Two articles in the news this month had me wanting to pack my bags and bike and head to New Mexico where Taos is celebrating the Summer of Love 2009. Couldn’t resist passing this information along.
Quite a bit of publicity lately for this gem of a mountain town in New Mexico.
Las Cruces Sun – News article will give you a taste of this summer’s events, Summer of Love: Counterculture celebrated throughout summer in Taos.
Taos, once one of the planet’s grooviest hippie hot spots, is celebrating the golden alternative counterculture days of yesteryear with the Taos Summer of Love.
Summary of events
More than 300 summer events have been scheduled, including live concerts, parades, motorcycle rallies, shopping specials, a Hippie Homecoming, readings and lectures, art shows, festivals and more.
Summer of Love
Taos, one of the country’s earliest and most enduring meccas for 1960s counterculture aficionados, seemed a logical site for celebrating the 42nd anniversary of the original Summer of Love, which in 1967 attracted tens of thousands to the then epicenter of flower power, San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury District.
Highlight – Taos Mountain Music Festival
Debuting from 10:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Aug. 15 will be the Taos Mountain Music Festival in the Taos Ski Valley. Joan Osborne, The Wailers and Ozomatli will headline the first of what organizers hope will be an annual event, featuring rock, blues, hip- hop, country and Latin music. Tickets are $35 in advance and $38 on showday. It’s free for kids 10 and under with an accompanying adult. Info: www.taosmountainmusicfestival.com.
And if you get out there this summer to experience the love, don’t forget your mountain bike.
Highlighting Taos outdoor recreation, Forget the galleries, Taos drawing mountain bikers encourages the exploration of Taos mountain bike trails.
Northern New Mexico has managed to keep itself out of the mountain biking spotlight, but those who have ridden South Boundary and the hundreds of miles of other singletrack and old forest roads in the area say the potential is limitless.
“In Taos, everything is in place,” said Rey Deveaux, who owns Gearing Up Bicycle Shop, referring to the region’s alpine and high desert terrain. “All they need to do is tap into it.”
Deveaux said the region is a mystical place, but hasn’t gotten the publicity like Moab and other mountain biking meccas.
Wondering how to best sum up this post on the mystical Taos, I headed to the Taos Ski Valley web site and there it was, perfectly stated …
At some point when you’re here, it’ll happen. Call it an instant of clarity, epiphany or whatever. It’s the moment you realize what Taos is all about. We could try to define it with lofty language about your spirit mingling with the wind and snow. But that would be inappropriate. This moment is yours to find. Besides, it’s a little different for everyone. But rest assured, it happens to all who come here. And when it does, you’ll feel it right down to your bones. A little smile will spread across your face. And a tiny whisper will escape your lips that says it all: ‘I’m home.’
This is the music event of the summer in Northern New Mexico and Sunday September 5th Taos Mountain Music Festival is Featuring Warren Haynes with his prolific band Gov’t Mule along with a full line up of great music though out the day.
Big riffs, massive grooves, and expansive improvisations are the hallmarks of Gov’t Mule’s legendary live shows performed by four musicians – guitarist/vocalist Warren Haynes, drummer Matt Abts, keyboard player Danny Louis, and bassist Jorgen Carlsson – whose powerful musicianship and chemistry along with their tireless work ethic have earned them the respect of their peers.
“Last years Taos Mountain Music Festival was a fantastic event!” says Taos Ski Valley’s Event Director Alejandro Blake “This year we are stepping it up a level and people are going to be blown away by the talented lineup slated to play the 2010 festival. “This is such a family friendly festival and this year we are going above and beyond to give visitors a full weekend of fun in Taos Ski Valley” adds Alyson Hyder, Executive Director of the Taos Ski Valley Chamber of Commerce.
This outdoor festival in Taos Ski Valley is situated on 4 acres of fenced land with a backdrop of the Sangre De Cristo Mountains and surrounded by national forest. The gates open at 10am and festival attendees are urged to get there early and claim their spot for the day to enjoy a full day of great music. Once settled, festival-goers can enjoy “Strawberry Fair” the festival’s marketplace. They can check out circus entertainers, shop for crafts from local artisans and sample food from top area vendors and restaurants. For just $5 kids can enter the “Kidzone” and go wild in the jump castle, get their faces painted, play games, even learn to play the drums. This Labor day weekend Taos Ski Valley will host activities for all to enjoy all weekend long including Movies in the Mountains, Guided hikes to Wheeler Peak (the highest Peak in New Mexico) and live bands in bars surrounding the festival grounds.
Lodges throughout Taos Ski Valley have great lodging deals going for the festival and many of these are offering a festival package that includes your ticket making your stay even more convenient. Tickets will be delivered to your accommodation so all you have to do is wake up, have some breakfast and stroll into the festival at your leisure avoiding all the lines at the box office. View the packages available at http://www.taosmountainmusicfestival.com/lodging or call 800.517.9816.
Definitely creative thinking!
I have been feeling a very strong pull to Taos this summer and now come to find out whats been going on down there. Very Cool!! I want to put myself to work in the sustainability community. If I ride my bike from central Utah to there, would it be good enough resume for a job in either earthships or a bike shop?