7-23-2018 Taos, New Mexico Part II

A bit about adobe:  It is made from clay-like dirt, straw and water.  Once the mud is the right consistency, it is poured into square wooden forms and left to bake in the sun to make bricks.  The bricks are laid with mortar between them made from the same mixture.  After the adobe walls are completely dried, a kind of paste is smeared over them that looks a lot like stucco and is tan or reddish in color.  It dries, cracks and flakes off and has to be redone about once a year.

Exposed adobe bricks of old
San Geronimo Church bell tower

Interesting that, as I have learned some facts over the years of travel, on this trip I have made a few mental connections.  On one of our trips we toured the boneyard at Davis-Monthan AFB where thousands of aircraft are parked and left to die.  The guide explained that Tuscon was chosen because the ground is hard, like rock, and they don’t have to pave parking spots with concrete.  The hard material is called “caliche.”  He told us that if you want to plant flowers in Tuscon, you have to dig the hole with a stick of dynamite.  Well, I remembered that word “caliche,” and it was used again at The Taos Pueblo.  The material that is smeared on some of the walls that looks like white stucco is a mix of caliche and water.  They use this material when they want to brighten the walls and perhaps bring more light into the rooms in the pueblo.  The new San Geronimo Church has a white arch of this material.

On another trip years back, we went to visit Bent’s Old Fort near La Junta, CO.  That fort (a replica) was built in 1833 by William and Charles Bent and it was a major stopover point for rest and replenishment of supplies by travelers on the trails as well as a major trading arena.  We had learned that Charles Bent had been appointed governor of the New Mexico territory and that he had been murdered.  At The Taos Pueblo, the territorial governor was unpopular among the Pueblo Indians because he was trying to impose American standards on them and they didn’t like it.  They naturally preferred their own customs and mores.  There was a revolt and during that attack, the governor (Charles Bent) was murdered, scalped alive.  (I kept thinking, “Charles Bent, I’ve heard that name before.”  Ah!  The connection:  Bent’s Old Fort!)  As a result of Bent’s murder, the US Army geared up and attacked the Pueblos and destroyed the old San Geronimo Church on the pueblo with cannon fire.  Hundreds of women and children who were huddled inside were massacred.  End of revolt, start of peaceful negotiations.

The city of Taos is encircled by a highway and the 87 mile drive is named the “Enchanted Circle.”  It takes quite a while to complete this drive because there are so many places to stop and look. 

 Lt.Victor David Westphall III
fallen May 22, 1968 in Viet Nam

The first stop, The Viet Nam Veterans Memorial, took more than an hour.  The memorial was built by Dr. Victor and Jeanne Westphall.  They had purchased 84 acres of land near Angel Fire ski area and had intended to build a resort.  But when their son, David, a Marine lieutenant, was suddenly killed in action in Viet Nam in 1968, their plans changed.  They began the construction of the first memorial for Viet Nam vets in honor of their fallen son and the 15 Marines who died with him in an ambush at Con Thein.  It was not popular to build a Viet Nam memorial back in those days as the war grew increasingly unpopular but the Westphalls persevered and now, the chapel has grown into a visitor center, museum and soon, a military cemetery.  High up on a breezy hill, the memorial is quiet, thoughtful and sad.  It gave us pause to whisper a small prayer of thanks to honor our own friends and family who struggled in the jungles of Viet Nam, some who died shortly after their return from cancer due to agent orange, some who did not return at all and others who returned with permanent emotional and physical scars.

Huey Viking Surprise on the memorial grounds

Sculpture to honor Viet Nam POWs

Westphall Viet Nam Memorial Chapel

Eagle Nest Lake on the
"Enchanted Circle"

White stork at Eagle Nest Lake

We stopped next at Eagle Nest Lake, a small alpine lake where many come to fish including some big white storks.  Then, we grabbed an early dinner at the Red River Brewing Co in Red River, NM, elevation 9,000 ft.  The “Enchanted Circle” is majestic, the scenery breathtaking and a must if visiting Taos.