Taos In The Spring . . .

Taos, New Mexico is usually abuzz with activity during the winter ski season. The spring is off-season, with few tourists and a slower pace. However, to my eye, Taos is best in the spring. The colorful rebirth of spring and mild weather make it a landscape photographers delight. I find it a wonderful weekend getaway from Albuquerque when my eye yearns for a bit more foilage and fauna. By the way, I discovered a wonderful local eatery in Taos. The Guadalajara Grill is popular with the locals of Mexican heritage (a good sign that the food is delicious), with tasty New Mexican standards like burritos and tacos. The setting is casual, and the food so good that I've eaten there three times in two days. It's that good. My favorite is the shrimp cocktail. Rich with shrimp and bits of avocado, onions, and cilantro in a tangy tomato soup, it makes the perfect light meal. It is on the main strip in Taos at 822 Paseo del Pueblo Norte. Good, cheap eats!

The photo above shows an art Gallery along Paseo del Pueblo Norte in the historic section of Taos, New Mexico. Photo by Donald Peterson

A Lesson Learned in Taos . . .

I decided to spend a couple of days in Taos, New Mexico, enjoying the spring scenery. Taos, about a two hour drive from Albuquerque, is known primarily as a ski resort. However, it is also a lovely year-round getaway with great restaurants, galleries, and oodles of southwestern style. It is here that I learned a good lesson that I will pass on to other travelers. I booked a room at the Hotel Don Fernando De Taos, one of the better hotels in Taos, and got a rate of $78 per night from priceline.com (a total of $90.00 per night including fees). Of course, since I booked with Priceline I assumed that I had the lowest possible rate. After all, William Shatner, the "Priceline negotiator" makes it so! To my surprise, upon checking in, I learned that had I booked directly with the hotel, the rate would be $62.00 per night. What happened to my rock bottom priceline.com rate Mr. Shatner? As Spock would say, "This is illogical!"

The hotel concierge told me something that I will always do from now on. Before going through Priceline or any other hotel online booking service, check the hotel website first. And, call the hotel to see if there are any special rates you can take advantage of. Finally, compare that info with the rates on the online hotel booking websites. Great advice! The money I could have saved by booking directly would have bought two nice dinners!

By the way, a quick review of the Hotel Don Fernando De Taos (Taos, New Mexico). The hotels' reception area, lounge and restaurant have an impressive adobe architecture and decor. However, the rooms do not carry that romantic southwestern style. They are clean and spacious (as least the room I'm in, #205), but look like typical mid-level hotel chain rooms. The furniture barely qualifies as southwestern style. My dream of being surrounded with rustic adobe inspired bedding, furniture and artwork was deferred. Still, it is a clean, comfortable room. I'll be posting more photos of my Taos visit soon on ABQStyle.com!

The photo above, from an earler visit to Taos, show a sample of the warm adobe style architecture in Taos.

New Mexico's Wild Horses

You see them grazing on public lands that surround Albuquerque. Indeed, they are one of the most significant reminders of the cowboy and ranching heritage of New Mexico. The wild horses that have survived on the New Mexican range are a genetic and historic remnant of the Old West. The characteristics that were important in the Old West days are still found in our wild horses and burros: strength, endurance, and reliability. They are medium to heavy boned, carry themselves in a collected manner, and are surefooted over rough terrain. Adopters find gentled wild horses to be a smooth ride, capable of performing all day, and burros are reliable pack and companion animals. Their only natural predator is the mountain lion. In order to maintain the wild horse population at ecologically sustainable levels, the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act was passed, unanimously, through Congress and signed by former President Nixon on December 15, 1971. It became Public Law 92-195, which protects wild horses and burros within designated territories on both Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management lands.

The photo above shows wild horses along a stretch of old Route 66 between Albuquerque and Grants, New Mexico.

A Great Guide to Albuquerque Restaurants

One of the best features of Albuquerque is the quality of the local eateries. This is a great city for inexpensive dining, especially if you love New Mexican cuisine. Here is a website that does a great job of guiding you to the best dining in Albuquerque, Eat Albuquerque - ABQ Restaurant Reviews and Dining Guide. This well organized guide provides honest reviews of Albuquerque eateries with plenty of input from knowledgeable locals.

