The Road Home

Saturday July 4, 2015

Kit Carson Cemetery

Resting place of Kit Carson and Family

On Saturday, my mom and I ate breakfast out and then went to an
arts and crafts fair at Kit Carson Park before I headed home.
While we were there, I visited Kit Carson Cemetery,
which is located at the edge of the park.

I visited the grave sites of Kit Carson and some of his family
and descendants. The cemetery also includes some soldiers
and local people from Taos.

Resting Place of Mabel Dodge Luhan
Mabel is located in the back corner of the cemetery,

next to Ralph Meyers.

Unlike Kit Carson's plot, which is surrounded by a gate,

Mabel's is an open plot with an accessible tombstone.

I even did a tombstone rubbing one time.

Visitors have honored and remembered her

and her contributions to Taos and the art community

with mementos on her tombstone.

Soon, it was time to say good-bye, and head out of town.

Taos Drum Company

www.taosdrums.com

The Taos Drum Company is on the outskirts of town,

out on the mesa. One of the notable things about the property

is that they have a collection of tipis.

The Native American people in New Mexico are the Pueblo people.
They have historically lived in villages made of adobe. They are historically farmers

and ranchers. Today, the Pueblo people are a part of the community

living modern lives, but also honoring their customs and traditions.

Tipis are more traditionally associated with nomadic

people who hunt and forage.

I don't know why Taos Drums has tipis on their property,

except to draw attention to the business and make the connection

for those whose spiritual practice may include some Native practices

such as drumming and mediation or retreat into a tipi.
It associates their drums with a native population and practice.

For whatever reason they have this long established

display, it is a fun place to visit and photograph.

The Rio Grande Gorge

As I reached the very edge of being able to see the town

and area known as Taos, I pulled over to photograph the Rio Grande Gorge.

The Gorge is a deep canyon with the Rio Grande running

through it much like the Grand Canyon in Arizona.

It was a stunning sight surrounded by the green of summer.

The Rio Grande

Through the Canyon

The road south of Taos quickly transitions into driving through

a canyon along the Rio Grande.

I pulled over at a place where rafters can land

or begin their trip down a small section of the Rio Grande.

The access to the river was busy,

so I continued my photos higher up on the driveway into

this parking lot.

ADAD Celebrate

For the rest of my drive home, I just drove home.

It is a 2 1/2 hour drive. Sometimes I become impatient

with the route, but this time, I enjoyed the drive.
It was beautifully green and scenic.
Many regions I drove through had "walking rain" clouds

in the distance, over hills and over mesas.

It was a beautiful drive home.

I had a great trip in Taos, and am happy to be home again.