Day 19 Taos, NM / Amarillo, TX (APS)

We got up early this morning since we had a lot to do before leaving Taos!  The breakfast at the B&B was delicious to say the least - homemade granola, breakfast casseroles, and a variety of breads and muffins!  Now sufficiently stuffed, we headed out to visit the Taos Pueblo - the oldest continuously inhabited community in the US.  Upon arrival, we learned that today was a "Feast Day" - only one of 9 religious holidays during the year.  We were still allowed to tour the village, but were asked not to take pictures due to the holiday.  The adobe homes had been passed down from generation to generation and many were still inhabited today.  There was no running water or electricity on site, but they did have access to propane which fueled the lanterns in the church and in the homes lucky enough to tap in.  Many families had left the village proper,  and had built homes on the outlying lands where they could have access to electricity, water and indoor plumbing - I can't say that I blame them!  It was amazing, however, to walk the same grounds that had been walked upon for thousands of years before.  The "Feast Day" celebrations were to begin at noon but the ceremonies take place at underground Kivas (ceremonial rooms) but at 2:00, the Pueblos would be back up and would be dancing the Corn Dance.  We decided that we would like to see that but it was only 11 so we headed into town and went to the Kit Carson museum.  As I told you yesterday, Kit Carson was a rugged frontier man who was responsible in exploring and opening the West for settlers.  His museum was housed in his old home in Taos and was a wonderful tribute to his life.  We watched a great video from the History Channel that detailed his explorations and then we went to see where he was buried.  It was only 12:30 p.m. and we weren't really hungry for lunch (due to our big breakfast), so we headed up to the Taos ski basin to see what they had to offer.  From what we could see, there were some great runs so maybe we'll have to come back sometime and try out the skiing too!  Nonetheless, it was getting close to 2:00 so we headed back to the Pueblo.  We were told that the Corn dance would take place around 2 p.m. "Indian Time."  I assumed that meant something close to "Beaufort Time" and the dance began around 2:30 p.m., but it was well worth the wait!  We felt so honored to be able to witness history  - a ceremony that had been done the same way for thousands of years!  After the dance, we left the Pueblo and began our trek towards Fort Worth.  It is a 10 hour drive from Taos to Fort Worth and we decided to just drive until we got tired.  Around 10 p.m. we pulled into a Holiday Inn at the last exit in Amarillo (after this point there won't be much for miles!) and turned in for the night!  This is just a quick stop and we hope to head out first thing in the a.m. so that we can make it to Fort Worth in time to check in and shower before the Rangers game tomorrow night!