Sunday, February 21, 2021

Simply Monumental

Los Cordovas toward the Rio Grande and Rio Pueblo

A week ago, I headed south to Santa Fe for an appointment. The great expanse of the Rift Valley glistened. Fresh snow spread as far as the eye could see. When I reached Tierra Blanca, and appropriate moniker on this day, the deep blue sky was filled with puffs of Cumulus clouds and my chest filled. It was 8am and minus 9. I called Peggy and told her, “It’s unbelievable. It’s unimaginably spectacular. You need to get dressed right now and get out there so you don’t miss it. This is why we moved here!” Later that day she told she hadn’t heard me that excited in very long time. She was touched by my exhilaration. 

Looking west across the sage and snow

Huge vistas and forever skies are the top two reasons we’re here. That’s the answer I give every time I’m asked why we chose Taos. Or why I did.

Heading west toward the rim


Into the clouds

The gorge, the West Rim and Mount San Antonio

Wednesday the sky that wowed me on Monday morning made a curtain call. So, we drove south on Los Cordovas Road toward the junction of the Rio Grande and Rio Pueblo where you’re literally standing on the rim of the Big River's canyon. All the way we were teased by a cloud show that stopped us a dozen times. As we turned west toward the Junction it felt like we were driving into the clouds. We could see from O’Keefe Country to the slope shouldered form of San Antonio Mountain at the Colorado Border some 40 miles away as a crow flies. It was stunning.

The Rio Grande Gorge pierces the earth and seems to point to Colorado


A Himalayan vista right next door

As we ascended out of the Horseshoe Curve on the return trip the gorge stretched into the distance and cloud shrouded Mount San Antonio greeted us. Finally, not to be outdone the mountains beyond Taos had their say. They were simply monumental.

1 comment:

Blacks Crossing said...

Many feel that storms hamper our existence, which they definitely did this week in Texas. But you took ample and splendid advantage of the skies of northern New Mexico around and about the Rio Grande Gorge last week to make it all worthwhile. Spectacular on a run-of-the-mill day, the Gorge never ceases to amaze me. Thank you for sharing the photographs and writing about your trips of the week. Himalayan Vista and Into the Clouds with clouds exploding upward and in front of you are incredible. Reason enough to live in Taos County, as is the first photograph in your blog of Los Cordovas. Such beauty. Some of your very best!