There are two routes from Taos to Albuquerque. The first is via State Road 68, a straightforward approach through the valley.  It’s known as the Low Road or River Road because it parallels the Rio Grande. 

The second is a patchwork of lanes that weave through forests and hillsides, past small farms, galleries and old churches. Like any “blue highway,” you feel the lay of the land when you drive it. And if you’re prone to motion sickness, as I am, you’d best be behind the wheel.

At first we seemed destined for Route 68. We had a schedule to keep, after all, a flight leaving at 3. But the more I thought about it, the more the High Road called out to me. We wouldn’t have time to stop much, but we’d have time to absorb the scenery as we drove through it. 

I’m hoping that those sights, sounds and smells, like all the sensory riches of the last 12 days, will become a part of us.