10/6/21
Wow, what an incredible day.
Each time I think the scenery on this trip can’t get any more beautiful, something new surprises me.
This morning, Michelle and I hopped in her car and headed north to Taos, Earthship Biotecture, the cute village of Arroyo Seco, and ultimately to my new host’s place in Santa Fe. Along the way, we crossed the bridge of the Rio Grande Gorge. (Yes, the Rio Grande. I had been unaware of this gorge, and it was stunning in person.)
All along the drive, the October colors were starting to show in the trees, the mountains, and the sunlight and blue sky that was filled with gorgeous puffy clouds casting otherworldly shadows on the hills below.
After we crossed the canyon bridge, we soon arrived at the Earthship Biotecture community and demonstration site. After having been vaguely aware of this place, and of the concept of Earthships, for some decades, it was so cool for me to see them in person, to feel their scale and their place within the landscape, and to learn more about how they work. I found our self-guided tour to be very inspiring, although also a bit disheartening when I considered what a small percentage of building plans in the United States make use of these commonsense sustainable principles and practices. I encourage you to take a look at the Earthship Biotecture site to learn more. They even offer internships, if you or anyone you know might be interested in traveling to Taos for a three-week stint of living and learning on-site.
After we had our fill of the Earthships, we headed over to a sculpture garden in nearby Arroyo Seco, which was bathed in incredible light. We found some lunch at a local café, and then marveled at the spectacular natural color of the fields, trees, mountains, and sky as we left.
Sometimes it almost feels like too much for me, to take in so many inspiring sights, so much beauty, and so much rich human interaction in such concentrated time frames. But, that is a big part of this journey, and overall I am loving it. Tomorrow I plan to venture into Santa Fe to see the sights in a town I’ve always heard good things about. (My host—the son of some Portland friends—lives just outside of town in a beautiful New Mexico styled house, complete with multiple fruit trees!)
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How wonderful!
Thanks, Alek! Yes, it was absolutely incredible.
Wow, what beautiful structures!!
Earthships?! Never heard of ’em before. And they’re ecologically more sustainable than, say, my house or your condo? Jeez, that’s cool. They remind me of Roger Dean’s artwork. Do you know who he is/was? He used to create the album covers for Yes and other prog rock bands. I used to own his book, VIEWS. (I don’t know how I lost it!)
Such gorgeous images — I mean your photos. But Dean’s art is pretty gorgeous too.
Did you really take photos of these structures in real-life or are they science fiction and you’re just teasing us?
Wow. You are having way too much fun.
Haha, yes, they look very sci-fi, but they are definitely real! It was so cool to finally get to see them in person.
And yes, they do kind of recall Roger Dean’s artwork. Fantastical, otherworldly. Very cool, and I’d love to see more structures like this–aesthetically and functionally–around the country and the world.