The next morning, we rode into downtown Taos to take a look at the historical structures. We decided to tour Kit Carson’s final home, which has been restored and is now a museum. He lived here with his third wife, Josefa.The house has a large courtyard with an outdoor kiva, as well as one in the kitchen Clearly, in this climate, much of daily life took place outside. Carson had a fascinating life, and was one of the most celebrated mountain men – he was good friends with Joseph Meek and Jim Bridger.

One of our good friends recommended that when we head out of town, we cross the Rio Grande and stop the bike, walk back toward the bridge and listen for the “hum” of Taos – supposedly there is no explanation for the sound. When we went over the canyon, we did sop the bike and listen. All we heard was the sound of cars crossing the bridge and tourists walking back over to hear the hum. Oh, and there were mountain goats all over the cliffs below – precariously perched among the rocks and sagebrush.We stopped and browsed in the vendor tables and booths – interesting pottery, jewelry and other artistic offerings. I can never resist jewelry….After a bit we rode on, past the “earth ships” colony – sustainable living made of recycled materials, and in fantastic shapes.

We rode on toward Farmington, NM and turned toward Aztec. We were on our way to Colorado, through the mountains. Our goal was to meet up with our niece, who was on duty in Durango (she’s a flight nurse) and we would all drive together to her place in Grand Junction. The place we stayed in Durango receives honorable mention as one of the worst on this trip. (Avoid Day’s End!)

I will leave you with a nicer thought – a view of one of one of the many roads and mountains we passed on our New Mexico journeys. We do want to come back to this area!