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The Rio Grande Gorge Bridge sits about 10 miles (16 kilometers) northwest of Taos, New Mexico. It spans the Rio Grande Gorge.
History
The Rio Grande Gorge Bridge was built between 1963 and 1965. It was dedicated on September 10, 1965, and is part of US Route 64. It’s also within the boundaries of the Río Grande del Norte National Monument.
The bridge is a steel deck arch bridge sitting 600 feet above the Rio Grande. It spans 1,280 feet (390 meters) and was repaired in 2012. It’s also one of the highest bridges in the country.
The Rio Grande Gorge Bridge has appeared in several movies, including Natural Born Killers (1994), Twins (1988), Wild Hogs (2007), and Terminator Salvation (2009). Unfortunately, it has a notorious problem with suicides.
Earthship
Not too far from the bridge is Earthship Global Visitor Center. An Earthship is a type of solar house made of natural and recycled materials. The concept started to take form in the 1970s and was developed by engineer Michael Reynolds.
An Earthship harvests its own water from the sky and is completely off the grid. It treats its own sewage, collects power from the sun and wind, and has some internal food production capabilities. There are no utility bills and it maintains comfortable temperatures year-round in any climate.
The visitor center is not set up as a fully-furnished home, but rather as a place to educate the public. Self-guided tours are available for US$9 (as of February 2024). Guided tours are US$22 (as of February 2024) and available Thursday through Sunday at 3pm. There are also private tours available, bookable at least two weeks in advance. The Earthship is open daily from 9am to 4pm and it takes about an hour to go through. We tried to visit but it had just closed when we arrived.
