After arriving mid afternoon I stopped at a parking lot to stretch my legs and also make some food before exploring a new town. When doing research on this place before leaving on my trip I knew that the Earthship was a must do. Little did I know that there was a decent size community surrounding these buildings. This Earthship Biotecture started in the 1970s by an named architect Michael Reynolds. He wanted to reduce or even eliminate heating/cooling as well as the electric bill. His vision was to be able to transform these buildings into something much more sustainable for our earth. It is made up from indigenous or recycled materials of the local area. This place is even more bizarre than it looks on the internet, something that you just have to experience for yourself. Since you cross over the famous bridge you might as well just stop at the rest area and meander around to the massive towering bridge that you drove over to get to the Earthship. One of the most wildest bridges that I have been over to date.

Although there is not much of a view point in Taos to see the sunset, I found the most ironic spot, a park called Sunset Park. A view of the town over the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. I was fortunate to have some stormy clouds that made golden hour insane! Was also the second time that it had rained on my trip in over 5 weeks of being on the road. I did miss the rain because I am a Seattleite in the desert. If you are a car camper/vanlifer I would suggest you head for Carson National Forest to camp for the night because well, its free or you got the trusty Walmart parking lot.

After waking up in the Carson National Forest take a hike up to a lake called Williams Lake. Although doing it early in the season there will still be a lot of sow. Make sure to bring a solid GPS so you know where you are going. I read on the trail reports that there was an avalanche later on in the year which covered up the trail up to a mile in. Having the GPS was how I got to be able to see this amazing lake. As I made it to the top I met a woman, it was her birthday and every year she climbs up to Wheeler peak. Wheeler Peak is the highest peak in New Mexico. What a grand way to spend you birthday eh? I sat down to rest and made a couple friends...chipmunks that is. The clouds move so fast around here, it was peaceful to sit and just watch them go by as you stare out into the frozen oasis.