Taos, New Mexico is in the north central part of the state. It is about 70 miles north, northeast of the capitol of Santa Fe.

Almost all buildings in Taos look like they are made of adobe. I don't believe any building is more than two stories tall.

Taos has a strange street system. No street runs straight. They don't run north and south, or, east and west. They all curve. It is not because of the mountains or the river. Often, what look like alleys between buildings are actually streets.

The signage system is equally strange. There are plenty of signs for businesses but none to point out the tourist places. I drove up and down the main drag, highway 68, FOUR TIMES, looking for certain tourist type places. Plus, the traffic lights seemed designed so that no single vehicle ever gets to go through them without stopping first. That takes planning!

Within my first hour here, I was ready to leave town. But, it was too late to cancel the hotel reservation.

There are "package deals" to visit the up to six museums in town. One museum costs $5.00. Two is $7.50. Three is $10.00. All six is $20.00. Of course, none of them are within easy walking distance of any other one. Good luck getting to the next one via your car.

I first visited Kit Carson's home and museum. I knew little of Kit Carson except that he was famous. Interesting visit. His big claim to fame, the Fremont expedition, started at the confluence of the Kansas and Missouri Rivers.

When I tried to find the second museum, I had to drive around the block (if you can call it a block, there is really no such thing as a block in Taos) FOUR TIMES to actually find this place. Then another two times around to find a parking space.

Bottom line: if you LOVE to shop and/or are one of those people who love the southwestern arts, then Taos is for you. For the rest of us......well, maybe it is better during the skiing season!