So we made it out of Gallup alive and intact, drove to Albuquerque for a quick coffee and a morning bun and drove on to Santa Fe for lunch. It was early and we thought we could power through and make it to Alamosa, CO by nightfall but I wanted to stop in and at least say hello to an old friend who lives in Taos.
The drive up from Santa Fe to Taos follows the Rio Grande Gorge, a breathtaking drive. It now ties with Highway 1 Big Sur coast drive for most spectacular drive I’ve ever taken.
My friends live just outside of Taos proper in the most beautiful valley I have ever seen. Down a dirt road, surrounded by mountains, not far from the River they built an Earth Ship house. Part of the house is built into the earth with cans and skinned in adobe, completely off the grid. The house stays cool in summer and warm in winter. He built this with his own hands by himself and it is an amazing work of art. Welcoming and serene, I felt I had dropped into another world.
They are both artists, he is a photographer and she is a painter and healer. They do retreats for Ayurvedic and other therapies.
See here.
That’s Lobo lounging on the sofa and Paul’s book Taos Portraits on the table. A gorgeous book of his photos.
See here.
We stayed the night in a beautiful airstream on the property and this morning we all sat meditation before we hit the road. This is me. Restored, renewed, refreshed and grateful.
I have seen some outstanding sunsets where I live and in Hawaii but last night’s was beyond any I’ve seen before. No camera I have could capture the colors in that sky. The wind suddenly whipped up and my hands were shaking so badly the photo is a bit blurry but here it is anyway. That’s a labyrinth to the right and in front of where the monk sat hoping to be beamed up by aliens.
Lucky for me, they didn’t see fit to take him last night. He makes for such a great traveling companion. Funny, awake and always ready with a story. He chanted almost all the way from Gallup to Taos.
My deepest Thanks and Gratitude to Tizia and Paul for being so welcoming and sharing their magical place with us. May their work and blessings continue and grow and may I be lucky enough to visit again.