A Study in Contrasts

We drove from Taos to a 10,400 foot pass on Highway 64 in the San Juan Mountains. The road started in the high desert in Taos at about 7,000 feet.

We stopped at the dramatic Rio Grande Gorge, which is spanned by one of the tallest bridges in the US (680 feet above the river). The gorge is unnoticeable until you are almost to its edge - it is simply an enormous cleft in an otherwise unbroken expanse of desert.

After many miles of creosote brush, the vegetation changed instantaneously to tall, green conifers and lush grass by the roadside. We climbed continuously, driving through verdant mountain meadows, past flowing streams, and finally to nearly unbroken snow fields at the 10,000 foot level. We were able to view the massive Brazos Cliffs, after slogging across a very soft snowfield in which we sunk to our knees. There were miles of aspen trees that had not yet leafed out. The vistas were dramatic.

We noticed some very unusual houses that had been constructed in the desert. They were built into rammed earth mounds, and had free-form walls constructed of earth, old tires, glass bottles, and aluminum cans. These are “Earthship” houses, and are largely ecologically self-maintaining. They feature thermal/solar heating and cooling, have self-contained sewage treatment, and utilize the sun and wind for electricity generation. Green houses are incorporated into the design for food production. These buildings are being constructed in several countries around the world, including Haiti. They sport unique free-form, multi-colored, whimsical architectural features - something like the "Yellow Submarine" drawing from the old Beatles album. (They look like they were designed by someone who was high on something.)