Aphonopelma Marxi

Hi everyone. We've had a full day here in Taos, NM and are looking forward to some stargazing before we turn in.

This morning at breakfast, we were both researching some potential hikes online and simultaneously found a one along the Rio Grand river. The Rio Grand in Texas isn't all that big and up here in New Mexico it's even smaller. Nonetheless, it's old enough to have carved a deep canyon into the earth and a hike near the canyon's edges is a favorite with tourists and locals alike.

There is a bridge over the gorge the Rio Grand has carved about 10 miles outside of Taos. It has been described as the 10th largest bridge in America. I'm not sure about that. Maybe it was so at the time it was built, but I can think of four bridges in Philadelphia alone that are much bigger. It's also been called the "Bridge to Nowhere," because when it was built, there wasn't any money to continue building the highway on the other side, so it sat unused or little used for years.

We crossed the bridge and arrived on the western side at about 10:15 am. We were not alone in our desire to explore the bridge and canyon. It was such a tourist draw that about a dozen vendors had canopies set up selling their wares at the trailhead. We breezed past them and started south down the trail. What we had read online suggested it was a fairly level hike that skirted the edge of the canyon, then sometimes retreated into the sagebrush plane alongside it. We did about 10,000 steps before lunch. There were many awesome views and great energy. It wasn't a loop, so we had to double back when we felt we were about halfway through our endurance (i.e. started to get hungry).

(View of the Rio Grand from the rim trail)

It also gave us a little black surprise: Aphonopelma Marxi. That's the scientific name for the Grand Canyon Black Tarantula. That's right. We almost stepped on a tarantula. If you had asked me if I thought tarantulas of any ilk were native to the USA, I would have told you "no." But there was no mistaking the genus of this hairy little dude or dudette. It was far from aggressive, running away from us as fast as it could. I shot a few photos, but the shadowing is so intense it is hard to tell from the pic what is an arachnid leg and what is a shadow. Anyway, here it is.

We actually saw two more before we completed our hike. Someone told us later that it is their mating season. I truly hope I don't see proof of that.

We also came across what was apparently a memorial for someone who has passed on. Prayer flags, stones in concentric circles, and a pile of momentos indicated that someone built it to remember a loved one. There were some recently placed flowers, as well as personal items like reading glasses and a coffee cup with money stuffed in it. They was an oblong mound of stones in the very center. I did not investigate that too closely.

Very hungry by this point, we lunched in modern, downtown Taos. It has a pleasant enough plaza, lined with the usual coffee shops, art galleries, and bookstores. There were no cannabis shops downtown, but boy were there dozens on the highway coming into town.

After that we headed to the original Taos Pueblo. Honestly I don't think the modern day town of Taos has much in the way of original ties to the native people. Taos Pueblo is not in the town of Taos, but on its own land, about two miles away. In my opinion Taos is probably the most iconic of all pueblos. It is taller, better preserved, and has the dramatic backdrop of 10,000 foot mountains behind it. I find the asymmetry and geometry of the various levels of homes to be quite beautiful.

I edited the photo below to make it black and white. I thought it made it look older. Robert playfully dubbed it a Native American condo.

As in Acoma, they asked us to please not take photos inside the church (although they were willing to sell us a postcard of it for a buck.) Here's a pic of that. Two things struck me. First, I believe the yellow robes of the Virgin and Saints probably was chosen to represent the color of corn, but that's just an assumption. Second, while you can't see them in this pic, its one-step dais, the altar rail, and the general dimensions of the church reminded me so much of my own little home church in New Hope. Of course the adornments were different, but it still felt like there was something reminding me of home and that we have more in common that we might think

.

After this full day, we headed back to the airbnb and did some laundry. We looked at options for dinner and selected a nice restaurant in modern, downtown Taos. I had a pasta and Robert had lamb chops. This was easily the best meal we've both had the entire trip.

Went for a walk before bed. The stars very abundant, but not quite as bright as in Flagstaff. I could make out the Milky Way, though, and we were treated to a shooting star zipping dramatically by.

Tomorrow I think we'll end up in Oklahoma. Wish us luck.