The fierce river of the north…

We all know what the Rio Grande is famous for – the penetrable border between two North American nations, the symbolic cornerstone of today’s debate on illegal immigration, the source of a viciously derogatory ethnic slur. The Rio Grande usually brings to mind armed border patrols, the Minutemen, drug violence, John Wayne, the really Wild West.

But there is another, much less disquieting side to the Rio Bravo del Norte (the fierce river of the north), as it is known in Mexico. Did you know that the river sources in Colorado near the Continental Divide? It meanders through Colorado and New Mexico before turning in a generally southeasterly direction into its bawdier reputation as a jagged border feature. Here, as depicted in the photo above, the river enjoys a quieter existence as it courses through the rocky hills of New Mexico southwest of Taos. Further north is the spectacular Rio Grande Gorge, spanned by the Gorge Bridge about 10 miles west of Taos.

Any trip to New Mexico would not be complete without a view of the Rio Grande, and northern New Mexico offers some amazing photo opportunities of the river. Definitely check it out.