An awesome day! Slept in a bit, took a cold shower (there has to be a way to take hot showers prior to 12pm...), then packed up the car and headed out to drive the Enchanted Circle! To me, this is one of my favorite things to do--just drive around, listening to music, and taking in the sites on my own schedule. And what a blast it was! I started by heading towards the Taos Valley Ski Area first.
On the way to the Ski Area, I stopped at Arroyo Hondo--a little folksy town with a few neat shops. I stopped in a couple of them and met an interesting shopkeeper--John Cooper. John Cooper's shop was an eclectic mix of new and old. He tried to persuade me to buy this foot high, pretty hefty horse statue (heh?), then when I wouldn't budge, moved on to a "19th century" candelabra. Still no, but he ended up striking up conversation with me. He told me about time he had spent in South America with his ex, who threw a temper tantrum when their hotel wouldn't let her check in early. He also gave me some recommendations of things to do in the area and restaurants to check out. Very kind man, but I spent more time trying to be polite and listen than I had anticipated, derailing the "3-4 hour" trip around the Enchanted Circle very early on. It's ok, though! Life is lived at a very different pace out here!
From there, on to the Taos Ski Valley! I can't do justice to the beautiful scenery. The foliage was absolutely amazing; stunning color-popping aspens everywhere I looked. I pulled over several times to take pictures on the quick 20-minute drive from Arroyo Hondo.
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