Taos is located 70 miles north, northeast of Santa Fe. Mable Dodge Luhan was a wealthy socialite from the east who arrived in Taos early in the 20th century; she is responsible for making the town popular with artists, writers, and their hangers-on.

One of the better places to stay is the Taos Inn. It is in the centre of town putting all the high-priced shops within walking distance. Taos Inn has been in existence since the 19th century and was once the social centre too. Funky is a good way to describe the place, yet it is kept well, it has a good bar, and an excellent restaurant. In the bar, Fu-Manchu once drank bottled beer from Traquair House, Innerleithen, Scotland; on this visit it wasn't available, so the mystical master in machinery of world domination was obliged to accompany his lunch with pints of Murphy's Stout.

Lunch taken outside in the courtyard is a delightful experience, quiet and relaxing with no noise from the traffic on the main road fronting the inn. From the patio it is a short walk to the courtyard hotel rooms and a long afternoon nap.

All the usual chophouses and motel accommodations can be found spreading south on either side of the main road. North, it is three miles to Taos Pueblo where you can see how the pueblo Indians live. West, the land is flat until reaching the Rio Grande which flows along the bottom of a canyon running north and south, 600 feet below ground level; before the bridge, the first travellers must have experienced a deep sense of gloom on finding their way west barred for several hundred miles in either direction. East, is the Golden Circle, a very pleasant drive around the Taos Reservation back to Taos that is particularly fine in autumn.

Kit Carson, the famous scout, is buried in the cemetary behind the inn, not far from the Kit Carson Museum. All is within easy walking distance.