Rio Grande Gorge, Summer Gorgeousness. 07-31-2024

July 30, 2024 by Geraint

Greetings from San Cristobal (Taos), NM. This week the Rio Grande Gorge in its summer finery and gorgeousness.

My hard drives frequently spin as I search for images to print or supply to art directors and clients. This week was no exception. I came up with a few select photos depicting the gorge that divides the plateau between east and west, with views from the rim and canyon, and the expansive vistas that capture the imagination and stir the soul.

If you miss this view below then you are probably asleep and should wake up or you’re driving at night.

If you prefer to take a detour off the main route you will see the following two locations.

Orilla Verde Rec Area — The Rio Grande in Orilla Verde Recreation Area.

As you ascend a steep dirt road you will encounter this grand view looking south. Remember to engage the parking break.

Gorgeous Sky over the Rio Grande Gorge — Gorgeous Sky.

A short distance on the climb out of the canyon is the Vista Verde Trail. It will take you on a very pleasant hike through lava boulder fields and rocks adorned with indigenous petroglyph art.

… to a bench with an overlook of the Rio Grande.

River View — River view from a nice resting spot.

The west rim trail takes you in a northerly direction on mostly level ground for about 10 miles. You’ll feel the cool breeze as it glances off the canyon walls and catch fabulous 360º sunsets.

Driving the 10 miles, if preferred, will bring you to the high bridge where US Highway 64 crosses the Rio Grande Gorge.

Walking across the bridge looking to the north or south you’ll get wonderful views of the river. Looking east toward the mountains is pretty nice too!

Summer light on the gorge bridge. Straight as an arrow to the mountains.

On the same evening from the bridge, this happened.

Lightning sky over the gorge — Lightning over the gorge.

On another occasion a rainbow over the chasm.

Rainbow and storm, over the gorge — Rainbow and storm over the gorge.

There have been many times I’ve traversed the bridge. It shakes a lot especially when semi-trucks cross it hauling full loads of gravel. Don’t let it prevent you from crossing it yourself, but don’t bother with a tripod. I didn’t.

Lastly, one of my favorite and most popular images was taken on a summer evening from the high bridge in 2009. A horizontal crop is on the cover of my book.

Summer Light, on the Rio Grande Gorge — Summer evening from the high bridge.

I hope you enjoyed the mini travelog this week. Join me on a photo tour/workshop and I’ll show you around these locations.

Last week I made it to the summit of Gold Hill on my two new feet. 9.8 miles round trip and 3263 elevation gain to 12703′ at the summit. My knees were complaining but I wasn’t. We’ll do Wheeler Peak the highest point in NM (13163′) in a couple of weeks for something a little easier.

As always, thank you for looking. I hope you have a good week. G

High Road To Taos, Black And White. 07-24-2024.

July 23, 2024July 23, 2024 by Geraint

Greetings from San Cristobal (Taos), NM. This week on the High Road to Taos in black and white.

This week I had the pleasure of taking my friend Larry on a photo tour on the High Road. Conditions proved to be very conducive for black and white photography. Larry was using a Canon R5 with a 24-105mm lens and I used my Sony a6400 with an 18-135mm lens along with my iPhone.

Larry got some great pictures while I enjoyed a day out in his company, sharing new locations he hadn’t seen on previous trips. He also added a Pygmy Nuthatch to his “life list” of birds, which we spotted in Amole Canyon.

The light in northern New Mexico is outstanding and ominous at times.

Shrine near Vadito — Shrine near Placitas.

Placitas chapel belfry — Chapel belfry, Nuestra Señora de la Asunción, Placitas.

Below is the church in Llano de San Juan. It has one of the nicest belfries around, with the big bell exposed and not cloistered behind chicken wire or lattice to keep the pigeons out.

church belfry clouds llano de san juan 1985 — Church belfry in Llano de San Juan, NM.

Grave marker in Las Trampas, photographed by Ansel Adams in the 1940s.

Sadly, the house across the plaza from the church caught fire a few years ago. I shot it anyway.

Burnt out house in Las Trampas — Burnt house in Las Trampas.

And the hippie bus with a tree growing from its nose.

Om Shanty bus — “Om Shanti” bus near Truchas, NM.

As always, thanks for looking. Have a great week. G

Storms Bringing Fabulous Rain. 07-17-24.

July 16, 2024 by Geraint

Greetings from San Cristobal, (Taos), NM. This week storms brought fabulous rain to our neck of the woods. The southern end of our rocky mountains looked like the first image on several occasions this week.

