where's the Reset button

So Whats Your Plan B?

By Time2Geaux Unplugged

August 14^th, 2018

Quote: “One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.” Henry Miller

Summary: We pulled out of Caprock Canyon a day early looking for some cooler weather. We were able to pickup our mail package at the post office and get packed up. We selected to head west into New Mexico and up to Taos where we had a great time the a few years ago. We liked the smaller size of Taos over Santa Fe. We got to test de Rougarou on a 10% grade heading towards Claude TX on Hwy 2O7. The beast did everything we could have asked for. After a quick stop in Amarillo, we headed to New Mexico in I40.

After driving a while we decided to stop early and not push so hard… after all we are retired! Just by chance Jo found a place in Tucumcari NM, and what a gem! An old Route 66 motel that was converted in a RV park.

Route 66

How many RV parks have their own Wikipedia page? This one does! It was one of motels built in the early 30’s to support the growing traffic flow on the first paved road across the west. The famous highway from Chicago to Los Angeles that is such a part of the American story.

What was unexpected about this and another motel was that each room came with its own single car garage. The Cactus Motel building was no longer used and what was the parking lot was turned into an RV park but the Blue Swallow Motel is still open and you can pull your smaller vehicle into your garage or use it as a shaded seating area like some of the guest were doing. The town has really embraced the Route 66 identity, with buildings restored to look like they did in the 1950’s, others are in different states of decay. It is like opening a time capsule from our parent’s era. We really enjoyed finding this jewel of a town.

That night a storm came through and wind and rain rocked the trailer… about 2AM the trailer door blew open and scared the bejeebers out of us, it was just wind and guess we didn’t latch the door good… something to doublecheck for now on!

Snap, Crackle, Pop

We (really against JoAnn’s better judgement) rode into town from the RV park which is about 3 miles away. The distance wasn’t a problem, just more traffic than I expected. We made it to the Taos town plaza and I was getting hungry (really hangry) and we went to Eske’s Brew Pub. We sat down at 11:30 and still being on central time I was overly hungry. The kitchen didn’t open until noon but they served us a beer to hold us over.

After lunch we decided to ride back and get the truck to explore some of the surrounding area. Heading downhill on the shoulder of the road, JoAnn’s tire slid on the gravel and got caught on the curb. It threw her like a mad horse and she took the brunt of the fall on her right rib cage. She couldn’t breath and thinking that she may have punctured or deflated a lung we called 911. What was amazing is all the good Samaritans that stopped to lend a helping hand. The hospital was only several blocks away and the ambulance was there is a matter of minutes. Before they arrived an off-duty office and off-duty EMT both stopped and offered help.

When the ambulance took JoAnn some workers from Northern Mountain Construction Company show up and offered to take the bikes for me. After talking to them we figured it was best that they take me and the bikes back to the RV park where I could pick up my truck and go back to the hospital.

In the ER, Dr Mathew checked JoAnn out and came to the conclusion that she was very lucky. Probably a broke rib or two but they don’t really show up on x-rays but everything internal looks fine. Her hip, wrist and shoulder were sprained and needed time to heal. The road rash on her right arm was cleaned up and we were sent home. Can’t say enough about the care at Holy Cross Hospital and the ER staff.

old taos

Taos is a mixing pot of people, culture and contrast between traditional and modern. For such a small town it has quite a diversity. For example, San Francisco de Asis Church, an 18thcentury adobe church that claims to be one of the most painted and photographed churches in America. The likes of Ansel Adams and Georgia O’Keeffe have both chose it as a subject. It is both a National Historic Landmark and designated as a World Heritage church. The Taos Pueblos are another example of the old side of Taos, considered one of the oldest continuously inhabited communities in the United States. They are also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

New taos

While trying to hang onto its heritage, Taos has also become a mecca for art and free expression, a bit bohemian, especially from the last time we were here four years ago. The town must have a building code that requires businesses to adopt the adobe style of the area. Lots of art galleries, street cafés, coffee shops and live music along with a well utilized farmers market. It was pride weekend so the attire may have been a little more liberal than normal, but family friendly and not tasteless. After eating at one of the outdoor cafés we missed all but the very tail of the parade.

One thing that was a sign of the new side of Taos was the sign holding political fanatic on one of the busiest corners in old down town. Amusingly one of the children from a local shop owner was outside and we struck up a conversation about him. He gave us the back story on this gentleman whom he called ‘the most hated man in Taos’. He said he was always on that corner and regardless of who was in political office he was against them or something they stand for. Guess he is a lot like the 24-hour new channels always working on boosting their ratings.

The Rio Grande Gorge Bridge

I can only imagine what the first explorers thought when they rode across the flat plain and came across this gorge that was 600 feet almost straight down. The gorge is less than a quarter mile wide which makes it all the more unexpected and spectacular! It looks like a crack in the earth with a small green river at the bottom. Geologist estimate the Rio Grande took several million years to create the gorge.

When JoAnn and I were hear four years ago we had coffee and hot chocolate at a vendor bus on the side of the road near the parking area. This was one of our first experiences with food trucks and were wondering if we would see it again… there it was and other than some additional paint it looked like the same bus! We asked about it turns out that the bus has been selling coffee and other drinks for 18 years!

Sunset without Reds

What is in a sunset? I was born slightly colorblind in the reds and oranges and really didn’t know I was colorblind, like 8% of the males of Northern European descent. I do see red and orange just not as distinct as others. As a retirement gift a colleague and friend gave me a pair of EnChroma glasses. It is hard to understand what you are missing without them and WOW, these western sunsets are spectacular!

What we learned: Never underestimate the good nature in people when you are in need. So many Good Samaritans stopped to help after JoAnn crashed her bike. Jeff should listen to JoAnn when she suggests to drive into town before riding bikes there. When you have a melting pot of cultures, those cultures can easily get diluted and risk losing their identity.