Daily Archives: May 2, 2011

Volume 3: New Mexico

Meet Big Tree, a quintet out of Brooklyn, New York with high hopes and empty pockets.  Three dashing young men and two friendly ladies make up this indie pop band.  We are the luckiest people on the planet.  Our job is to drive from one amazing place to the next, play a show, make new friends, and explore new cities. While we’re on the road, FlipKey invited us to share our experiences living like locals everywhere we go.

Taos, New Mexico is a land of magic and epic beauty. The thin air, towering mountains and adobe houses are otherworldly, and the slow rhythm of life is incredibly appealing. We had played the Kannaroo Festival in the middle of Sunshine Valley a year ago on a stage made out of recycled materials, but this year our show was in Santa Fe. We rocked out at the Cowgirl BBQ, a restaurant and bar so tasty that both the New York Times and Wall Street Journal have written about their delicious margaritas and nachos. We played to a bunch of California ex-pats who left the West Coast for a change of pace. Afterwards, we enjoyed some of the delicious food everyone was talking about.

The next morning we drove up to Taos with big plans, hoping to fit them all into one day. First on the list: The Hot Springs! Along the Rio Grande, secret springs flow into hot-tub sized pools, where locals shake off their clothes and enjoy the warm water. There are remnants of an old bathhouse, leftover from the days when the springs were used for public bathing. Rumor has it these very springs set the backdrop for a scene with Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda in Easy Rider. The hike down to the river is picturesque, although the dry desert air makes the walk back up a bit difficult (bring lots of water)! We soaked in the magical pools, jumping into the freezing cold river when we started overheating.

After we refreshed at the springs, we stopped by The Pueblo, a Native American community that has been continuously inhabited for over 1000 years. Full of beautiful adobe houses and incredible artwork, this area is home to about 150 people. Although it’s a bit strange to have tourists walking through their neighborhood, the folks we spoke to were welcoming, explaining how they bake bread in clay ovens, and showing off the beautiful jewelry they were selling. A couple little kids drank out of the clear stream flowing through the community, and we admired the old buildings against the snow-topped mountains.

As the evening approached, we decided to treat ourselves to a fancy dinner at Antonio’s. The beautifully decorated hacienda makes some amazing duck enchiladas, and their plates are more like artwork than dinnerware. We enjoyed the dim lighting, soft music, and good company; and fantasized about the day that we would be rich and famous and buy a big adobe house in the valley where we could admire the magic and beauty of Taos whenever we pleased.