There was one more resort to see in town so we headed there next. When we approached the front desk

Patricia mentions in her book 1000 Places to See  Before You Die about the drive to Taos and taking the High Road which is Highway 518.  We didn t plan on taking this road, but that is how the GPS directed us.  It was almost the same as the road from Sedona to Flagstaff thrifty rent a car lax along Oak Creek Canyon in Arizona.  Only difference was on one side was green trees and the creek, but on the other side of the road was rocks and mountains ugly brown mountains.  We also passed through several small towns that we thought were abandoned, until we saw people.  It s hard to believe that we have people living in these substandard homes in the United States.  Some of these places should not have been inhabitant by humans.   Don t know how they live through the winter months.  I wonder what miracles the Property Brothers could do in this town.
Taos can be described as an Artists Haven.  With a population of about 5,000 there is said to be more than 1000 artists or musicians living in Taos.  Taos is also just down the hill from one of the best ski locations in the West for winter activities.  I ll post about that a bit later.  There is also white water rafting to give you something to do in the summer.  The towns alluring mix of galleries, trinket shops, and historic sites, Taos seems to have a bit of everything.
The one thing Taos reminded me of was Sedona, Arizona a real tourist trap.  As we were driving through town there is only one road in and one road out, and it was Friday afternoon and the street was packed.  Everywhere you looked you saw people with cameras, maps,  and that curious gleam of what will they see next.  From the drive up to Taos along the creek to the congestion of tourist all through town, Taos is just a duplicate of Sedona.  Personally since I am not the biggest fan of Sedona, Taos wasn t that high on my list as well.
One of the sites we visited in Taos was a B B named Casa de las Chimineas.   However, as of May first this year the B B was bought by the Heritage thrifty rent a car lax Hotel and Resorts and they have changed the name to Palacio de Marquesa .  Chad the manager on site was very helpful in telling us all he knew of the hotel.  Even though he had only been in Taos for 6 weeks, he was able to tell us a lot about the facility.  As if the information wasn t enough, Chad took us on a tour of the property, pointed out some special amenities, told us what plans were in place for up coming changes, and answered any questions we may have had.  Each room at the B B is unique in its own way.  All the rooms have fireplaces and plenty of books to encourage relaxation.  The grounds which are somewhat on the desert side, are going to be changed to display more greenery.  To complement what Taos is all about, all the rooms are going to be named after famous, New Mexico, woman artists. thrifty rent a car lax  The facility was very clean, very inviting, and very peaceful.  Even though it is hidden in a secluded thrifty rent a car lax residential neighborhood, the silence was deafening.  This was one of the nicest B Bs I ve seen, and I have seen many.
From here we went about 20 miles outside of town to Taos Ski Valle y .  We could not find the Taos Ski Valley Resort or the Erie Blake Ski School.  Even though it is June there were still many people throughout this resort community.  The entire area is decorated to resemble the Ski Alps of Switzerland.  Buildings looked like Chalets and many of them had paintings on the outside of the buildings.  There is plenty thrifty rent a car lax of lodging thrifty rent a car lax here, as I m sure this is a popular location in the winter months. thrifty rent a car lax  When we got to a place where we could see the slopes, I was in shock.  I have never seen a ski slope that was that steep.  I don t even know how someone could ski down the slope it looked so steep.  But with all the resorts in the area, all the homes circling the mountains, I m sure skiing is very popular, but I don t think you ll find a bunny slope at this resort.  15% of these slopes are rated expert which means the common skier should NOT attempt these slopes.  Taos Ski Valley gets the same number of sunny day as they do inches of snow.  That means 300 days of sunshine and 300 inches of snow a year.
