Greetings from San Cristobal, NM, and beyond. This week a hike up Guadalupe Mountain in the Wild Rivers area of the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument. Last week we went down to the river. This week we hiked up to a vantage point that gave us views of the gorge and the Blanca massif in Colorado, a great view to accompany lunch. Unfortunately a smoky haze somewhat obscured the distant 14,000 + ft peaks. So instead we looked down, watching where we stepped for the morning emergence of rattlesnakes and bouquets of wildflowers.
Guadalupe Mountain, Wild Rivers Overlook, and Ute Mountain.
Indian Paintbrush were in abundance at the trailhead, individuals, and clusters.
Indian Paintbrush.
Indian Paintbrush, cluster.
At about 8500 ft above sea level the Indian Canyon Fleabane took over the nooks and crannies in the boulder fields to the summit overlook.
Indian Canyon Fleabane.
That was yesterday. Today I took a quick jaunt up a watery trail in the Hondo Canyon to check out the creek crossings. I didn’t get far. I left my hiking poles in the car. Below is a solitary wild Columbine. There were many more. I liked this single bloom glowing against the rock.
Wild Columbine, Italianos trail, Hondo Canyon.
A leafy green plant, Rowan I think, of which there were many.
Rowan plant on the Italianos Trail.
A spot on the creek running alongside the trail, not one of the crossing points, but a picturesque little falls.
Italianos Creek.
Lastly the Cottonwood in Arroyo Hondo, you know the one, in a sleet and hail storm last week. I got pelted and had to dive back into the car.
Cottonwood and Acequia (irrigation ditch), Arroyo Hondo, NM.
As always. Thank you for looking. Have a great week. G
Greetings from San Cristobal NM. This week on the Petaca Point Trail, southwest of Taos.
When the only camera you have is a cellphone you make do. These few shots were taken on a hike last week. We’re going back on the Petaca trail tomorrow for what I’m hoping will be a Claret Cup Cactus superbloom. I’m taking a Sony camera on tomorrow’s hike. If you’re interested in this hike on the Petaca Point Trail it’s mostly flat with many expansive views of the mountains and river gorge.
I went to Pueblo, Colorado for a film festival last weekend. It was fun, and something different for me. On the way home I stopped at this favorite spot for this shot of the passing storm with Ute Mountain.
Greetings from San Cristobal, NM. This week features the day of April 17th from ten years of my archives.
I hope everyone had a good week. April has been beautiful in northern New Mexico,,, so far. I know I said I wouldn’t say anymore regarding my feet but I’m averaging 2-3 miles a day and getting 4-6 mile hikes in. I’m so happy with my two new feet.
Over the last month, my friend, David, and I have been hiking stretches of the road through the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument that traverses the gorge rim and skirts around the base of Ute Mountain. We have hiked a different section each week with the mountain always present, beckoning. All being well, this summer will culminate in an accent of Ute Mountain.
Back to the present that began in the past, here are pictures from April 17th taken from my photo of the day archive from 2006 to 2016.
Beginning in 2016 and working back to 2006. This day we had snow and I made this image. It makes a beautiful print. A couple of hours after taking this photo, the snow was all gone.
Willow tree lane, Arroyo Seco, April 2016.
A roadside Descanso, San Ildefonso, 2015. The internet says “Descansos are deeply rooted in Southwestern Hispanic culture. The word means “resting place” and is believed to refer to the days when coffins were transported by horse and cart or carried by hand over many miles for burial in a camposanto.”
Roadside Descanso, San Ildefonso, NM.
Some vistas around Taos have since been transformed… developed. 2014
Taos Mountain from El Prado, NM.
Here’s a shot of mine and Pami’s shadow in Arroyo Hondo on the drive home from Taos back in 2013.
Arroyo Hondo evening shadows, 2013.
Here’s a former living plant that grew out of a crack in a rock in the Orilla Verde Recreation Area of the now Rio Grande del Norte National Monument, 2012.
Rock brush, Orilla Verde, NM, 2012.
A ubiquitous Taos Raven. They are known to perch in ones or twos. This raven was probably calling for or waiting on its better half. 2011
Raven in a bare tree, Taos, 2011.
I’m still searching for the original high resolution file of this picture of Garetto Rivas, so I’ve added a higher resolution second image from the same day below this one. I’ve forgotten the name of his gorgeous blond horse. The second horse in tow and in training is named “Beauty”.
Garetto Rivas, a Taos Cowboy, 2010.
Garetto Rivas, Taos Cowboy, 2010.
The image below was scanned from a Kodachrome 64, transparency shot in the mid 1990’s and published on my website’s photo of the day archive on April 17, 2009.
Indian paintbrush, 2009.
Just around the corner from my former gallery in Arroyo Seco was a yoga studio festooned in Tibetan prayer flags. I recall shooting this one out of my car window in 2008.
Prayer flags in Arroyo Seco, NM. 2008.
I shot the image below in 1990 and published it on my website in 2007. It has since been published in a couple of local magazines.
Saint Francis church reflecting in my 1958 Volkswagen Beetle wing mirror, 2007.
