’d take some time over the next few months to write a “Looking Back” series, where I dive into a recap of some of my favorite trips over the last few years.)
Taos Pueblo & Rio Grande Gorge State Park
Taos Pueblo
On my first morning in Taos, I made a trip to Taos Pueblo for a tour. The north side of the pueblo (pictured above) was built approximately 1000 ACE, and is still inhabited to this day.
The tour includes a walk around the grounds, and a visit to the on-site church and burial ground. The pueblo land is also home to a few dozen “mostly” domesticated dogs, kept to keep the coyotes and other predators away. After the tour, you’re invited to visit with the families, experiencing everything from the freshly made flat bread, to viewing the beautiful jewelry many of the artisans craft onsite. For more pictures of my visit, you can view my original blog post about visiting the Taos Pueblo on my travel blog.
Rio Grande Gorge State Park
After my morning visit to the pueblo, I made my way to the Rio Grande Gorge State Park for a little hiking. Much of the land is dominated by ancient lava rock, and you can follow the stream to get better shots of the gorge and to view the various fish swimming in the shaded areas.
South Boundary Trail & A Few Wineries
South Boundary Trail
The next day I headed out to the South Boundary Trail, long recommended to me by my bicyclist friend as one of the best bike trails in the Southwest. The trail offered quite an elevation change (accompanied by a wide variety of flora and mineral deposits on the trail), not to mention a nice view.
Winery Hopping in Dixon, NM
As the clouds rolled in that afternoon, I headed south to sample a few of the local wineries in the area. My first stop, however, was the local brewery, Blue Heron, where I enjoyed a nice sampler of their brews. I then hit up three local wineries: Vivac, La Chiripada, and Black Mesa for a quick tasting at each. All three wineries had excellent offerings; by the time I headed back to my hotel I had a full box of wine in my trunk to take home. Here are some more views from the New Mexico wineries and the South Boundary Trail.
Rio Grande Gorge Bridge
Alas, it was time to head home from my trip, but not without a quick detour to the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge. Pictures don’t do the scope of the view justice. If you plan to head there yourself, there is parking next to the bridge that leads to an easy quick walk to the pedestrian sidewalks.
