JÖRG STAEGER / Studio Arroyo Hondo / <

Arroyo Hondo Mesa

Near Taos / New Mexico / USA

Elevation: 7.000 ft / 2.100 m

Close to the Rio Grande Gorge

From Johnny Cash's journal dated June, 1970 Taos, NM


We drove from Santa Fe to Taos

The black, table top mountains

Climbed up like stair steps

Towards Taos

The Rio Grande ran beside the road

Then we topped a last hill,

And on the plateau

The great beautiful plateau

Stretched to our left a hundred mile

The Rio Grande, a million years ago

Cut a deep wide awesome gorge

Across the plateau

Proud, peaceful mountains

Look down on Taos,

Proud, peaceful happy people

Breathe the clean Taos air

The only thing disturbing the countryside

Were giant dust-devils

And they're a thing of beauty

Upon our return from Taos

Someone had the nerve to remark,

"Taos is overrun with hippies, isn't it?"

If that's all you saw at Taos,

You've got no business going there.