Sunday - January 4, 1998: Socorro, NM to Taos Ski Valley, NM
The Road to Taos...
We bid goodbye to not-so-lovely backwater Socorro, NM hoping never to return, not even for the Elfego Baca Shoot ---- a one-hole(!) golf tournament held every June. ("One-hole golf tournament?", you may be asking yourself. Yes, the green traverses 5 miles of cactus and boulders from the top of the nearest mountain to a temporary green at the foot of that same mountain. Par is 50, and one must finish with one of the 10 initially allotted balls!)

Then we hit the highway to burn rubber to Taos Ski Valley before sunset ! Made it to Albuquerque in no time flat, and tried to take the tramway all the way up to Sandia Peak just outside of town, but there was a snowstorm up there that put visibility at about 15 feet, which sort of defeated the purpose.

So we pressed on through Santa Fe and saw way too many cool Southwestern Arts and Crafts stores….we couldn't resist, had to stop and shop a bit-----Southwestern rugs for $29! American Indian print pillows for 19.99!!!! Southwestern pottery at 30% off !!!! ---- Of course, we left there with only $4 worth of refrigerator magnets.

One of our most scenic drives yet from Santa Fe to Taos along the Rio Grande river got us to Taos just as the sun was setting in a blaze of glory. Gorgeous! …Of course, we still had 20 miles to go to get to the Ski Valley, up the mountain; but we made it there not too long after dark as the snow had just begun to fall. Our warm room was waiting for us, conveniently located right at the bottom of the slopes.