Wild Rivers, Bighorn Sheep, Wall Mural. 03-13-2024.

March 13, 2024March 13, 2024 by Geraint

Greetings from San Cristobal, NM. This week a trip to the Wild Rivers area of the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument.

The Wild Rivers Recreation Area lies north in the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument. Below is pictured a ‘small’ part of it. Come this Spring, there will be some class 5 rapids in this section. You can see how relatively low the river is right now. This was Sunday. You can also discern the level at which the river can rise from this image. That’s Ute Mountain in the clouds with snow falling.

If you want to experience solitude, Wild Rivers will give you just that. Step into the Monument for a walk in falling snow, where you can hear the silence.

“Adventuring out on a photography trip through the gorge and along the river during a winter storm, I am rewarded with images of large snowflakes alighting on cholla cactus, cottonwoods, and red willows, turning them into instant New Mexico-style Christmas ornaments. A great peace returns to the river at this time of year. The pace slows as the days grow shorter and life retreats within for what the Irish writer John O’Donohue refers to as “the secret work of winter” of restoration and rejuvenation as the river ecosystems prepare for the ecstasy of spring growth. In any season the beauty and pristine stillness of the Rio Grande del Norte is available to those who visit.” From my book, Rio Grande del Norte: An Intimate Portrait.

To the south lies the deepest section the the Rio Grande Gorge. This is where the Bighorn Sheep roam and sometimes play!

Bighorn sheep ram peekaboo. — Bighorn Sheep Ram… peekaboo.

Or rest up on a sunny ledge.

Bighorn sheep lamb on the Rio Grande Gorge Rim — Bighorn Sheep Lamb on the Rio Grande Gorge Rim.

It’s that time of year in the National Monument. Spring is sprung!

Bighorn sheep ram and ewe — Bighorn Sheep Ram and Ewe.

And above it all, another unique cloud formation.

Cloud formation over the Rio Grande Gorge West Rim Trail.

I have to end this week with this sky-blue mural with sunflowers and an ornate window in Los Cerrillos that I forgot to post last week.

Mural Los Cerrillos, NM — Mural, Los Cerrillos, NM.

As always, thank you for looking. Have a great week. G

Fajada Butte, Chaco Canyon, Other Doors. 03-06-2024

March 5, 2024 by Geraint

Greetings from San Cristobal, NM. This week Fajada Butte. This iconic mesa is the focal point of Chaco Culture National Historical Park, typically abbreviated to Chaco Canyon.

Fajada Butte can be seen from many locations in the park. Have you been?

I’m returning after a few years of absence, and I’m looking forward to it later this month. It will be a treat after four years since my last trip. I’ll be camping but well prepared. Once, I spent a few days in Chaco Canyon on the winter solstice. Now that was cold. The largest great house is known as Pueblo Bonito. There’s a lot to see there and it can occupy your time, especially as a photographer.

Sunset on the mesas in Chaco Canyon — Sunset in Chaco Canyon.

If you’d like to see some interior shots, keep scrolling.

Repeating doorways, Chaco Culture National Historical Park — Repeating doorways, Pueblo Bonito.

Room with a view of moon in Chaco Culture National Historical Park — Room with a view of the moon.

Doorways in Chaco Culture National Historical Park — Doorways in Pueblo Bonito, Chaco Canyon.

Below is one of my favorite shots of Pueblo Bonito taken on my last trip there. Confusion?

Building geometry in Chaco Culture National Historical Park — Building Geometry accented by the shadows and light.

If you go there at a time of year when the heat is almost unbearable, step inside one of the small rooms. You will soon realize what works to stay cool in the desert. Pause for a few moments, you may find a few ancient ones hanging around with you. You may or may not be joined by other travelers.

Moving on to more doors. I stopped in Los Cerrillos NM, on the Turquoise Trail last week. I stopped in other locations as well but was impressed with the following two doors/gates in Cerrillos.

You may recognize the town from a movie named “Young Guns” that was filmed there. On this day I was there purely for the pleasure of the place on my detour drive.

