Day 4: The Story of Taos

The story of how I first came to Taos, New Mexico seems to be one of fate. It was one of my first weeks of work in Houston and I was super missing winter. I had a terrible time adjusting to it being 60 degrees in January and there being no snow and more importantly no skiing (even though my co-workers were still wearing Columbia parkas like it was -10 outside). One Tuesday morning I was feeling particularly unhappy and I was like, ‘Whoa, I need to get out of here fast and get me to some winter or we are not going to make it.’ I googled the closest ski area to Houston and it brought up the little know place of Taos Ski Valley. I had never heard of Taos or that there was skiing in New Mexico. I had assumed I’d be driving to Colorado and thought I was in for a 22 hour drive by myself. Taos was 16 hours, so that was a significant improvement.

I went to my boss and told him that I needed to get out of Houston for the weekend and that I needed to flex my time. I must have looked like a person on the edge because he didn’t even hesitate and simply asked if I thought I would be back by Monday. I told him I would try. . . . . . .

With work taken care of, I went back to my desk to figure out the logistics. I found a cheap place to stay at the local hippie hostel called the Abominable Snow Mansion in Arroyo Secco (I rented a shed for $20 a night) and then saw about getting a partner in crime for my adventure. My ex-boyfriend Punkin was game and he bought a last minute cyber-saver ticket to Albuquerque for Thursday night.

That night I went home and packed up my car with my skis and snow gear. The next day I took off after a half day of work which started the first pilgrimage to Taos. . . . . . and that was the start of many great memories.

Taos is the last great adventure I had with Punkin. It’s my happy place when I needed to day dream at work. Taos is where Gareth and I first got together. Where we ate the best meal ever of sweet potato gnocchi. It’s the place where we did our first shotski with the Cuevo people and shared with the entire bar the hottest bloody mary ever made. Its where I first appreciated green chilies. It’s the place that kicked up my skiing several levels at ski week. Its where I first was able to hike and ski backcountry. My first steeps. The beautiful views from Kachina peak. The hot springs we hiked to. The hippy compound we stayed at. The beautiful sunshine of the blue bird ski days that was typical each day I skied out there. It was the hunting for soft snow through the trees. The endless mogul runs that were such a challenge. . . . .

Taos is my happy place and I love every minute of being there.

My first day back, I took Triina to some of my favorite haunts. We walked around town and ate at Graham’s Grille that night, (ironically Triina and I were seated at the exact table facing the kitchen that Gareth and I did 3 years prior). We ate an incredible meal – Triina with Salmon and me with Duck and Gnocchi. We watched the snow fall and talked about how great the powder day was going to be tomorrow.