Tag: Chimney Rock National Monument

Days 5-6: Motorcycle Ride to Taos

After an amazing ride on US-550 the day before we were treated with more great roads on our motorcycle ride to Taos. These were US-160 from Durango to Pagosa Springs then US-64/84 south heading to Taos. There were lots of short sweepers through the mountains and good pavement on the two laners.

Chimney Rock National Monument

We visited Chimney Rock National Monument between Durango and Pagosa Springs, the Earthship Community and the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge. The latter two were just a few miles outside Taos on US-64.

Taos Pueblo

Since we had lost a day with our day late start from home I had decided we would skip the Taos Loop to make up a day. But, Steve suggested we still visit the Taos Pueblo, which had been scheduled for the Taos Loop.

So, that morning we rode to the Taos Pueblo. The Pueblo is a UNESCO World Heritage site which has been inhabited continuously for over 1000 years.

You can do a self tour or a guided tour. We were glad we paid for the guided tour. Ramon, our guide, was knowledgeable regarding the history of the Pueblo itself and the Puebloan culture in New Mexico in general. He stories and descriptions of the history were captivating.

The most interesting topic shared by Ramon was the Puebloan uprising of 1680. Due to the brutality of the Spanish most of the Pueblo  people in present day New Mexico revolted and drove the Spanish back to Texas.

Classical Gas Museum

We headed to Santa Fe after the Pueblo tour. On the way we stopped in Embudo, NM to visit the Classical Gas Museum. It is well worth the stop. See the featured photo above and check out the photo gallery below for more photos. It’s an incredible experience. Bandelier National Monument was our next post and the subject of the next post.

Days 5-6 Photo Gallery