We made the drive to Taos in about an hour and a half. It was snowy but not slippery. The highway was twisting and the scenery was beautiful. It was early evening when we checked in and after getting unpacked and renting ski equipment for Michael for tomorrow, we were very hungry. We took the recommendation of the ski shop people and ate at a rustic Mexican restaurant, The Guadalajara Grill. Even though it is part of a small chain, the food was magnificent. They only had wine margaritas, though, so I opted for a couple bottles of Cerveza Bohemia. The place was packed with both Hispanics and Anglos and I can understand why. I think the best Tex-Mex food is found in New Mexico not Texas or California - maybe because it�s more �Mex� than �Tex.�
The next day was as beautiful a day as I have ever experienced. The sun was shining, the sky was blue and cloud free and there was six inches of new snow on the ground. Michael took the shuttle to Taos Ski Valley and I wandered around the town. It has many of the trappings of a tourist town and all the art work and souvenirs have a depressing similarity to one another but the people were friendly and the architecture and food were wonderful. I�m sure it�s not as appetizing in the summer but it sure was great on this day.
The Ugly
I decided to drive to the Taos Pueblo, which purports to be a working pueblo. I never found out because there was a $10.00 admission fee plus another $5.00 if you wanted to take pictures. I could see from the entrance area that most of the �workshops� were closed. I decided to pass. I can understand why the Indians want to charge admission but I don�t understand why they charge extra for cameras and why they don�t charge less when nothing is going on. One of the people coming out said she thought it was a waste of both time and money and all she saw was stuff for sale. I feel strongly that the American Indians have been mistreated throughout American history, right up to the present day but I also believe that doesn�t give them the right to try to rip me off. I feel the same way about the current drive by black Americans who are trying to get reparations for their years in slavery. I�m not responsible for what happened before my ancestors even got to America.
I decided to stop at the nearby Indian owned Taos Mountain Casino. I happen to think gambling in Las Vegas is depressing. You can imagine how depressing this place was. Most of the customers looked like they could not afford their gambling. No VIP rooms, fancy restaurants or big name entertainment here, just people playing slots and a few blackjack tables. I dropped a few bucks in a poker machine and moved on.
The Beautiful
I decided to drive up to Taos Ski Valley early to get Michael. It�s about a 45 minute drive and very beautiful. When I got there I looked around for Michael but couldn�t see him and assumed he was still skiing. He was to call me on his mobile to choose a meeting place but I never heard from him so I had a few toddies and wandered around. The mountain was beautiful and the snow looked perfect for skiing. I no longer ski but on this day I wished I still did. As the shadows lengthened, still no word from Michael. I wandered through the many bars, restaurants and shops and couldn�t find him. I decided he must have caught the shuttle and decided to drive back to Taos. I offered a ride to a guy from our motel and we had a very interesting conversation coming down the mountain. He�s a professor at the University of South Florida and skis once a year by himself as his wife hates cold weather. When I got to the motel, there were a number of messages from Michael telling me where he was. We finally talked and I had to drive back up the mountain to get him. Turns out he couldn�t reach the mobile number and was sitting in one of the bars that I wandered through. We just missed one another. Of course Michael�s stupid father didn�t think to call the motel for messages and as punishment had to make an extra round trip to the ski area, this time in the dark. I realized that I trusted the technology too much. In the past we would have set up a contact through the motel switchboard to plan where to meet. But I was so fixated on the mobile phone that I never stopped to consider �Plan B.� I hope I learned a lesson.
(Continued)