Gasoline Alley
The "Low Road" from Santa Fe to Taos, New Mexico
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When Daughter lived in Taos, New Mexico, we visited her there often. This photo of
charming junk cars and an antique gas station was shot just outside
of Taos on the “Low Road” headed towards Santa Fe. Pressing into the Sangre de Cristo Mountains past
13,000-foot peaks, this route is the most scenic between Santa Fe
and Taos. The small, isolated mountain towns sprinkled along the way retain the
flavor of the early Spanish settlers who came here four centuries ago. |
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You can stop, take a picture or two, buy a
soda or snack, and then move on. What a charming bit of memorabilia!
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Now, this is the sort of thing that
makes New Mexico so charming! |
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Because every square inch of real estate does not
need to earn its keep in New Mexico , stuff can
grow old in place for decades pretty much untouched. This old junk car and
antique gas station in Taos, New Mexico is a great example. The fellow who owns
this property kept the old gas station (his home is in the background) and
turned it into a personal museum.
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We normally travelled the "Low Road," from Santa Fe to Taos, driving through Española where Spanish explorer
Don Juan de Oñate staked his claim 400 years ago. |
Velarde is also a fruit-growing community, and roadside
stands offer the season's freshest produce. Beautiful ristras,
arrangements of drying chili pepper
pods, were displayed along the road. Although their main purpose is to preserve chilis for later
consumption, ristras are commonly used decoratively in chili-producing
areas like New Mexico.
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For information about
the artists and studio tours, one can stop at Dixon's Casa de Piedra Cooperative
and the Pilar Yacht Club. |
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Passing through the nearby
village of La Mesilla, we admired the simple beauty of San Ysidro, built
in 1918, and the village of Velarde where Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe was
built in 1817. |
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We followed alongside the fertile
valley of the Rio Grande as it winded through a narrow canyon to the
villages of Embudo, Dixon, Rinconada and Pilar.
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We could view the beautiful Taos valley from the "Horseshoe Curve." |
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The landscapes of New Mexico are among some of the most beautiful in the country. Wide, rose-colored deserts to broken mesas to high, snow-capped peaks, color abounds at every time of the day and at every season. It was a treat for our eyes and senses every time we visited there. |
Photos are mine and from google.com
Some information from google.com
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