Framedlight

  We completed our journey around the Enchanted Circle by driving through Red River and some strange snowy landscape where there was evidence of mining and an industrial past. We passed a pretty lake where families were strolling and playing in the sun. And then when we headed back into Taos we were reminded that today was halloween.

  We had noticed a rough path up into the hills a little bit east of Ghost Ranch. Most of the land was fenced off so this seemed the best place to explore from. It was not so much a footpath but a track following an arroyo or dry stream. It was pretty rough going but we persisted and really enjoyed the scenery and the solitude. The sun was out and the sky was perfectly blue although in the shade there was still some persistent snow on the ground. We climbed up the stream going through narrow gullies until we reached the top of the hill and the watershed. Here we could gaze across at the view of blue mountains beyond. View from the top to the distant mountains Reflection in the parked van

Before we left the UK I had booked tickets for a landscape tour of Georgia O'Keeffe locations at Ghost Ranch. The tour didn't start till lunchtime so we stopped en route and took a short walk, not far from Ghost Ranch, through some red rock countryside. The stark desert landscape was very beautiful.  Georgia O'Keeffe also loved these surroundings. She first visited here in 1929 when she had come down from New York to visit friends in Taos. Ghost Ranch is now a retreat where you can stay and take courses if you wish. In the 30's it was a dude ranch. A place where rich people could come and pretend to be cowboys. It had got its name as it had once belonged to cattle rustlers who had become outlaws and murderers and were hanged for their troubles.  In 1934 O'Keeffe stayed in a cottage in the main area of Ghost Ranch, but she later managed to rent a small property on the outskirts called Rancho de los Burros. O'Keeffe came back every summer and spent her time explor...