Colorado Vacation Part 1: The drive out!

In October our family took a vacation to Colorado. We took a different route than usual and boy am I glad! This route took us through New Mexico where we stopped and explored a town called Taos. If you've never been, I suggest you check it out! The town itself is very authentic looking, in fact the plaza hasn't changed it's shape in over 300 years! Everywhere you look, evidence of the Spanish Conquistadors are blended with the native Pueblo people.  Jason, who has a keen sense of direction, was struggling in this town because all the business that surround the plaza area look so similar being made from adobe. Even though we only had a few hours to give for this little adventure, we made time to stop at the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory to buy a caramel apple! We all shared the apple on an outside bench while a local played his harmonica for us. It was so fun to watch Reid get up and dance to the music!

Taos, NM plaza

After leaving Taos, we started to notice some really cool looking structures in the middle of nowhere! Later we found out that they were homes called "Earthships." Basically, these homes were made out of recycled materials, had composting toilets, indoor gardens, and other cool features. Here's a picture of one we happened to see!

The scariest bridge I have ever been on, we crossed: Rio Grande Gorge Bridge! Holy shnikes this sucker was huge! To be exact, it's 650 feet above the Rio Grande and spans 1,280 feet. The wind was so terrible on the bridge that we weren't comfortable taking the kids out, they didn't want to go anyway so no matter! The little bit of distance that I walked, made me so dizzy! I had to look at my feet just so I wouldn't fall down! Jason walked to the middle where the lookout point was. My handsome hubby is so brave!

As I looked over this huge cliff, I couldn't help but think about how Indians would sometimes use the "Buffalo Jump" method to hunt buffalo. Before guns were introduced, it's said that sometimes Indians would herd buffaloes to a cliff where the animal would jump off and another group of the hunt would be waiting down below to kill the crippled animals. Obviously, this gorge would be way to steep but it's a cool thought none the less!