Taos was a disapointment to me. It is a very touristy, heavily commercialized town. The native American culture is doled out by the dollar. We had planned to visit the Taos Indian Pueblo this morning. Just as we were leaving town, a pickup truck pulled us over and the driver angrily informed us that bikes are not allowed. Sure enough, when we went back there was a sign that said no bicycling or hiking allowed on Indian land. That leaves motor vehicles as the only legal way to visit the Pueblo. Since were were not in the mood to pay for a taxi to take us the 3 miles, we decided to bag it.
On the other hand, Taos does have some great restarants, at least
based on the two we tried so far. We both agreed we had the best
meal of the trip so far last night at the Ranchos Trading Post
Cafe, just across the road from the Taos Motel where we are
staying. For breakfast this morning we ate at Ricky's restaurant
two doors down the street. The Spanish omelette was excellent,
if a bit hot for my taste. The motel, by the way, is only $38 a
night for a very acceptable large 2-bed room.
We spent our rest day in Taos taking care of administrative
details. I had cleverly left my tent's rain fly in Kayenta. I
was able to get the number of the tent manufacturer from a local
camping store and ordered a replacement to be shipped to me
general delivery in Guymon, OK. Adam did a similar trick for a
mount for his cycle computer. I bought some sturdy plastic
camping utensils to replace the cheap plastic knife/fork/spoon
that I had brought along. Adam purchased some handlebar tape,
new cycling gloves, and a cable lock to replace the U lock that
he had cleverly left behind in Kayenta.
If you are ever in Taos, patronize the
"Gearing Up" bike shop.
Lately I have been noticing a squeak from my front hub. (I guess
even sealed bearings are not immune to immersion in the American
River!) They repacked the hub, mounted a new chain, and checked
out my chainrings for a grand total of $13.87 (the chain alone
was $10.98) because they "have a soft spot for cycle tourists."
It drizzled rain much of the day today, so this was a good time
for a layover day with motel lodging. They are talking about
scattered showers tomorrow. And the news reports that they have
been having tornadoes in the Midwest. We'll see.