There was one more resort to see in town so we headed there next.  When we approached the front desk of the El Monte Sadgrado we asked the clerk why he thought thrifty rent a car lax this resort made Patricia s book.  His comment was it s not the resort, it s Taos itself.  Since I mentioned about how I feel about Sedona / Taos, I was not impressed with his answer.  He claims the hotel is going green and that they are recycling their black and gray water.  He also said that there were several different trees growing around their pool area that were unique to New Mexico.  He did allow us to tour the grounds but he did not offer to give us a tour of any rooms or of the grounds outside.  It does seem like a nice spa resort, but a bit too stuffy for me.  It just didn t seem to have any charm or personality.
Trying to do as many things as possible from Patricia s book, we came across thrifty rent a car lax one of the 19 Indian thrifty rent a car lax Pueblos in New Mexico. We were able to visit Pueblo Tao s today.   Getting to the Pueblos was an adventure.  We were listening to the GPS and it told us to turn down this road.  It was a dirt road how could we go one day without driving on a dirt road, and as we started out on the dirt road was a sign saying do not go beyond this sign .  But that is how the GPS told us to go so off we went.  At the end of the road was the pueblo.  Here about 150 of the 1,900 members live here without electricity or running water.  The house are made of adobe and covered in mud.  There were vendors thrifty rent a car lax lined up the street trying to sell their goods. All 19 of the Pueblos throughout New Mexico are open to the public. thrifty rent a car lax  You are encouraged to walk around and perhaps purchase some fry bread, jewelry, or woven rugs.  As we got ready to leave, there was a paved road leading right up to the Pueblo thrifty rent a car lax we made sure to take that one home.
We managed to complete all of Taos and its surrounding sites today.  We had driven on the same road 3 different days but we are just about done with Northern New Mexico and are headed south to the center part of the state.  I had never been to Taos but of course have heard plenty about it.  Maybe if we had had more time, where we could have walked around town and explored some of the shops I would have a different feel about Taos, but because we just drove through town (several times) I just didn t see what all the excitement is about Taos.  Other than the Palacio de Marquesa, I would say stopping in Taos was a waste of time of course that is just my opinion.  I m sure I ll come back and with more time and more sight seeing, I ll probably have a different opinion.   But based on what I saw today, Taos receives a B rating thrifty rent a car lax it was good, but not great.
Thelma thrifty rent a car lax Speaks:   Taos ..hum, well I have been here before but this time I was able to see the Palacio de Marquesa.  I was impressed with how different each room was and yet how they all felt so peaceful.  It is evident that Chad loves being here and enjoys showing people around while telling about the property.  We had a very enjoyable time seeing the original home as well as other rooms.  Being off the beaten path has made this a wonderful B B that is very peaceful and relaxing.  I would stay here and enjoy the peace and calm!
The Taos Ski Valley was impressive only because of the height thrifty rent a car lax of the slope.  I am not a skier and have no interest in skiing so this was a waste of time in my opinion.  I did like the drive up with the trees, grass and creek on one side and the rocks and trees on the other.  If you like to ski and are good at going down hill then this is the place for you to go!
El Monte Sadgrado was a larger more formal hotel.  The pool was surrounded with the forest thrifty rent a car lax of trees since they are going green.  The ponds outside were surrounded by flowers but for the most part it was not very impressive.  We didn t see the rooms but I can imagine they were sterile.  This is not a hotel I want to come back and stay in or tell my friends to come and stay here when in town.
After one more ride down a non paved road brought us to the Tacos Pueblo.  Can this state please thrifty rent a car lax get some money for roads!!!  Anyway all 19 pueblos are open to the public.  Each tries to show how life is with out our usual comforts.  There were people selling food and those selling different rugs and jewelry.  I appreciate their ability to make beautiful jewelry however, I can only wear one piece at a time and I have no more need, so just looking is all I do these days.  I have seen so many pueblos that I am not interested in seeing more.  I think they are a great way to educate people and a way to sell the products produced.
So I would rate the Taos Ski Valley a C since I would only watch people ski. El Monte Sadgrado would rate a C +.  The Pueblo would rate a C and Palacio de Marquesa thrifty rent a car lax a B-.  So my rating of Taos is that it is just like Sedona and there are lots of places to see but there is lots of traffic and lots of people running around.