That place, when popping up out of the canyon on NM 68 and onto the Taos mesa, must certainly be the place where Earth decided to marry Sky. It’s “a thin place,” like so many places around Taos where you hear an ancient, rhythmical beat. Twilight is particularly magical when the landscape seems to sigh and piñon smoke fills the air.

Taos, New Mexico, is a small town, an unassuming labyrinth, a crossroads imbued with Native American and Spanish culture and history. Nature envelopes it. The adobe buildings surrounding Taos Plaza are packed with shops, art galleries, and eateries. It’s been an Art Colony outpost for more than a century; the Millicent Rogers, Harwood, and Taos Art Museum all pay homage.

Feel the timelessness of Taos Pueblo, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, where the heartbeat of the Tiwa-speaking Native Americans echoes a thousand years of harmony and resilience. Drive out to the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge and the mesa beyond it to the Earthship Biotecture, unique, sustainable houses. Head to Taos Ski Valley for world-class skiing and snowboarding … or hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding. — Kim Grant