Blue door and red chilies, Cerrillos, NM — Blue door and red chilies, Los Cerrillos, NM.

Milagro door/gate Cerrillos, NM — Milagro door/gate Los Cerrillos, NM.

Join me on a photo tour/workshop, I’ll take you to this and many other locations.

Lastly, a little closer to home, another blue door with painted red chiles and snow falling. These chiles stay fresh all year long and beyond.

Blue door and painted chiles, Costilla — Blue door and painted red chiles, Costilla, NM

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

Full Moon, Mountain Light, Winter Flashback. 02-28-2024

February 28, 2024 by Geraint

Greetings from San Cristobal, NM. This week, under a full moon rise, as seen from our driveway. The dark shapes of the Sangre de Cristo foothills and the deep blue of a New Mexico crisp and clear sky made the full moon appear its brightest. Later that night the light from the moon kept me awake for a couple of hours from 1:30 to 3:30 am. So I played solitaire on the phone and eventually fell asleep from boredom!

Let’s call this “anatomy of a moon rise.” Click on images to enlarge.

I love our commute to Taos from San Cristobal. I’ve said it many times, and I never tire of it. I shot the image below last night on the way home. There are more spectacular moments, but I enjoyed the way the tip of the peak was lit up.

El Salto, Arroyo Seco — Arroyo Seco, El Salto mountain light.

This image with the horses is from March 2014. We had lunch and a view similar to this yesterday, almost 2 years to the day.

This is the view of Taos Mountain mid-winter shot in El Prado (the meadows), a flashback to 2013.

Taos Mountain El Prado — Taos Mountain winter from El Prado.

Below is a scene long gone. There’s a 12,000-foot mountain in the clouds beyond the trees.

As always, thank you for looking. G

Blue And White, Taos Mountain, Fences. 02-21-2024.

February 21, 2024February 21, 2024 by Geraint

Saint Francis church, Ranchos de Taos, NM

Greetings from San Cristobal, NM. This week blue and white, another sky over Taos Mountain and one man’s fence.

We’ve had a lot of days recently with blue skies like this. The old adobe buildings especially, and this church, lend themselves to photography on blue-sky days.

Perhaps you prefer the black and white below.

Black and white Saint Francis church, Ranchos de Taos, NM — Saint Francis Church in black and white.

Driving to Taos a few days ago I saw this sight. I think that these were dispersed contrails from a couple of passing jets. It took three wide-angle shots stitched together to get this much of the scene. I didn’t get it all in as it continued and terminated on the horizon to the west over my shoulder. See below.

Here’s a cellphone shot out the car window looking west to the horizon. Highways in the sky.

clouds, contrails — Clouds or contrails?

Robert Frost wrote, “Good fences make good neighbors” in his poem Mending Wall. Below are abstract shots of one man’s fence in Arroyo Hondo, NM. In order of appearance along the roadside, from west to east.

Chainlink fence #2, Arroyo Hondo, NM. — Chainlink fence #2.

Chainlink fence #3, Arroyo Hondo, NM. — Chainlink fence #3.

Chainlink fence #4, Arroyo Hondo, NM. — Chainlink fence #4.

Chainlink fence #5, Arroyo Hondo, NM. — Chainlink fence #5.

I’ve driven by this window many times but never noticed the thoughtful pattern of the blue and green window panes. There’s always a first time for everything.

Arroyo Hondo church window and wall — Church window and wall in Arroyo Hondo, NM.

As always, thank you for looking. Have a great week. G

Big Sky, Mountains, Shadows, And Gorge. 02-14-2024.

February 21, 2024February 13, 2024 by Geraint

Greetings from San Cristobal, NM. This week, a big sky over Taos Mountain (Pueblo Peak), shadows in Arroyo Hondo, and the high bridge spanning the Rio Grande Gorge in Taos, NM,

It isn’t hard to get a good shot of Taos Mountain. It’s more a matter of being there at the right time. I am very fortunate to have lived in this part of the world for the last 40 years. Here, I can watch the storms make their way across the plateau, morphing with the light, and arrive at any number of preplanned locations for that perfect moment.