The African Presence in Mexico

The National Hispanic Cultural Civic Center's current exhibit, The African Presence in Mexico: From Yanga to the Present, spans five centuries of Mexico's "third root," people of African Descent. The early African presence in the Americas is normally associated with the slave trade in the United States, the Caribbean, Brazil, Central America, Colombia and Peru. Not generally taught in history textbooks is that Mexico was also a key port of entry for slave ships and consequently had a large African population. Blacks in Mexico weren't simply slaves. Many were explorers and cofounders of settlements as far north as Los Angeles and other parts of what is today the Southwest United States. Between 1580 and 1640, Mexico had the largest African population in the New World.

Emiliano Zapata, a leading figure in the Mexican Revolution, which broke out in 1910, formed alliances with battalions of Afro-Mexicans, including battalions from Guerrero made up of widows of African descent who became soldiers. The photo above, "Portrait of a Female Soldier from Michoacan" by Agustin V. Casasola (1874-1938) shows one of Zapata's allies.

A fascinating and informative cultural journey, The African Presence in Mexico is well worth your time!

I Remember Albuquerque's (Recent) Past . . .

I have been an avid photographer of Albuquerque for the past two years. Even in that short period of time, the rate of change in the city due to development has been astounding. For example, the photo above, captured in the South Valley of Albuquerque in July 2005, shows a beautiful farm as seen from Coors Blvd., the main artery through the West Side of Albuquerque. Less than two years later that farm is gone. The land is now parcelled off and appears to be used for either a trailer park or storage of some sort. This type of change can be seen all around Albuquerque. Access to much of the bosque, the lush strip of forest that follows the Rio Grande through Albuquerque is quickly being blocked by sprawling rows of "McMansions." The face and personality of Albuquerque are in the the throes of change. Sigh . . . Albuquerque I hardly knew ya . . .

Discovering New Mexico . . .

"You'll stumble across an unadvertised volcano, a former ghost town, an Ancestral Puebloan ruin. Wander into a canyon with no trail and no name and let it rough you up a bit: New Mexico will never take your blood without giving something back." That quote from an article by Lawrence W. Cheek in Sunset Magazine, 11/04, aptly describes the thrill of discovering the diversity of attractions in New Mexico!

The photo above was taken during a few hours of purposeful wandering near Nambe Pueblo in Central New Mexico. No guidebook can adequately cover the marvelous range of attractions New Mexico has to offer!

Native American Pueblos and Reservations near Albuquerque

A valued part of the cultural wealth of southwest living in New Mexico is the proximity to Native American Pueblos and Reservations. Native American culture permeates everything from architecture to cuisine in New Mexico. One way to learn more about it is by visiting the numerous pueblos and reservations near Albuquerque. What is the difference between a pueblo and a reservation?

Pueblos are traditional Native American communities of the Southwest. Though some pueblos have few standing adobe buildings, the communities are recognized worldwide for adobe buildings, which are also sometimes called "pueblos." The word pueblo, in Spanish, means "village". An Indian reservation is land which is managed by a Native American tribe under the United States Department of the Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs. Reservations were established when Americans began to forcibly take land from the American Indians, who had lived there for thousands of years. Because the land is federal territory and Native Americans have limited national sovereignty, there are often legal casinos on reservations, usually to attract tourists.

Native American Pueblos are sovereign nations, with their own laws and culture. A basic knowledge of proper etiquette when visiting these homelands is vital. This article from New Mexico magazine provides a brief guide to Native American Pueblos in New Mexico and basic etiquette required when visiting them.

The photo above shows part of the Walatowa Reception Area on the Jemez Pueblo in Central New Mexico (Highway 4, Jemez Mountains). This is the only part of the Jemez Pueblo where photography is allowed.

The First Flowers of Spring in Albuquerque

If you love the first blooms of spring, and need a change from the warm palette of desert colors in Albuquerque, then stop by the Rio Grande Botanic Garden. The display of tulips, pansies and violas and other blooms are at their peak! Be sure to visit their website for a calendar of special events for the month of April!

