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History and tradition in Ranchos de Taos.

One of the most culturally significant communities in Northern New Mexico is Ranchos de Taos. Located on the main road, a few miles south of the Town of Taos, Ranchos, as it is called by locals, was originally a farming center for the local Indians. The Spanish settled it in 1716. Because of raiding nomadic Indians in the 1700's, Ranchos village was temporarily abandoned as the residents moved to Taos Pueblo for greater security for both the Taos Indians and Spanish settlers alike. By the end of the eighteenth century tranquility was restored and both groups returned to Ranchos de Taos.

The spectacular San Francisco de Asis Church has dominated the Ranchos Plaza since the Franciscan Fathers began construction in 1772. The church was completed in 1815 and it is described as one of the most beautiful buildings left by the early Spanish in the entire United States. Painted by Georgia O'Keefe and photographed by Ansel Adams and many others The Ranchos Church is one of the most photographed buildings in the country.

The interior of the church features huge vigas and intricately carved corbels as well as many European and New Mexican religious art works. The adobe walls are four feet thick and even today the mud plastering of the exterior walls is an annual event for the entire Ranchos community, which is very active, regularly worshiping in the Ranchos Church.

Today, Ranchos Plaza and its environs provide a picturesque setting for a number of art galleries, boutiques and restaurants. I especially like The Two Graces gallery, which offers, carved guardian angels, Buddha sculptures and a wonderfully eclectic mix of the humorous and precious.

History comes alive in the many fine old adobe buildings that remain both on the plaza and in the surrounding village of Ranchos de Taos, which continues to be true to an agricultural heritage that is cherished by the locals. Orchards, gardens, and livestock are visible in many of the residences, continuing traditions established in Rancho De Taos almost 300 years ago.

The Rio Grande Gorge is one of Taos County's most important attractions.

The Rio Grande Gorge in Taos County, New Mexico starts north of Questa and runs all the way past Pilar to the south. It is the deepest, at 800 feet, just south of the Gorge Bridge. World-class white water rafting and kayaking in up to Class V rapids top the list of recreational opportunities but fly-fishing, rock climbing, hiking and camping attract thousands of enthusiasts year round every year.

Especially popular are the Wild Rivers Recreation Area on the north end of the Rio Grande Gorge and the Orilla Verde Recreation Area on the south. These are both maintained by the BLM and each offers put in sites for boaters and well maintained campgrounds. The La Junta Point at Wild Rivers offers an inspiring view of the confluence of the Rio Grande and Red rivers.

The Rio Grande Gorge Bridge is the fifth highest suspension bridge in the United States soaring 650 feet over the river. It was built in 1965 and is a cantilever truss-type that spans the Gorge for 1,280 feet. Always a popular tourist attraction, the Gorge Bridge has several viewing platforms that extend from the sides of the bridge to provide spectacular views and photo opportunities for the fearless. Featured in Natural Born Killers, Twins and several other movies, the Gorge Bridge is also the site of suicides every year.

For the more laid back local or visitor the Rio Grande Gorge features several hot springs. Another less strenuous pastime is wildlife viewing. Eagles abound here. nesting in the high canyon walls. The exotic Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep were reintroduced here several years and they thrive on the craggy walls of the Gorge. Protected by the Endangered Species Act these graceful creatures have found a challenging environment for their new home in the Rio Grande Gorge. And as the petroglyphs on the rock walls attest, their ancestors knew this area very well.

The Taos area abounds with attractions and The Rio Grande Gorge area is one the most spectacular.

Arroyo Seco is one of the most charming communities in the entire Taos Valley.

Located at an elevation of 7,634 feet, Arroyo Seco is one of the most charming communities in all of Taos County. With a population of 1,144 as of the 2000 census, Seco is big enough to have its own post office yet small enough that you know most of your neighbors when you pick up your mail.

The origins of Arroyo Seco began in 1716 when it was deeded to General Lucero de Godoy by the Viceroy of Mexico. General de Godoy never settled here so the grant eventually went to Joaquin Codallos y Rabal in 1745. Later, in 1804, settlement began in earnest when two brothers, Cristobal and Jose Gregorio Martinez from Rio Arriba County built homes and started farming here, not quite in Seco's present location but nearer the mountain, in the shadow of El Salto (the leap) with its seven waterfalls that cascade down the mountain.

