Final days

We left the earthship Friday and took the very long way back to Albuquerque -- the high road from Taos to Sante Fe and the Turquoise Trail from Sante Fe to Albuquerque. At the bottom of this post is a photo of me standing by the Rio Grande gorge north of Taos. There is a lovely trail along the edge. Shara and I were able to take a quiet walk together while the girls hung out at the Earthship on Thursday night. We ended our trip Saturday at a flea market in Albuquerque where, not surprisingly, we found virtually everything we had purchased elsewhere for a fraction of the cost.

The Earthship

It's not easy to describe the place we stayed after Taos. There is a utopian community northwest of Taos across the Rio Grande that is a series of structures essentially made out of tires, bottles, cans and mud. They face south to absorb the heat. They tend to have greenhouses that are not entirely separate from the living space in the back. The back is under a mound of earth. These places are entirely off the grid -- solar powered and heavily reliant on the natural heating and cooling of the desert. Our unit was called the Phoenix, and it was far more expansive than the prototype. It include a Koi pond, cockatiels flkying around and even a lizard that likely feast on the flies that do get in. Bottles in the wall give it a stained glass feel. The heat is moist because of the ponds. Above is the view from our bedroom. If you look closely you can see Shara on the far right brushing her teeth in the bathroom. Below to the left is Lulu sitting in her bedroom looking out if the greenery, which crawls right into the house. Even if you don't want to stay here, it's less than 30 minutes north of Taos and well worth a visit.

Taos

The food in Taos was incredible. Whether it was a traditional New Mexican joint where green and red chiles are the highlights or a new place -- the food was great. We stayed one night at the Mabel Dodge Luhan House, a legendary spot once owned by Dennis Hopper. After a lovely dinner at the Taos Inn, we engaged in a family pedicure.

Sante Fe

We spent Sunday and Monday nights at the Inn of the Governors, which was fine. But the place to stay in Sante Fe -- well, just outside of Sante Fe -- is 10,000 Waves. It is a Japanese-style spa in the hills above Sante Fe. Hot water. Lots of hot water. Serene setting. Beautiful cabin. We grilled steak and vegetables. More hot water. Very relaxing. Next stop: Taos.

Monday, March 26

Bandelier National Monument. Nearly perfect day. Lots of sun. Fabulous ruins. Excellent dinner. Tomorrow we shop Sante Fe and an afternoon and night at a spa, 10,000 Waves.

Sunday, March 25

The highlight of our first day in New Mexico was eating dinner in a "restaurant" in the back of a bowling alley a few miles north of Albuquerque in a strip mall. Ezra's. It was great. Scallop tacos. Crimini mushroom enchiladas. Salmon with tomatillo sauce. Plus, the Unusual Suspects -- three older guys and a teen-age boy -- playing unrecognizable covers at half speed. Then we went bowling. Disco bowling. Shara killed us, throwing three strikes and a bushel of spares. We headed back to our motel on Route 66.

Sunday we found an equally good breakfast joint near Ezra's and, it turns out, owned by the same people. Very good start to the trip. We hit a fruit market before spending the day touring Jemez Pueblo and Jemez Falls. I'll let Shara add details. We made it to our hotel in Sante Fe and hit the pool. Please note that Lulu's oldest stuffed animal, Orca, made the journey.