Soda Dam, Jemez, New Mexico

One of the most interesting attractions along Highway 4 in the Jemez Mountains is Soda Dam, a popular stop for travelers visiting the area. A very deep fault at Soda Dam (roughly perpendicular to the highway) serves as a conduit to bring water to the surface. Because of deep faults in the area, surface waters are able to penetrate deep enough to be heated by the earth itself, which is in turn heated by the molten rock underlying the area. Heated and pressurized water carries gases and minerals in a dissolved form to the surface, just like "hard water deposits" in a home faucet.

The mineral Calcium Carbonate, or Travertine makes up the bulk of the deposit. Minor amounts of other minerals or elements cause the different colors in the formation. The bubbles that can be seen rising in the spring waters of Soda Dam are gases dissolved in the water at depth, which on reaching the surface are released into the atmosphere, similar to bubbles in a carbonated drink are released from a bottle or can when opened.

Soda Dam forms a natural dam to the Jemez River, which cuts through it to continue its course. The unique formation shows the continuous processes of nature both building and destroying the feature at the same time.

Photo by Donald Peterson, April, 2007. See more Jemez, New Mexico photos here.

Albuquerque—Better to Buy or Rent?

Albuquerque, New Mexico, like much of the country, is affected by the sub-prime mortgage lending crisis dominating the news of late. With that in mind, I thought it would be a good to revisit and test the conventional wisdom that buying a home is always a better long term financial strategy than renting. Is it? Here is a fascinating online tool that may help you make a more informed decision. This Flash based tool from The New York Times allows the user to plot the financial advantages or renting vs buying with adjustable variables such as rent increases vs home appreciation, mortgage rates, etc. Try it! You may be surprised to see that the conventional wisdom does not always hold true!

Albuquerque Cuisine for New Yorkers?

It is fascinating to find an article from Newsday, one of my favorite hometown New York newsapers extolling the virtues of Albuquerque, New Mexico eateries. Ironically, most New Yorkers are clueless about New Mexico in general and Albuquerque in particular. Green or red chile is unheard of in New York. Typically, New Yorkers are more familiar with international culinary offerings than anything of true southwestern heritage. Perhaps this article is a start in opening true New Mexican cuisine to a wider audience!

The Beautiful Cottonwood

Cottonwood trees are perhaps the most prominent feature of the bosque (the bosque is an oasis like ribbon of green vegetation, often canopied, that exists near rivers, streams, or other water courses), that skirts the Rio Grande as it runs through Albuquerque, New Mexico. Cottonwoods, softer than most deciduous trees, are self-pruning. Their limbs, large and small, frequently break off, leaving large brush piles scattered along the forest floor. As small branches pile against a large limb, they create excellent dens for a variety of wildlife including rock squirrels, rabbits, chipmunks, mice, skunks, lizards, snakes, and birds. Hawks and owls may perch in higher trees watching for a movement of the small mammals in the brush, and hawk nests are visible in the high branches of the cottonwoods throughout the bosque. This photos shows sleeping cottonwoods at sunset, during the late winter, Feb. 2007 in Albuquerque.

The Jemez Mountains, Central New Mexico

The Jemez Mountains form the southernmost tip of the Rocky Mountains which stretch over 2,000 miles north into Canada. They contain no great natural landmarks, just a large area of mostly undisturbed forested wilderness, with rocky peaks, meadows, mountain streams, lakes and waterfalls, and only occasional houses and villages. More unusual features result from past volcanic activity - there are hot springs, sulphurous vents and a caldera - a ring of hills comprising the remains of several long-extinct volcanoes.

A leisurely day trip on the Jemez Mountain Trail takes you past amazing geological formations, ancient Indian ruins, an Indian pueblo, and the remainders of the area's logging, mining and ranching heritage. Much of the region is now a National Recreation Area with many opportunities for hiking, fishing, camping, cross-country skiing, or visiting a natural hot springs.

Stop by The Rio Grande Botanic Garden . . .

The Rio Grande Botanic Garden, one of my favorite places in Albuquerque, New Mexico, is now beautifully arrayed with blooming tulips and other spring flora! It's worth a visit, and is a relaxing way to spend a quiet afternoon. If you see a fellow arrayed with tripod, camera, and a permanent smile shooting one bloom after another, it's probably yours truly enjoying my favorite pastime . . .

This photo shows a sample of the beautiful flora now in bloom.