Monday, November 2, 2026
Questa starts the week wet and chilly, then turns the corner fast. Light rain was falling Monday morning at 40 degrees, with showers through the day, a high near 43, an 80 percent chance of rain, and west-southwest winds around 14 miles per hour before skies clear tonight and temperatures drop to about 27. From there the week brightens day by day: sunny Tuesday with a high of 51, mostly sunny Wednesday at 54, sunny Thursday at 50, partly cloudy Friday at 50, and a sunny weekend ahead, with Saturday at 54 and Sunday at 55. Sunrise is 6:27 a.m. and sunset 5:04 p.m. on Monday, so plan outdoor work for the dry, sunny stretch from Tuesday onward and keep Monday for indoor errands.
Saturday is the big day close to home. Disturbance Day: Questa runs Saturday, November 7, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Wild Rivers Visitor Center near Cerro, a day-long program of exhibitions, talks, family activities, and food exploring wildfire and the changing forest, presented by the Paseo Project and partners. The Communities of Questa Mariachi performs live from 11 a.m. to noon. If you go out to the gorge, remember that the Bureau of Land Management says the La Junta Trail closure at the Wild Rivers Recreation Area continues until further notice while funding is sought for stabilization and realignment. La Junta Point Overlook and Campground remain open, and visitors can still reach the River Trail and the lower canyon from the Little Arsenic Springs Trail.
The same weekend brings one of northern New Mexico's favorite fall traditions south of the valley. The 45th annual Dixon Studio Tour runs Saturday and Sunday, November 7 and 8, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Dixon and the Embudo Valley, with an artists' preview reception on Friday, November 6, from 5 to 7 p.m. The tour is described as the longest continuously running studio tour in New Mexico, and it makes an easy regional day trip from Questa once the week's sunshine arrives. Back in the village on Wednesday evening, the Ceramic Cafe continues its fall run on Wednesdays through December 16, from 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. in the Art Room at the Youth Center, where makers are building pieces this month in preparation for glazing and firing in December.
For a quieter rainy-day option on Monday, the Questa Public Library keeps its regular hours this week, open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, serving Questa and upper Taos County. It is a warm place to wait out the showers, browse, and plan the sunnier days ahead.
In regional news, Taos County commissioners, at their Tuesday, October 20 meeting reported last week, approved a change order bringing in an art restoration specialist to evaluate the historic courthouse murals, testing paint and pigments for about 62,000 dollars before any restoration begins. Commissioners also heard a resident press them in public comment on a 22.5 million dollar hospital funding gap, approved converting a planned parking lot overlay into a full rebuild, approved a 67,000 dollar Chevrolet Tahoe purchase for the treasurer's office, and backed a resolution supporting New Mexico counties' 2027 legislative priorities. Anglers should also watch the river this week: the Rio Grande near Cerro had dropped to 1,070 cubic feet per second on October 31, down from last week's flood pulse of 3,080, and fishing reports expect flows to rise again after Monday's rain, so check conditions before heading to the water.