We drove to Taos today, taking the High Road up, and the low road along Rio Grande on the way back. We enjoyed the drive, making several stops along the way. We visited Sanctuario de Chimayo, built in 1819, and a Roman Catholic pilgrimage site, receiving over 300,000 visitors/year. We stopped at Ortega’s Weaving Shop, with eight generations of Ortegas weaving all the merchandise. We bought a horse blanket.
As we climbed higher in the Sangre de Cristo mountains, we stopped at the Church of San Jose’ de la Gracia, built between 1760 and 1776 in the village of Las Trampas. It has an outside balcony, so the choir could sing inside or outside. We arrived in Taos in time for a local lunch at on a patio. We turned south at Taos, and stopped in Rancho de Taos, at the San Francisco de Asis, built in the early 1800’s, and painted by Georgia O’Keeffe and photographed by Ansel Adams. We drove along the Rio Grande until it merged with Rio Chama. We saw kayakers and river rafters along the way. Our last church stop of the day was at on the Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo, to see Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes, built in 1888 of lava rock, and San Juan Batista Church, built of red brick, across the plaza. Both were beautiful historic churches. We had a wonderful day, visiting churches we didn’t expect, enjoying the cool weather and beautiful Ponderosa pines along the High Road to Taos, and the cottonwoods along the Rio Grande.
As we climbed higher in the Sangre de Cristo mountains, we stopped at the Church of San Jose’ de la Gracia, built between 1760 and 1776 in the village of Las Trampas. It has an outside balcony, so the choir could sing inside or outside. We arrived in Taos in time for a local lunch at on a patio. We turned south at Taos, and stopped in Rancho de Taos, at the San Francisco de Asis, built in the early 1800’s, and painted by Georgia O’Keeffe and photographed by Ansel Adams. We drove along the Rio Grande until it merged with Rio Chama. We saw kayakers and river rafters along the way. Our last church stop of the day was at on the Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo, to see Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes, built in 1888 of lava rock, and San Juan Batista Church, built of red brick, across the plaza. Both were beautiful historic churches. We had a wonderful day, visiting churches we didn’t expect, enjoying the cool weather and beautiful Ponderosa pines along the High Road to Taos, and the cottonwoods along the Rio Grande.