On April 17, 2006 I paid a visit to the National Cemetery in Santa Fe NM. It’s the only time I’ve been there. Since then I usually post this image on social media on Memorial Day.
The National Cemetery in Santa Fe, NM. 2006
As always, thank you for looking. I hope you enjoyed the trip down memory lane. You can see more from my photo of the day archive here.
Greetings from San Cristobal and beyond. This week a two-day photo tour around northern New Mexico and southern Colorado. Nature and the elements gave up some wonderful photo opportunities, beginning with Taos Mountain and the iconic grove of cottonwoods.
On a photo tour of Taos and northern New Mexico.
The next stop on the photo tour was in Questa at an old house off the highway set back amongst some trees. I checked with a friend who said he would try and find me some information on this charming building and quiet setting.
House in Questa, NM.
Following a couple of stops en route, to photograph some wild horses, we wound up at this lake in the San Luis Valley. Moody and brooding skies were the order of the day.
Lake Tree, San Luis Valley, Colorado.
Speaking of the skies. Highway 142 crosses the Rio Grande in Colorado between the old town of San Luis and Heading west to Manassa home of Jack Dempsey, the “Manassa Mauler”.
The sky over Highway 142, Colorado.
Continuing the photo tour, there is also a stark view of a very subdued Rio Grande from the road bridge as it crosses the river.
The Rio Grande from Highway 142, Colorado.
I came across some of last year’s milkweed pods enduring against the elements. Did I mention the frigid cold winds? My guests were admirably brave, and filled with enthusiasm for whatever conditions confronted us.
On the second day, we encountered a troupe of young Bighorn Sheep in the Orilla Verde area of the Rio Grande del Norte National Monument walking on the road ahead of us.
Bighorn Sheep Orilla Verde, NM.
We parked the car and followed uphill and enjoyed watching and photographing them in their prime, natural environment. I can’t help but think that the one in the middle is telling them to “gather round” and show us their best side!
Bighorn Sheep gathering Orilla Verde, NM.
There were many more picture opportunities. I had to stop at some point. If you are planning to be in the area this year, join me on a photo tour/workshop and I’ll show you around.
As always, thank you for looking. Have a great week. G
Greetings from San Cristobal, NM. This week, a Taos Mountain House in a spectacular location. It’s on Taos Pueblo land. Known as Taos Mountain, its true name in English is Pueblo Peak. A bald eagle has visited the area for the last couple of weeks. The ranch hands still guard the ranch gate on Highway 64 and the eternal fight between light and darkness continues in the shadows at the Saint Francis Church, Ranchos de Taos. My neighbor’s tree lights up at sunset during a mountain snowstorm. Click to enlarge pictures.
Taos Mountain House.
There must be a fabulous view from the back porch! Taos Mountain House is my name for this place. I made it up. Apologies in advance.
A visitor showed up in the Arroyo Hondo Valley a couple of weeks ago. A Bald Eagle usurped the Red-tailed Hawks roost. I watched it indulge in its morning ablutions after which it was ready for the hunt.
Bald Eagle morning ablutions in Arroyo Hondo, NM.
Eyes on the valley’s rodent population… please.
Bald Eagle, ready for the day and the hunt, Arroyo Hondo, NM.
The Ranch Hands (my name for it) sculpture at a ranch gate on Highway 64. You might recognize it from a previous post.
Ranch Hands sculpture Highway 64 NM.
Down at the church in Ranchos de Taos after last weekend’s snow.
Ranchos de Taos shadows and reflections.
My neighbor’s tree yesterday evening when the sun broke through the clouds just before setting. A fitting start to the beginning of Spring.
My neighbor’s tree at sunset.
As always, thanks for looking and for all the kind words, comments, and compliments. Have a great week. G
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.
Wild Rivers, New Mexico.
“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.
Or rest up on a sunny ledge.
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.
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.
As always, thank you for looking. Have a great week. G
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.
Full Moon rising San Cristobal.
Moonrise San Cristobal.
Moonrise San Cristobal.
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.
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.
Taos Mountain horses.
This is the view of Taos Mountain mid-winter shot in El Prado (the meadows), a flashback to 2013.
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!
A winter scene in Arroyo Seco, NM.
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.
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.
Pinyon Jay or as we like to spell it in New Mexico, “Piñon Jay”
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
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
And a close-up of when I first spotted the moon from the highway heading home.
I reworked this image for note cards and publication. Ansel Adams shot this scene in the 1950’s. A couple of months ago it was lit up with Xmas lights. You can still see some in this shat nailed to the crosses. It’s nice to its longevity at this location and longer still before Ansel made his iconic image.
Truchas, NM.
You know how attached I am to this location with the red barn. Every time I visit I see more dilapidation with new spaces for the wind to pass through. It’s beginning to corkscrew but I’m confident that the gaps will prevent the building from acting like a sail on the plain!
Red barn in black and white.
Red barn in color.
One more image I reworked this week for note cards, prints, and publication. This image has graced many a page in local magazines. Apples are the key to getting horses to come running.
Horses on the High Road to Taos.
As always, thanks for looking. Have a great week. G
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.
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.
Vallecito Mountain Light.
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.
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.
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