Vallecito Mountain/Peak was covered in about a foot of fresh snow this week. I had wanted to catch a shot of the snow-covered trees barely discernable against the peaks. When the sun came out it was about an hour too late, but I did manage to capture a nice cloud. The new snow tends to melt fast when temperatures reach 40º F. I’ll do better next time.

Vallecito Mountain light with new snow — Vallecito Mountain with new snow.

Long shadows on Our Lady of Sorrows, Arroyo Hondo.

Arroyo Hondo church roof shadows — Arroyo Hondo Church roof shadows.

Shadows on the wall of the same church an hour later. I went back today. The sun has climbed high enough over the last five days that the cross shadow is close to the bottom of the wall at the same time of day.

Arroyo Hondo shadows on church wall — Arroyo Hondo shadows on the Church wall.

I got in a two-mile hike with my son Dylan, a couple of days ago. We hiked down the west rim of the Rio Grande Gorge which has numerous vistas like the one below. Often the canyon is buried in heavy shadows with contrasty light. This time it was flooded with light. Bighorn sheep were found in the rest area parking lot. I didn’t waste any pixels on them grazing amongst the gravel.

Rio Grande Gorge Bridge spanning the Rio Grande Gorge.

As always, thank you for looking. Have a great week. G

Arroyo Seco, Arroyo Hondo, Winter Scenes. 02-07-2024.

February 7, 2024 by Geraint

Greetings from San Cristobal, NM. This week two sides of winter in Arroyo Seco and Arroyo Hondo.

As they say… “if you don’t like the weather, wait for five minutes”. The scene in the second image was shot a few days apart from the first image and about a 20º F warmer difference in temperature. Looking outside today we’ve had rain sleet, snow, hail, and blue skies. Tomorrow?… tee-shirt weather, who knows!

The weather in the mountains continues to leave a lot of snow in its wake. I heard that the ski areas are doing well from the last three storms that moved through the area. That’s good for the spring run-off and the farmers. The skiers are enjoying it and apparently, it’s good powder skiing, but that part is lost on me. I’m looking forward to the peace and solitude of cross-country, and snowshoeing again.

If you look closely in the sky, upper right, in the following image you can see a flock of birds, commonly named Pinyon Jays. I waited for them to come closer but they had other intentions. Last year we had very large flocks of Pinyon Jays in the thousands in our San Cristobal Valley. I just counted 157 in this shot, a small number of the ones I saw.

Arroyo Hondo, winter — Cottonwood and Willows, Arroyo Hondo, NM.

On the day I shot the image above I drove with the windows down from Taos, across the mesa. When I got to this spot I made a U-turn to photograph one of my favorite locations.

The Pinyon Jay was outside the kitchen window feeding off seeds on the fence that the squirrels stole from the bird feeders and dropped. I was watching the bird through the iPhone wifi tether app on my camera with a 300mm lens.

As always, thank you for looking. I hope it’s a good week where you are. To all my friends in California, stay safe. G

Wolf Moon Rise, Truchas, Red Barn, Horses. 01-31-2024.

January 31, 2024January 31, 2024 by Geraint

Greetings from San Cristobal, NM. This week, last week’s Wolf Moon rising over the Sangre de Cristo foothills, Truchas, the red barn, and snow horses.

As I mentioned last week, I was heading out to capture the wolf moon rising. The moon’s appearance lasted about ten minutes between the fast-moving clouds. I made several images during that time, and the scene below was fleeting as the sun came and went behind the clouds. I got lucky. I came away with three pictures where the elements came together. I’ll take what I can get from what presents itself.

Wolf moon rising, Arroyo Seco, NM — Wolf Moon rising, Arroyo Seco, NM

And a close-up of when I first spotted the moon from the highway heading home.

White Homestead, Mountain Peak, Shutters. 01-24-2024

January 24, 2024 by Geraint

Greetings from San Cristobal, NM. This week a white homestead in Colorado, a mountain peak, some old shutters, and a hiking trail I look forward to being on in a couple of weeks.

