Taos, NM; Day 5; Friday, September 14th

Today is my mother-in-law’s birthday.  HAPPY  BIRTHDAY  ROSIE !

Today we are following Uwe Krauss’ day 3 route from his article in the April 2012 RoadRunner magazine.

We left the motel at 9:20 under mostly clear skies and it was 48 degrees . . . . chilly.  My ride was shining and beautiful because I washed it this morning.

We rode to Chama, NM via Hwy 64.  On the way we stopped at the bridge over the Rio Grande Gorge where we walked out on the bridge and took some pics.  It was beautiful.Rio Grande Gorge; looking north from the bridge

Next we passed a new development of strange houses built with mostly alternative building materials.off Hwy 64 west of Taos

It was a beautiful ride to Chama and at higher elevations it was cold, windy and BEAUTIFUL!view along Hwy 64

In Chama we stopped at the visitor center, gassed up the beast, ate lunch, and took some pics in the rail yard of the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad.  Anything railroad related always reminds Chris of her Dad.  Chris also did some shopping and found the perfect coffee cup (she’s such a big spender).

We rode north from Chama into Colorado on Hwy 17.  It was a gorgeous ride and the aspens were starting to change to their autumn gold color.  This was the most scenic portion of the ride.  We crossed over two passes (Cumbres and La Manga) in excess of 10,000 feet.aspen along Hwy 17

Hwy 17 took us out of the mountains and forests into the arid lower elevations on the way to Antonito, CO.  We stopped near Las Mesitas, CO where we photographed the shell of a former Catholic church and the adjoining cemetery.  We road on into Antonito, which is the other end of the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad. (http://www.cumbrestoltec.com/)

From Antonito we Hwy 285 took us south back into New Mexicoview along Hwy 285to Hwy 64 and back into Taos.

We tried to visit the Taos Pueblo just north of Taos but It was closed (at 4:45 on Friday).  I tried and I won’t try again.(http://www.taospueblo.com/)

We rode 225 miles today with a high of 68.  It was our favorite of the three day trips and there were no “adventures” today.

For more pictures from today click on the following link: https://picasaweb.google.com/104542123131082631220/TaosNMDay5091412?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCLnAovaiq_ntrQE&feat=directlink

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