The peoples of our past (part 2)

Sorry about that lapse folks- we stopped to see family and I wanted to savor every minute. Now, where were we when I posted last? Oh yes, outside of Santa Fe, New Mexico.

We drive north of Santa Fe to a small town full of history- Taos.  This area has a few historic spots- the “biggest” is Taos Pueblo and the area of Ranchos de Taos. We wanted to explore both with our last day in the New Mexico so we got up early and headed to the farthest spot- The village of Taos Pueblo.  We were there in time for the first guided tour of the day, given by a descendant of the ancient people that first inhabited this land.  This Pueblo is the oldest continually inhabited dwelling in the country. The people who live here are living in the homes that their great grandparents, their parents and their their parents lived in. Generations of tradition is in the dirt that covers their walls...it was amazing to be a part of. The people here make traditional art, foods and goods to sell out of their ancestral homes and each one of the villagers that we encountered was happy and very friendly. One  dry sweet artisan agreed to a selfie with me. Our favorite thing from Taos was the fresh oven baked bread!!

We stopped next in the historic shopping area of Taos proper.  We visited Our Lady of Guadalupe in town, the parish of which has been in existence since 1801. The church itself was not nearly that old but it was beautiful and built in the Pueblo style.

St. Francis of Asis at Rancho de Taos is a more historic building and we sought it out next. This mission church was built in the early 1800s and is the only original church in the area.  Every year the parishioners still join together to Re-mud the building and keep it protected from the harsh New Mexico weather. The inside was as beautiful as the outside and we lit candles in honor of lost loved ones both recent and long long past; realizing that some of mine may have worshipped in this very church. 

We felt we had thoroughly investigated all that we needed to in Taos for this trip and decided to get back on the road again that afternoon.  We were now officially “on our way home” and Todd drove the next leg straight through to Oklahoma. 

Getting to know the peoples of our past

After warming up and being well rested, we headed outside of the town of Santa Fe to find a “circle” of Native American pueblos in the area.   

We bought a book several months ago that was full of highlights to see in the Great Southwest.  We finally sat down and marked in this book and our big road atlas, the things we really waned to do while in New Mexico.  We had narrowed it down to some the more historic non-touristy type things in the northern part of the state.  Coincidentally, while on the road and looking through my genealogy app for info on my grandfather, I discovered that both his and my grandmother’s ancestors came from some of the very areas were would be touring.  To say it gave the sightseeing more meaning is an understatement.  

We started with searching for the Santa Clara Pueblo.  If you have never been off the beaten path and are only used to more traditional tourist attractions around the country you may not be aware, as we weren’t, that a Pueblo is not necessarily a building or an exact location - but a community.  IT is the GROUP of Native American families who still live traditionally as their ancestors did in one particular area.  We followed our map and few directional signs to Santa Clara Pueblo and the main historical structure that we came upon was a church and its adjacent grave yard.    The guide books had said there were gift shops and local artisans in the area… where was this mysterious “shopping” spot?  As we drove through the pueblo style buildings surrounding the church we noticed signs for credit card payment and a few homemade signs that said pottery.  We came across one dwelling that had an OPEN sign in the doorway.  We knocked.  Out came a very friendly girl who asked if were looking for pottery to buy.  She took us to a little workshop behind her house that turned out to be a small gallery displaying her and her family’s works.  This sweet lady took the time to explain the pottery making method to us with pictures and examples and then chatted with us as we chose some pieces that we were drawn to.  It was such a different “buying” experience than we have ever had, but not in a bad way… it was reassuring to meet the artist and hear the stories of her family.  

We felt this gave these “souvenirs” much more heart - and we would appreciate them all the more.  

We moved on next to the Puye Cliff Dwellings nearby.  These ruins were the remains of the former home of the Santa Clara Pueblo people.  IT was cold and slightly windy so there were not many visitors and we were lucky enough to get our tour guide all to ourselves.  This gentleman was a descendant  of the very culture and community that he was describing to us along the way.  The one hour tour went by much more quickly than we imagined but we got a real sense of the structure and people that once occupied this mountainside and farmed the Valley below.

Bandelier National Monument was next and another National Park to check off the list.  This park was not overrun with tourists (like Arches had been) and we opted for the self guided tour so we could explore at our own pace.  The cliff dwellings here were a different period historically but the same Native American tribe that had inhabited the Puye Dwellings.  These hillside abodes were similar in the main aspects but a bit more communal than Puye.  It was still another way to be a part of and touch history firsthand.  Loved it!

While we were at Puye, we saw snowflakes, it was still cold most of the day and as we drove back toward town we checked the weather report for our campground.  Not only was it snowing even more, its was predicted into the night.   We decided that since our plan for tomorrow was a day of touring history in another town, even father north, we would just drive up and find a place to stay there.  Todd found a historic (built in the 1920’s) pueblo style motel with traditional fireplaces in the rooms.  YES, PLEASE!

So we grabbed some salads and local beers at the grocery store and checked into  the Sagebrush Inn.  We started a fire and planned our next day’s adventures eating our salads on a blanket on the floor in front of it.  Todd was sweet enough to get up and put wood on to keep that fire going all night long.  

5 STARS from me!

When the weather gets rough, we stay smart!

We just beat the snow out of Telluride, in fact there was a lot of it on the mountain pass we had to go over to get down the mountain.

The weather predicted that all the mountain ranges in southern Colorado were going to get hit with this snow, SO we kept going until we got to New Mexico.  We had already planned to stay at a state park in the area where my grandfather was christened (and most likely born).   It was almost completely empty and we were totally off grid - it was so peaceful!

The next morning we headed toward the Santa Fe area and another campground we had picked out, but first we made a quick stop into the Clerk of Courts for Rio Arriba County.  We searched through the deeds and marriage records and found some interesting possibilities but nothing that said definitely that my great grandparents owned land here.  The nice admin pointed us in the direction of the Santa Fe Vital Statistics Office to look up my grandfather's birth certificate (I did this a few days later and found out his birth was not recorded with the state - bummer)

IT was very cool though to think that my great grandparents lived and raised their family in this area.

We found our next camp site and stopped in to talk to the park ranger - who told us snow was expected overnight.  So we ran to REI to see what we needed to "weather the storm" - long johns were a must for both of us and I needed another pair of pants.  

Thank goodness for birthday gift cards!!!!

Make note of the elevation here.

We got back to the site and it immediately started to snow.  Wait!  This wasn't supposed to start until overnight?!?!  We decided to make dinner, start a fire with what firewood Todd had collected before we left, and see what the weather was going to do while we ate.

Well.... within the time it took us to make dinner (less than 2 hours) the snow had only come down more heavily and there was about 3 inches already on the car and in our campsite.  We decided it wasn't smart to stay especially since we did not have the right clothes/shoes or equipment for snow, the fire was burning fast and the fallen wood around the area was now all wet. 

 We took one last selfie, packed our dinner to go and high tailed it off that mountain. We found a warm place to lay our heads in a quaint, kitchy retro hotel in town.  

We'll decide what to do next tomorrow... after all tomorrow is another day.