I love this stand alone scene near the Great Sandunes in southern Colorado. Join me on a photo tour/workshop and I’ll take you there. Winter or any other seeson here doesn’t disappoint.

Take a look here at another pictuer of this homestead. There are many of these old and abandoned homesteads in the San Luis Valley.

Vallecito Mountain is a favorite peak in the southern Rocky Mountains of New Mexico. I shot this on a drive into Taos yesterday. I can’t complain about the commute or the scenery. There’s a nearly full (98%) moon tonight. If the clouds lift I’m going to head out and get some shots of the Wolf Moon rising above this peak. I hope you get to see it where you are.

I came across this image below by chance. It’s from many years ago. I’m certain they are gone now but I will look next time that I’m in Ranchos de Taos. I shot them even longer ago in the 1980’s. After living in one place for so long, I get to see, and often document the changes. My earlier original image was shot on Kodachrome in 1989.

Ranchos de Taos wooden shuttters — Wooden Shutters, Ranchos de Taos.

In about two weeks, snow and mud permitting, I’ll be hiking up here above our village. The mountain in the distance, with snow, is Taos Mountain, and the views to the west are perfect for watching a sunset. The area burned in May 1996. You can see that regrowth is slow. Scrub oak is resilient and prolific so these hills turn many shades of rust in the autumn.

San Cristobal ridge road — The ridge road in San Cristobal.

As always thank you for looking, and for all the well wishes for my right foot. It has healed faster that the left one did, for that I am grateful. I promise to shut up about it from now on and only post pictures from my hikes and trips with my two new feet. Best wishes. G

Lenticular Clouds, Snow In Taos. 01-17-2024

January 17, 2024 by Geraint

Greetings from San Cristobal, NM. This week lenticular clouds and a snowstorm in and over Taos.

Click on the images to expand.

This is happening today in our neck of the woods. Lenticular clouds are my favorite cloud forms; this is the time of year when they occur more frequently. Check out this link for more info on these types of clouds.

And the snow over the last weekend turned Taos and northern New Mexico into a winter wonderland.

Red willows, El Prado, Taos — Red Willows in El Prado, NM.

Short and sweet this week.

As always, thank you for looking. G

A Heart, Ute Mountain, Raptors And More. 01-10-2024

January 9, 2024 by Geraint

Greetings from San Cristobal and beyond. This week a tree with heart. You’ve got to love a heart wherever you find it, Ute Mountain, Raptors, and more.

We came across this tree a few years ago. Pami and I stopped here again on our first New Year drive of 2024.

I liked how the tree is isolated from the distant background, so I made another picture of it, always having to remove the two powerlines that cross directly over the tree. I think it is worth it. After all, the power company put them in my way!

You might recognize this location with the road to Ute Mountain. It’s usually the last stop on the way home.

Ute Mountain road, NM — The road to Ute Mountain, NM.

The Red-tailed Hawk had no intention of leaving its perch, so we watched for a while. We moved on before it did. I enjoy watching them wherever they choose to sit. Powerpole sitting is natural to them. Any high vantage point suits them very well. I’ve often seen them drop in from a pole onto an unsuspecting vole or garter snake.

Red -tailed Hawk, Mesita Colorado — Red-tailed Hawk, Mesita, Colorado.

Two days ago I went for a drive in the clearing snowstorm and spotted a bald eagle perched on a dead cottonwood snag in Arroyo Seco, NM.

Red barn, Colorado in black and white — Red barn in black and white, Colorado.

Sometimes a thing catches my eye and I have to run with it.

Baling wire Colorado — Baling wire for the fun of it, Colorado.

This snowplow was still making passes at the snow accumulations on monday around 11 am on our way to town. It was nice to wake up to a decent amount of snow for a change. Here in San Cristobal today temperature was -1º F (-18º C) at 7am. It finally warmed up to 27º F (-2.8º C) at 3pm.

Snow Plow, Highway 522 Taos, NM — Snow Plow, Highway 522 north of Taos, NM.

As always, thank you for looking. I hope you had a good week. Stay warm where you are. G