Our comfortable sunny weather was about to turn wet as we headed north toward the Oregon border. Actually “wet” isn’t strong enough. After driving many hours through the lovely winding roads of the Shorline Highway, we turned inland just above Fort Bragg and the weather became soggy.
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Two months ago I tried to visit Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument but flooding from a recent snow storm had damaged the access bridge. It was closed. This time the park was open but the bridge remained out of commission so to visit you had to hike three miles. That is, you had to hike three miles if you didn’t travel with your own folding bike!
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As a photographer, I’ve found no better cave than Carlsbad Caverns to visit and shoot. Its huge expanse of beautifully lit formations sets the stage. However, what really sets it apart is the freedom the National Park Service gives you to roam at your own pace, to set-up tripods and to take pictures. I’ve now visited four times and I most certainly plan to return. A gallery of pictures is forthcoming … but not today, I’ve got a road trip to continue!
A snow storm hit New Mexico when last I visited. This of course didn’t affect Carlsbad Caverns which lies 750 feet underground but it sure affected the National Solar Observatory at 9,500 feet in elevation! Sunspot, as its known, is an observatory dedicated to studying the sun with its many telescopes. At this elevation, at this latitude, with this weather it’s an ideal spot to study the sun. Here are some of the telescopes to be seen.
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Everyone knows about the Rockies and the Colorado Plateau and everyone knows about the Sierra Nevada mountain ranges but what about the land in between? The region in between is called the Great Basin and is occupied largely by the State of Nevada. Filled with north-south mountain ranges separated by wide valleys (as seen above), what little water falls in this region stays in the region hence the name “basin”. It’s across this ripply arid land that I drove today.
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The title of this post is adapted from my favorite National Parks T-shirt. The pun is obvious; this is the world’s mecca of red rock landscapes. The circuit of the entire set of red rock parks in this region is known as the Grand Circle.
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Road closures killed my original agenda for today. No matter, New Mexico has plenty to hold my attention. Today became Rock Day. At two National Monuments I saw first-hand evidence in the form of graffiti of people long dead and learned their stories. I thought it might be boring … wrong! I capped the day with a drive to the top of a 10,700 foot rock called Sandia Crest. From there I could see forever.
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If living with great vistas causes your heart to swell then I envy the Hopi and Navajo who live atop mesas. These elevated plateaus provide a perch hundreds of feet above the canyons and valleys. As I drove across their nations, I climbed and crossed three distinct mesas and could see forever into the distance. The people who live on these raised setting enjoy stunning views. However, from what I saw, their living conditions are poor. Here are examples of what I saw:
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Driving through the Four Corners district includes meandering among the red rock regions that Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado share in common. Striking landscapes! The pictures here were taken at Shiprock, Valley of the Gods, Monument Valley, Agathla Peak, Mexican Hat and others sites.
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My plan was to drive west along the far north of New Mexico to Farmington. The remarkably useful NMroads.com showed snow had closed many roads. I couldn’t do the Enchanted Circle. I couldn’t drive north from Chama. Neither could I go along a key stretch of scenic route as I had hoped to. However, as evidenced by the fact that I’m typing this in Farmington, with patience and lots of detours I arrived and the day was a success.
I drove through snow, hail, rain, and sun. I drove over ice, packed snow, slush, and dry pavement. The changes in weather and elevation and sunlight brought delight to the photographer in me. Never did I feel endangered but I always remained cautious. Today I drove through a picturesque New Mexico Weather Wonderland!
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My visit to New Mexico is to try to figure it out. Unlike other areas of the country, it’s history is seeped in a Spanish and Mexican experience and doesn’t appear to have later been overwhelmed by the British or French influences. Mingled with the ways of the indigenous, a distinct character emerged.
You see this character everywhere in the form of an aesthetic. Adobe is everywhere. The native style touches everything from architecture to landscaping to art and to anything that can be given a local touch. Even national brands adopt the local look. McDonalds has adobe restaurants, Starbucks adopts a local art theme, and Best Western takes on a rancho look.
Today was only a start but tootling around Santa Fe and Taos is giving me a sense. The snow storm reduced my day’s agenda but I still managed to come away feeling pretty fulfilled … and in one piece!
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