A short hike

We had hoped that D would be discharged today, but they are continuing to keep him under observation. Another family member was available this morning to be the responsible party, so we agreed that I should take a short hike to at least visit another region in this area.

D & R recommended Diablo Canyon recreation area , an arroyo on BLM land with basalt cliffs rather than the more ubiquitous red sandstone. This is a flat hike over sand that, if one were to hike the 6 miles out and back would reach the Rio Grande river. When I arrived this morning, it was about 25 degrees F and snowing lightly. As the aphorism goes, there is no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing. Fortunately I was dressed for the weather and was quite comfortable. The other aphorism is that the best opportunity for great photos is during inclement weather.  In this case, I think I would have preferred blue skies with puffy clouds (which arrived in the afternoon). But I did the best I could under the circumstances. I hiked out a mile and a half, at which point the basalt cliffs gave way to rolling hills, then turned around and hiked the mile and a half back out. On the way back I had cloudy skies and filtered sun, which provided some better opportunities to capture this particular landscape.

New Mexico has so much to offer, both visually and culturally that, even under the best of circumstances, I would have been able to sample only a small portion of its offerings over the week. Fortunately, I know I will be back another time to collect on my raincheck to visit the Bisti/De-Na-Zin wilderness and other more remote areas.

Tomorrow I travel to Southern New Mexico to visit a couple of attractions in that area before leaving the state.

Additional images can be found in the Gallery.