Traveling America By Van: Quick Visits, Santa Fe and Taos
By John Kumiski
The economics of our trip hasn't allowed for lengthy stays in towns. But some towns are worth a little expense!
Friends told us Santa Fe was the coolest town in New Mexico: art, restaurants, night life, general "vibe". We made the trip into town, found a parking spot near Canyon Road, and went for a walk. The galleries that were open were incredible! We visited a half-dozen or so, all of which exhibited museum quality work in a variety of media.
A whimsical sculpture found on the streets of Santa Fe. John Kumiski
Barbara Meikle's (https://www.meiklefineart.com) paintings of animals and landscapes feature stunning, vibrant colors. Collectors love her work! Her gallery also features a handful of equally talented artists.
Carol LaRoche Gallery (https://www.laroche-gallery.com) features primarily paintings of animals, especially wolves. I loved the colors and the simplicity of her compositions. Her gallery also features other artists.
The first time I encountered art by native Americans I was stunned. Made from fur, feathers, shells, wood, and other natural materials, it was natural that a fly tyer like me would be drawn to it. Adobe Gallery (https://www.adobegallery.com) features the highest quality art by native Americans of the southwest. This gallery features paintings, baskets, sculptures, multimedia pieces, all museum quality, all amazing work.
This sculpture of an Indian chief represents the kind of quality art work found on Santa Fe's streets. John Kumiski
Of course, the prices in all the galleries matched the stunning artwork, but I'm not looking to collect. I look at galleries the way I look at museums: as a chance to see the brilliance and expertise of top-quality craftsmen doing what they love, what they've dedicated their lives to. Generally, galleries frown on people photographing the work, so I photographed the art on the street.
In earlier pieces in this series I've marveled at street art we have encountered in the west. Santa Fe has the best street art we've seen, Museum quality work festoons the Canyon Avenue area; truly incredible work freely displayed for the public's enjoyment. I love towns like that!
Perusing galleries is appetite-inducing work. A discussion with one gallerist led to questions as to where we should best lunch. She suggested we visit The Shed (https://sfshed.com), a short walk from the gallery. Score! The place was exactly what a hungry stranger would want to luck into- authentic and delicious, and reasonably priced to boot. Portions were generous enough that we lunched on a leftover tamale the next day.
The downtown section of Santa Fe was all adobe-style architecture, almost like the town fathers did not want their town to have the spreading strip-mall look so prevalent in other American towns. I loved Santa Fe and will visit again at my earliest opportunity.
Banners all around Taos exclaim, "Taos is art!" There are lots of galleries in Taos, too, although our time there was so short (it was a travel day) that we only visited a couple. One couldn't help notice that the exuberant display of street art so prevalent in Santa Fe was largely missing in Taos. One gallery certainly worth a visit was the Taos Artist Collective Gallery (https://taosartistcollective.com), which features the work of over 20 local artists. Mary was the gallerist when we visited. She showed us her paintings, but of course the subject turned to food.
Mary suggested we visit Michael's Kitchen (https://www.michaelskitchen.com). We did. Susan bought a cream puff to go. In spite of a funky, laid-back vibe that invited the visitor to slow down and explore the place, we had to get going. We returned to the car, got in, and headed west on US 64.
The high bridge over the Rio Grande near Taos, a must-stop on US 64. John Kumiski
A short distance from Taos we came to a high bridge, under which flows the Rio Grande. Although the stream may be fairly small here, it is WAY under the bridge due to the enormous gorge it has carved. We took a couple of not-very-good photos, then got back in the van and headed west again.
US 64 was the most scenic road of our trip to that point. Up and up and up. Hairpin turns. Breathtaking views. Snow fields. My stomach just never gives me a break, though. "What do we have to eat?" I wanted to know.
We have a box behind the seats in which we keep non-refrigerated foods. The refrigerator is way in the back of the van. When I stopped because I wanted to eat, the external thermometer on the dashboard read 48 degrees Fahrenheit. We were surrounded by snow fields, and the wind was howling. Neither of us wanted to get out and deal with the cold to get some food.
Then Susan said, "I have the cream puff."
Eating this huge and delicious cream puff led to out-of-control gales of laughter! John Kumiski
She opened the box and I looked at the puff. It was huge, the size of a child's head. We attacked it, each taking a piece and devouring it greedily. Then our eyes met, and our eating stopped, because we were laughing so hard. It was so improbable, eating a huge, delicious cream puff inside a car on a snow-capped, freezing cold mountaintop in New Mexico! Tears rolled down our faces from the laughter, but that only provided a temporary reprieve for the cream puff.
In minutes it was gone, and we descended from the mountain top, headed to our campsite at Heron Lake State Park.
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