Continuing through Chimayo, we found the area to not be very scenic. We crossed the headwaters of the Rio Grande and the Rio Grande Gorge and explored a community of 'earth ship' houses near Taos NM, built from all recycled materials and designed to be completely energy independent. We stopped and spoke with some of the owners who gave us a partial tour. The houses are built into the dirt on the backside with the south-facing side being solar panels and the roofs a series of venting options. This is a completely self-sufficient community, where they are all off the grid, quite an amazing ECO group of about 200 homes! Really a must see, especially if you are into alternative living.