Tuesday, September 22, 2020

Covid Respite #5 - Angel Fire, NM




My brother, Rand, lives in Arkansas, and we had not seen each other in a long time, so in late August we decided to take a break from Covid quarantine . . . to meet and hang out for a few days in the ski resort village of Angel Fire, New Mexico.





Angel Fire is located at the southern end of a beautiful valley called the Moreno Valley in the Sangre de Cristo mountains of northern New Mexico, which are the southernmost end of the Rocky Mountains.  The valley began forming while the Rockies were being lifted up 75 million years ago, and it took its current shape over the past 2.5 million years.





We stayed in a VRBO rental cabin near the Angel Fire Country Club, where we had mule deer, hummingbirds, and a great view of the sky and mountains across the valley.










































One morning, after rain and a bit of hail the afternoon before, we had a beautiful foggy sunrise:







We spent most of our time driving up and down the valley talking and enjoying the scenery, which included dramatic palisades along the Cimarron River . . .




 . . . a memorial to Vietnam veterans overlooking the valley . . .








 . . . and a cemetery located at the site of Elizabethtown, the first town in New Mexico to be incorporated.  Now it's a ghost town, with only a few ruins remaining, but the cemetery is still in use.



























Of course, no trip to a remote area of New Mexico would be complete without an abandoned vehicle:




If you would like to see these images (and more) in a larger format, please visit my photography website, Todos Juntos Photography, by clicking here.

Enjoy!



Thursday, September 10, 2020

Covid Respite #4 - Ojito Wilderness

 



In mid-August, my friend Alan and I took another half-day "Covid respite" trip . . . this time to the Ojito Wilderness about 40 miles northwest of Albuquerque.


Ojito is back-country, with mesas, arroyos, cactus, and interesting rock formations.  It's not as interesting as Bisti or Ah-Shi-Sle-Pah, but it's a good destination for getting out of the house for a few hours.



We chose a trail that winds around the base of Bernalillito Mesa (above) which is littered with rocks that have broken off and fallen from the cliff face above.



We hiked about a mile to reach a small outcropping of yellow-orange Dakota sandstone that formed teepees with swirling layers of color.













I was fascinated by the textures and colors:










After about 90 minutes, the morning sun was beating down on us and the temperature was headed into the 90s, so we hiked back to our cars and made our way home.



If you would like to see these images (and more) in a larger format, please visit my photography website, Todos Juntos Photography, by clicking here.


Enjoy!