The balance of the trip...a late entry

This is my attempt to narrate the balance of our trip which ended Tuesday, July 27.

Sunday, July 25, our first full day in Taos started with breakfast and a short walk near Little Tree.  It began to drizzle, so we decided to head down to the Plaza for the Fiesta.

The Fiesta was more like a carnival...not much to see. Plus, it started to rain. We got in some shopping. Vicki got a very pretty onyx and fire opal pendant with matching earrings.

We wandered into a photography gallery and met Timothy Sutherland. He is a former photography professor in Abilene. He had some panoramic images of Taos Mountain mounted in three separate panels that were very well done. Several years ago he was commissioned to photograph members of the Navajo tribe, a rarity. The portraits were reminiscent of those done by Curtis in the late 1800s. Lots of personality in the images. Taking the portraits included a ritual of gifting them Folgers coffee. He tried Maxwell House, but they would not accept it.

Sutherland does some printing for photographers. I may have him print some of mine.

Dinner was at Taos Pizza Out Back. Their Greek pizza is pretty good.

Monday, July 26, I went on a 32 mile bike ride out at Wild Rivers (La Junta). I started just north of Questa and did an inside the park loop. It was a beautiful ride. I enjoy the textures of the landscape.

We did some more relaxing and shopping in the afternoon. Got some more pictures of the hummingbirds.

Dinner was at La Meze again. This time we had entries. Vicki had a buffalo tamale with green sauce that was delicious. I had their chile relleno. It was unlike any relleno I've had. It was not the breaded and fried version that is usually served. It was roasted and served on a thick slice of toasted bread. It was great. I am on a quest to find the best relleno...this one doesn't qualify because it is in a league of its own.

Dessert was a chocolate souffle with the paired aperitif. A fitting end to a wonderful meal.

Tuesday, July 27, we headed back to Fort Worth via Fort Union National Monument  the fort that protected the Santa Fe Trail, which covered the distance between Independence, Missouri and Santa Fe. Gordon, our Little Tree host, recommended this route. The views were mountainous and pretty. The road actually narrowed to one lane at one point.

The drive from Fort Union to Fort Worth was long. On I-40 we encountered a wreck that had traffic backed up for miles. After a 45 minute wait I cut across the median to a gravel road on the other side of the Interstate. So, we got around it and eventually arrived home at 1:15 AM, Wednesday, July 28.