TRAVEL: New Mexico Road Trip (Part 1) - Taos, Rio Grande, Bandolier and more!

Our journey into New Mexico started right at the border with Colorado with a little blue metal sign welcoming us to the state. Whilst there were no immediate differences between the two states, the further we drove, the more the architecture came to look like New Mexico, with small adobe huts lining the roads with their curved edges and distinctive colouring. 

We were headed for Taos, a town renowned for its arty community and liberal lifestyle. Our accommodation whilst in Taos was the Mabel Dodge Luhan house, which had been recommended by a friend back home as somewhere we had to stay if passing through. 

As the name would suggest, the house was previously owned by one Mabel Dodge Luhan, who invited all kinds of creative types to come and stay, including D H Lawrence, Georgia O'Keefe, and more recently actor Dennis Hopper, leaving the property full of history and a point of pilgrimage for those wishing to find themselves creatively. 

The house has expanded over the years and now consists of various adobe huts, with our residence being the Gatehouse, a quaint old-style apartment behind the towering bird houses erected in front of the main house. 

Once settled in, we ventured out into the town, browsing through the various galleries with their varying artistic styles, and towards the central square, around which a number of eateries, outdoor shops and gift emporiums sat. We continued out past the Kit Carson Memorial Park until we found the Love Apple restaurant where we'd planned to have dinner.

The restaurant had an interesting setup, with guests coming in through the side of the restaurant and practically into the kitchen before being seated in a relatively small room with roughly ten tables. Everything on the menu looked delicious, but I settled on a round of blue and yellow cornbread with sweet and savoury butters, the 'Beets on Beet' dish of beetroot hummus and chopped beets, followed by a delicious tamale smothered in a rich tamale (even though I was full by the time we got to the starter!)

It was only upon returning to the Gatehouse that I realised my room had no curtains, somewhat a prerequisite in my opinion for a good nights sleep, and upon realising that the House's maintenance man was unlikely to visit before the next morning, I was shifted to the Georgia O'Keefe room, along the external corridor beside the Main House. 

Breakfast the next morning was served by the lovely Pam, who served up porridge, yoghurt and berries, cornbread muffins, scramble, potatoes, sausages and bacon. We certainly wouldn't be going hungry. It being off season, we were one of the few guests, joined only by a cowboy who was in the area scouting out land to buy. Now this is the kind of stuff you can't make up! 

Our driving for the day was to take us around parts of the Enchanted Circle road, with the first stop being the wonderfully named Angel Fire. At the top of a hill rests a memorial for Vietnam War veterans, with a small but comprehensive museum and tiny chapel housed within a fascinating piece of architecture jutting out of the hillside. 

We continued on to Eagles Nest down by a beautiful lake which I'm sure would be a hotspot for visitors during the summer months, but not so much this time of year. In fact, I'm sure that we would be one of the few, if not only, visitors to the visitors centre, as the attendant was more than happy to spend a good twenty minutes telling us about the area and where we should go. 

Our next stop was a bridge crossing the Rio Grande gorge, which was absolutely spectacular. Stepping out into the centre of the bridge, you could gaze for miles in either direction (as seems to be possible wherever you look in this part of the world), but the difference being the gaping cavern hundreds of meters below you - a mini Grand Canyon if you will. I felt that this would be the perfect place for bungee jumping, though I hear that's not allowed on working bridges like this one. A highlight was when an Oversize lorry made its way across, shaking the bridge and making the more vertigo-inclined tourists clasp the barriers!

The loop took us back into the edge of Taos where we decided to stop for lunch at the Farmhouse Cafe. Not wanting to spoil my appetite for dinner, I thought I'd be safe with a bean & cheese burrito from the kids menu but clearly forgot that everything's bigger in the States as what arrived was something larger than my face! This coupled with the generous slices of carrot and strawberry cakes meant that I hoped dinner would be more meagre!

Our journey continued to Espanola which seemed to sit in the middle of some of the larger cities around it. Whilst none of the houses in Taos or the other towns we'd passed through had been particularly large, those here were particularly small, with most people choosing to live in trailer homes, some of which seemed to be in quite dishevelled states. One has to wonder what residents do for a living this far away from big cities or even towns. 

We moved on to the High Road scenic byway, stopping briefly at El Sanctuario de Chimayo, a lovely little church where the fences around were lined with crosses, rosaries and candles; clearly a very spiritual location for many. We continued on the High Road, passing through other small villages with some of the most dramatic backdrops you could think of for a house, and knowing that your next neighbour could be miles away. 

Back in Taos, we made our way down to the Plaza for dinner at Bella's Mexican restaurant. Although still very full from lunch, the menu was so delectable, I was keen to fill my boots with as much as possible. They had the usual favourites like burritos, chimichangas and chilaquiles, but what I really wanted to try (and what I hadn't managed to find during my trip to Mexico last year) was elote, a mayo, lime, cheese and chill covered corn that I'd heard was a classic Mexican dish. My Horchata milkshake was much needed to numb the spice, and absolutely delicious. I finished my meal with a slice of Tres Leches cake, another Mexican staple of milk soaked sponge topped with whipped cream and ice cream. 

Back at the Mabel Dodge Luhan house, I had a very eventful night, being awoken in the middle of the night by a drunk/crazy man who made his way into the interior alcove of my room, banging on the bedroom door and yelling. Being totally alone and knowing I was in a country where guns are allowed, I made as little noise as possible and quickly texted my family members to come rescue me which they soon did. Thank goodness for phone service, or else I don't know what I would have done! Needless to say, I spent the rest of the night back at the Gatehouse - curtains or no curtains, I was not keen to run into any more strangers that night! 

The 'excitement' continued the next morning when I woke to be told the police wanted to speak with me. It turns out that the Main House had been broken into during the night, and the office, parts of the kitchen and dining room ransacked. Whilst not a nice experience for either us or the staff members, the staff were wonderfully helpful, and assured us that this was the first time that something like this had occurred, so I can promise that it's not a regular occurrence! We nonetheless had a pleasant stay at the Lodge and even this would not put me off visiting again.

After breakfast, we headed out on the road through more vast wastelands with nothing but brush to Bandolier National Monument. This National Monument is full of hundreds of cave dwellings cut into the rock, which visitors are able to climb up into (although people hundreds of years ago were significantly smaller than we are today, meaning not too much standing room!) At the end of the trail was an additional walk to the Alcove House which involved walking up steep and reasonably rickety ladders which were great fun, particularly where there was nothing to the side of you except thin air!

We continued on to Valle Caldera National Preserve, which was well and truly in the middle of nowhere. This vast caldera stretched for miles around and involved driving along a long dirt road lined with hundreds of tiny prairie dogs, which I loved seeing, and have now become one of my favourite animals!

At the Visitor Centre, we discovered that they ran minibus rides further into the caldera where visitor cars are not permitted. We hopped into one of these with another small group and a knowledgable guide, who brought us around the caldera for about an hour, explaining the different hands that the Preserve had passed through, as well as various movies and TV shows filmed there, including Disney's The Lone Ranger, and Netflix series Longmire. There was plenty of wildlife too, including chipmunks and even a coyote. Definitely worth the visit. Next stop: Albuquerque!