The monsoons continue. They began earlier this year. Some systems are specific, pouring on one side of the valleys and plateau while missing other areas entirely, I think the picture below indicates that is the case as a storm drops much-needed rain on the mountains and valleys.

Storms over our Taos Mountains — Storms move through the Taos Mountains.

Only two photos this week. I just finished working on the image below from a couple of months ago, taken from my favorite spot on the rim of the Rio Grande Gorge with the river and Ute Mountain. You know the one.

Storms over Ute Mountain with the Rio Grande, NM — Ute Mountain with the Rio Grande, NM.

As always, thank you for looking and all the wonderful comments and compliments. Have a great week. G

Across The Taos Plateau Volcanic Field. 07-10-2024.

July 9, 2024 by Geraint

Greetings from Taos, NM. This week views across the Taos Plateau Volcanic Field. I gathered some images for another project and thought I’d share them here. I hope you enjoy them.

Landscape of the plateau — Evening on the plateau.

Rainbow across the Taos Valley — Rainbows and the Taos Mountains, on the edge of the Plateau.

Daily Daylilies In The Neighborhood. 07-03-2024

July 2, 2024 by Geraint

Greetings from San Cristobal, NM. This week the Daylilies are blooming everywhere in the garden and the neighborhood. I started a daily post on Facebook of the daily daylily as they opened. Now they are coming on thick and fast it’s hard to keep up but I’m endeavoring to. I hope you’ll enjoy the following series. It’s all shot on the iPhone 13 Pro Max. Prints are available. Do you have a favorite? It’s rained a lot recently hence the water droplets. Click on an image to enlarge and off the image to go back.

You’ll find information on Daylilies here.

As always, thanks for looking. Have a great week. G

Swallowtail Butterfly, And A Rainbow. 06-26-2024

June 30, 2024June 25, 2024 by Geraint

Greetings from San Cristobal, NM. This week a beautiful swallowtail butterfly and the business end of a rainbow across the valley. Sometimes it seems that the world presents itself at my doorstep. It reminds me of a favorite quote:

“You do not need to leave your room. Remain sitting at your table and listen. Do not even listen, simply wait, be quiet, still and solitary. The world will freely offer itself to you to be unmasked, it has no choice, it will roll in ecstasy at your feet.” Franz Kafka

The swallowtail butterfl y has a routine it follows. Shortly after my morning ablutions the butterfly arrives and proceeds with its morning route around the garden. Same plants every day. A creature of habit.

This pine shoot caught my eye on the trail, spotlighted in the morning sunshine.

Pine shoot Italianos Trail Hondo Canyon, NM — Pine shoot, Italianos Canyon Trail, NM.

Without leaving my room, without leaving my chair, this presented itself over the ridge, across the valley. I did get up and go out for the shot.

Rainbow cloud, San Cristobal, NM — Rainbow Cloud, San Cristobal, NM.

A closer observation with a 400mm lens.

Close up Rainbow cloud, San Cristobal, NM — Close-up of the Rainbow Cloud, San Cristobal, NM.

Does anyone have a precise identification of this bird? It showed up on the feeder about a week ago and I haven’t seen it since. Thanks in advance for the help. Thanks to my friend Larry for his offerings.

As always, thank you for looking, and a big thank you for all the comments and compliments on last week’s post on “Random Abstraction”. I appreciate it very much. Have a great week where you are. G

PS: The bird ID app Merlin suggests it is a Juvenile European Starling.

“Stocky and dark overall with short tail and triangular wings. A close look reveals beautiful plumage: in breeding season, look for purple and green iridescence and a yellow bill. In winter, shows extensive white and buffy spots over the entire body. Juveniles are plain grayish-brown; note bill shape. Native to Eurasia; introduced extensively across the globe. Often abundant, gathering in large flocks in open agricultural areas and towns and cities. Makes a variety of squeaky vocalizations, and often mimics other species.”

Random Abstraction, Around The Block. 06-19-2024.

June 19, 2024 by Geraint

Greetings from San Cristobal, NM. This week a gallery of random abstraction in and around the block. I have many more of these taken on personal trips, photo tours, and neighborhood walks so future posts may occur. Mostly shot on an iPhone, I am constantly reminded of what a wonderful and spontaneous piece of equipment it is.

Click on an image to expand and click off it to go back. Enjoy!

As always, Thank you for looking. My thoughts are with friends experiencing the wildfires in New Mexico and California. Have a great week where you are. G

Williams Lake, Hummingbirds, Doves, Flycatcher. 06-12-2024.

