Mountains and aspens in New Mexico

 We woke up this morning to fog covered streets in Taos, NM so we took our time getting started. By the time we rode out of the city of Taos, the fog and clouds were clearing.

We decided to ride some out-and-back routes into the mountains, hopefully avoiding long delays for road construction that we encountered yesterday. We first rode to the Taos Ski Valley, founded in the early 1950's by Swiss skiing pioneer Ernie Blake and his family. It's mid-September, so no snow yet, but we kept spotting stands of aspens turning bright gold.

NM 150 curves and twists through canyons about 15 miles from Taos to the ski area, making for a fun and beautiful morning ride.

Back in Taos, we rode north on NM 522, a straight road with long roller-coaster hills with long views toward the mountains. This section is part of the New Mexico Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway and the Old Spanish Trail northern route.

The Old Spanish Trail was a trade route connecting Taos, Sante Fe, and other northern New Mexico towns with southern California. The area was explored by the Spanish in the late 1500's, and then used by traders until the 1850's. It's a lot of fun on a motorcycle, and we can't imagine covering this high alpine, dry area on horseback.

We turned east in Questa on NM 38 toward Red River, once more winding and curving through the mountains. 

Instead of continuing southeast and circling back to Taos on US 64 since we rode much of that route yesterday, we turned around at Red River, originally founded as a mining town and today home to a small ski area and lots of outdoor activities.

 As happens to us frequently on motorcycle trips, it was too early for lunch when we got back into Taos, and the 2 hour ride home offers no places to stop and eat. We settled for an energy bar and a bottle of water from a gas station and headed home on US 64 north. We crossed the Rio Grande River gorge, and then stopped at the beautiful rest area on the north side of the river.

The bridge was built in the 1960's and at 650' above the river, it's the second highest bridge on the US highway system (the highest is 700' over the Glade Creek in West Virginia) and the 5th highest bridge in the United States. This area is also part of the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument. We walked a short way from the rest area to look out over the gorge and the river below.

We were glad it was sunny with just a few clouds as a colder Fall wind picked up as we continued north on US 64 toward home. This is a very low traffic road that climbs over 10,000' in the Sangre de Cristos range of the Rocky Mountains. 

As we continued toward Chama, NM we had wonderful views of the Brazos Cliffs that tower over 11,000'.

Chama is only about 25 miles south of our home in southwestern Colorado, and as we got closer to home I was able to take a photo of the view we see from our windows: V Rock, Navajo Peaks and Banded Peaks.

We enjoy long motorcycle trips where the days develop a rhythm and we see something new around every turn, and yet these short, 2-day trips near home give us a welcome break from work and daily life plus the opportunity to experience more of the area where we live. We're already planning our next trip!