To add to the charm of Arroyo Seco is the centerpiece of the community. The Church of the Most Holy Trinity was completed in 1834 and is true to the style of the early mission churches of New Mexico. Constructed of adobe bricks the walls are five feet thick at the base tapering up to three feet at the top. Jose de Gracia Gonzales, the famed Santero from Arroyo Hondo was said to have used his wife as the model for the beautiful altar screen which was completed in 1861.

The charming community of Arroyo Seco is best known in the summer months for its Fourth of July parade that usually has as many parade participants as it has parade watchers. Because Seco is almost equally distant from both the Town of Taos and Taos Ski Valley this is a frequent stopping off place where tourists and locals alike savor the charm and hospitality of this most picturesque place.

Home to friendly bars and fine dining restaurants, an old time general store, potters and painters galleries, jewelers, sculptures, and women's boutiques, and a Youth Hostel as well as several world class bed and breakfasts, the charm of the Village of Arroyo Seco is appreciated by all, whether for an afternoon or a lifetime.

First major snowfall of the season.

Last night and early this morning a heavy rain pounded the valley and through the clouds rising from the mountain peaks we saw the evidence of the first major snowfall of this season.

Of course it has snowed already in the high country, reports from people who hiked up to Williams Lake last weekend said they were able to scrape up enough of the white stuff to have a snowball fight. But this snowfall was significant, reaching down the mountain to probably 10.000' and it's safe to say that it won't be going away until the runoff begins in the spring and early summer.

At lower elevations, and in the valley, it almost always snows before Halloween. And with it only a week away there's still the possibility that one day soon there will be a significant snowfall in the low country. If you can call 7,000' low country.

No doubt the skiers and boarders were overjoyed to see this first major snowfall, especially with all the talk about La Nina and the chance of warmer and drier weather this winter.

Let's just hope that we're fortunate enough to have another winter like the past few, with enough significant snow events, the resorts at Taos Ski Valley, Red River, Angel Fire, Sipapu and Costilla will continue to provide high adventure for locals and visitors alike.

Of course it has snowed already in the high country, reports from people who hiked up to Williams Lake last weekend said they were able to scrape up enough of the white stuff to have a snowball fight. But this snowfall was significant, reaching down the mountain to probably 10.000' and it's safe to say that it won't be going away until the runoff begins in the spring and early summer.

Written by my marketing Director and writer extraordinaire, Susan Mihalic

Autumn in Taos, New Mexico

The light is changing. The sun is at a different angle, and the quality of the light is deeper, richer, more golden. Fall is a month away yet, but the high desert abides by its own seasonal rhythms.

In early August, the apricots ripen and fall to the ground, and neighbors and strangers alike ask us if they can gather the fruit. The answer is yes. There are always enough apricots to go around. The days are still hot, but live here long enough, and you know that the deep gold of apricot skins is the first flush of fall.

Just as the apricot trees finish producing an insane bounty of fruit, the sunflowers begin to bloom wildly in the disturbed earth on either side of the road. Some stretches of road are flanked by miles of sunflowers. The petals may look summery to some, but to me, they are another sign of the coming autumn.

The sunflowers are still rioting when the chile roasters, men in aprons and baseball caps, appear in front of the grocery stores and in vacant lots all around town. Big burlap bags of green chile are for sale in the stores and from the backs of pickup trucks. The men dump an entire burlap bag of chiles into huge metal mesh drums, which revolve over an open flame. The intense heat blisters the skin of the chiles-and the smell of roasting chile, pungent and rich and somehow broad, is the first scent of fall.

The chile roasters pack up and leave town about the time the chamisa blooms, cottony yellow-gold tufts of tiny flowers against the leaves of the gray-green bush. In autumns past, I have ridden my horse across the plains where it blooms. We called it sage-jumping, although it was more like sage-stirring as her long legs moved through the chamisa and the sagebrush, releasing clouds of sharp fragrance. Several times we saw migrating tarantulas. Once we saw a baby diamondback sunning itself, not in the least concerned with us. In the fall, even my horse took on a different scent, a spiciness that was distinct from the way she smelled at other times of the year. But always good. Horses always smell good to me.

The chamisa blooms are losing their color when the first gold appears in the mountains. The aspens are changing. High in the mountains, and again on horseback, I have seen red aspens, but predominantly they are gold.

The aspens are peaking when the leaves on the cottonwoods in town begin to change. Cottonwoods turn no other color but gold, but what the palette lacks in variety it makes up in intensity.