June 12, 2024June 12, 2024 by Geraint

Greetings from San Cristobal, NM. This week an iPhone panorama of my first view of Williams Lake in six years. I was watching the birds in the garden again when I wasn’t out walking this week. Black-chinned and Broad-tailed hummingbirds along with the same family of cowbirds, magpies, western flycatchers, and doves.

The trip yesterday to Williams Lake was spontaneous, I was heading somewhere else and decided to go in a different direction… up! It’s not a long hike and the trail was clear of most of the snow banks. Muddy and wet but the crossings were easier than I expected, an observation I made, I went up here on July 4, 1994, with my four-month-old son on my back, and the snow was so deep I had to turn around and go back down. It’s June 12 and for the most part, the trail is clear of almost all snow. Click on photos to enlarge.

And on July 23, 2011…

Back to the garden…

The hummingbirds are enjoying the new feeder, the Eurasian-collared Doves are reconstructing last year’s nest in the ash tree and the feeders are attracting all sorts of others.

The Western Flycatcher the Ash-throated Warbler and a Juniper Titmouse are back. The Tufted Titmouse has returned after two years of absence only to find I bunged up the hole in the siding on our home where it had previously made a nest. It will have to nest somewhere else this year, perhaps in a tree!

Below is one of two Broad-tailed Hummingbirds . I love the little tongue. I believe that this is an immature female.

Broad-tailed Hummingbird San Cristobal, NM — Broad-tailed Hummingbird, San Cristobal, NM

And the Broad-tail…

And the Black-chinned Hummingbird…

These Eurasian-collared Doves built a nest in the ash tree late last summer. They are earlier this year. The female sits in the nest and the male brings twigs to reinforce it to sustain it against the winds.

Eurasian collared Dove in nest — Eurasian collared Dove in the nest.

Eurasian collared Dove with nest twigs — Eurasian collared Dove with elm twigs.

Lastly, the Western flycatcher tweeting its little heart out.

As always, thank you for looking, comments, and compliments. I hope it’s a good week where you are.

Best wishes. G

Bighorn, Birds, Ute Mountain, Gorge. 06-05-2024

June 5, 2024 by Geraint

Greetings from San Cristobal, NM. This week, sleepy bighorn sheep rams in the morning sun, birds in the garden, and the Rio Grande Gorge with Ute Mountain.

The Rams were shot on a photo tour at the gorge rim and weren’t inclined to do anything more than fall asleep or chew their cud!

There were eight rams in total, most were uncooperative regarding pictures. Still, I marveled at their primordial-looking selves. Those horns!

This week we’ve had Brown-headed Cowbirds return to the garden, male and female. See below for a full list of other species. And, the hummingbirds are back in numbers since we planted lots of colorful flowers and filled the feeders.

Brown-headed Cowbird, male — Male Brown-headed Cowbird, San Cristobal, NM.

Female, Brown-headed Cowbird San Cristobal — Female, Brown-headed Cowbird.

This beautiful House Finch showed up for a singsong yesterday evening.

Today the Merlin Bird App recorded and confirmed a Warbling Vireo on a Taos Ski Valley trail. Unfortunately, there is no picture.

It’s greening up everywhere, and the Rio Grande below appears more grand. The runoff in the mountains is building as temperatures warm up. Some stream crossings I’ve made in the last few weeks are beginning to spill over onto the trails.

Here’s the list of birds this week in the garden and neighborhood.

Brown-headed Cowbird
House Finch
Bullocks Oriole
Pine Siskin
Western Tanager
Violet Green Swallow
American Crow
Common Raven
Black-billed Magpie
Northern Mockingbird
European Starling
Black-headed Grosbeak
House Sparrow
Evening Grosbeak
Broad-tailed Hummingbird
Spotted Towhee
Mountain Chickadee
Northern Flicker
House Wren
Berwicks Wren (according to the Merlin App)
Yellow-breasted Chat
Ash-throated Warbler
Canyon Towhee
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Mourning Dove
White-breasted Nuthatch
Song Sparrow.

As always, thank you for looking and all the support, comments, and compliments. Have a great week. G

Western Tanagers In The Garden. 05-29-2024.

May 28, 2024May 28, 2024 by Geraint

Greetings from San Cristobal, NM. Western Tanagers are back in our garden and neck of the woods this week. I observed their antics, fights, and general behavior for a few days. They are fun, playful, and not always nice to one another. Nature in all ways, always makes my day. I didn’t include pictures of the many bickerings, you know what that looks like. The photos are in no particular order, I hope you enjoy them.