Ojito Wilderness, NM

Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2011.  I had the day off work so I decided to hike in one of my favorite areas, the Ojito Wilderness of New Mexico.  It is pure desert with lots of sand, rocks and cactus.  Millions of years ago it was actually the bottom of a great sea and if you look closely you can find petrified sea shells and sharks teeth.  The drive to the trailhead took me through the Jemez Mountains and Valley which I think is one of the most scenic routes in the whole country.  On the way I pass beneath Battleship Rock.

A little further down the road the Cottonwoods along the banks of the Jemez River display their fall color.

Here's a picture of Guadalupe Mesa.  Suzanne and I once backpacked up there and camped for three days.   Up on top is the remains of an entire Native American village.

Suzanne and I also hiked to the top of the mesa on the right of the picture below.

I couldn't resit taking the next picture because of all the cool contrasts.

After leaving the Jemez Valley the terrain changes drastically as I enter the Ojito Wilderness.

I park my truck near one of the many mesas that rise up out of the desert.

Who takes a picture of a rock?  I do when it has lichen on it like this one.

This picture may not look like much but its the spot where Seismosaurus, the largest dinosaur ever discovered in North America was dug up.

About 30 feet away is this rock with lots of petroglyphs on it.  These were carved into the rock hundreds of years ago.  The elongated foot and crescent moon mean that a female shaman made a long journey to get to that spot.  The bow and arrow pointing at a snake means she was asking for good hunting for her people.

Hazel Doggie enjoys the view.

Another of the many mesas.

Way off in the distance rising 1,000 feet above the desert floor is Cabezon.  It's a volcanic plug which is the magma that filled up the inside of a volcano.  Over many millions of years the outside of the volcano eroded away leaving only the inside remaining.

As I continue hiking I encounter some strange sandstone formations.

Weather and erosion can produce some bizarre shapes.

This one looks like a ghostly figure.

What in the world is this?

As I turn around to hike back to my truck I can't resist the dead tree.  I know Suzanne will like it.

One final picture of a mesa as I leave the spectacular Ojito Wilderness.

Enchanted Circle

Sunday, Oct. 9, 2011.  Today I decided that instead of hiking I would tour the Enchanted Circle by truck.  It's a route that circles Wheeler Peak from the town of Taos to Red River to Eagle Nest to Angel Fire and back to Taos. It's about an 85 mile trip and since that area got over a foot of snow Sat.  I was expecting some spectacular scenery.  Wheeler Peak at 13,161 ft is the tallest mountain in New Mexico.  You can see from the Taos view that the top half is covered by clouds.

I make a quick stop at the Rio Grande Gorge near Taos.  The Rio Grande is a long way down and I feel a little vertigo just standing on the bridge.

As I continue on the colors start showing.

The snow helps bring out the contrasts.

As I approach Red River I spot a large Hawk sitting on top of a tree.

Half way between Red River and Eagle Nest I just have to stop and take a picture of the snow storm on the mountain.

After lunch in Eagle Nest I take this pic from the parking lot as I get ready to continue on to Angel Fire.

At Angel Fire the colors are peaking.

As I approach Taos again I have completed the Enchanted Circle and take one last pic of Wheeler Peak.

East Fork of the Jemez River

Sunday, Oct. 2, 2011.  Today I decided to hike along the East Fork of the Jemez River in the Jemez Mountains.  I hurt my big toe so I needed an easy hike with no real elevation change.  This hike is actually in the Valle Caldera which was formed when a super volcano erupted a million years ago.  The volcano is dormant but not dead.  Each year the dome grows from the rising magma underneath it.  The caldera is filled with lush soil and plant and wildlife and the river.  It's a beautiful easy 4 mile hike and one of my favorites.  As I step onto the trail the green grass and trees contrast nicely with the blue sky and white clouds.

All along the way their are huge boulders and rock formations that were formed by the volcano.

This next one was just too spectacular not to photograph.

A little further along I spot a rock climber on his way down.  That rock is about 300 feet high.

As I continue on my hike I come to a place where I need to squeeze between 2 boulders.  The big one is twice my height.

After walking 50 ft or so I turn and look back up the valley I just came through.

As the trail continues it crosses the river several times offering great views.

Another boulder that deserved a picture.

After 2 miles I come to this spot that would require some rock climbing for me to continue.  I decide that my hurt toe would make that difficult so I take a break and enjoy the solitude before heading back.

As I look around I spot some bluebells.

And some wildflowers that I don't know the name of.  Maybe Suzanne will leave a comment and tell us what they are.

As I head back to my truck I'm thankful that I can do spur of the moment hikes like this.