Today we were headed to visit the nearby Vietnam Veterans Memorial State Park and a subsequent lunch in Taos after which we visited the nearby Rio Grande Gorge Bridge.
We rode the northern half of the Enchanted Circle, and while less twisty, it was in our opinion more scenic.
ScooterBob accompanied us as we toured the Vietnam Veterans Memorial museum. A very nicely done museum by the way, and its chapel was small but rather artistic in it's structure as you can see above and below.
I thought perhaps it would evoke a shape or message from an overhead view perhaps, but nothing comes to mind.
source: GoogleMaps
Saddling back up on Fiona, we headed to the village of Eagles Nest, spotting an American Bald Eagle in flight along the way, quite magnificent it was.
Martha and Fiona along the way to Taos
Next stop, the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge about seven miles to the west of Taos along State Highway 64.
Pictures at the bridge done with, we headed on back to Angel Fire, retracing our route along Highway 522 to Highway 30.
We did stop at the Lazy L Ranch's gate to photograph what we dubbed as "Nessie".
Moreno Valley Dragon
We got back to the RV park with no incidents, Fiona having done great once again and this time not having issue starting up in the morning. (We did have to wait till temperatures were warmer than yesterday morning which probably helped).
Update: found a youtube video with photos of the Moreno Valley Dragon:
11 comments:
Dom, looks like you and Martha are enjoying the NM roads & country we love to explore. Now should be pretty quiet up there, between seasons. Good to see your camera is getting a workout.
The Vietnam Vets memorial is a sobering reminder for those who lived thru those days. Hard to keep a dry eye when there.
Try the road from AF to Black Lake then down to Mora thru Coyote Canyon, watch out for elk around Black Lake.
I love the dark blue sky in your photos! NM looks like a beautiful place. I've only seen bits and pieces of it. Was Taos as touristy as you thought?
Beautiful area you guys are traveling through. Love the fall colors, and the memorial is quite interesting. Seems like I'm seeing more pics with you, Dom, and Martha. I like that.
I wondered if you'd take SB along for this outing.
The war memorial ist a stunning piece of timeless architecture, and interestingly it was built at a time when it was not very popular to honour Vietnam veterans. Kudos to the people who put up a reminder back in the days for those loved and lost.
CCjon, it's very quiet around here right now. There's only two other RVs remaining here at the resort. I'll see about checking out the route to Black Lake.
RichardM, not many tourists in Taos it seems this time of year. Still the main drag was a bit clogged with traffic at times but still, not bad. Quite the close quarters during high season I bet.
Kari, glad you like the changeup in the format. Martha insists on me being in some of the pictures. Go figure.
SonjaM, yes, I must get better about bringing him out of the sidecar trunk! The Vietnam Veterans memorial started as a private effort and later taken on by the state. Quite well done I must say, some of the equipment on display was rather familiar to me.
The Enchanted Circle is a great ride and the sights and towns are neat. I love the Memorial. It is tastefully done and really nice. The Rio Grande Bridge is a neat place and is in the Wild Hogs movie (only about 2-4 seconds). I have seen "Nessi" but never stopped to check it out. I wonder about the story behind it. Great photos yet again!
Thanks Thomas Osburn, its quite the area to ride in, I do miss the mountain views of Colorado though....they've got mountains here of course but not as "in your face" as the ones in Colorado.
After some searching, found the name of the "dragon" pictured in the last photo and updated the blog with its name and a youtube link with some explanation of how it came about.
added one more pic showing the cool curves and angles of the chapel.
Another journey you are documenting well. I like that area and are familiar with all you've been. From the bridge at the Rio Grand the is a dirt road to service the towers you'd like it hugs the gorge and gets pretty darn close at times to the edge. Eventually gets back to pavement down at the rivers edge. Great ride kinda off the beaten path and nothing difficult.
Enjoy your time down in the land of enchantment
Thanks Spat, though I don't think we'll be wandering over to the bridge again on this trip.
Post a Comment