Forest Road In The Sangre de Cristo Mountains

Geraint October 23, 2018 No Comments

Forest road in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains of northern New Mexico. Walking around this grove I saw whole epistles carved into the tree trunks. Someone’s undying this or that. Pledges for life. Who loves who and on what date. Except the trees, they have to wear this brand for a long time until the words expand into scars no longer decipherable as any language. I wonder how many trees will outlive the relationships professed to here in the woods. Thanks for looking. G

Aspen Road, Garcia Park

Geraint September 14, 2018 2 Comments

Aspen road, Garcia Park in the Carson National Forest, New Mexico. The backlighting sets the colors off well but there is still plenty of color to come over the next few weeks. Every day will amount to an “aspencade”. We’ll be checking for stands of color “going off” on the hills and mountainside around Taos, northern New Mexico and southern Colorado. The red scrub oak is already accenting the valleys and arroyos. Soon it will be the mighty cottonwoods along the Rio Grande and it’s tributaries. Then all we’ll need is the scent of cedar and piñon smoke in the air in order to round out this little bit of perfection. Thanks for looking. G

Columbine Hondo Wilderness Rainbow

Geraint August 25, 2018 2 Comments

Columbine Hondo Wilderness Rainbow. There was a moment this evening when I suspected a rainbow but we were also hoping for a significant, almost full, moon rise. So we made a drive into the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, under the waning light of a brooding New Mexico sky. There was a rainbow, it wasn’t huge, but on the drive through the Carson National Forest the landscape was beautiful and damp, the hills, for a moment reminded me of Wales. The rain diminished for a couple of hours since then. It’s back now, pounding on the steel roof and sparkling in the porch light. The air is fresh and a wonderful cool breeze is passing through the hallways in the house. I’m optimistic I’ll still see the moon. Thanks for looking. G

Cow Elk Valle Vidal, NM

Geraint July 3, 2018 4 Comments

Cow Elk in the aspens and long grass in Valle Vidal, NM. The day before the Carson National Forest in northern New Mexico was closed due to the extreme fire danger, this cow elk emerged from the aspen grove, only to disappear again into the trees. A brief moment indelibly etched in memory. Thanks for looking. G

Mergansers In The Valle Vidal

Geraint September 20, 2017 No Comments

Mergansers in the Valle Vidal (Valley of Life), Carson National Forest, northern New Mexico. Two of approximately eighteen of this family of ducks we first spotted on a photo tour in early August. All of them seem to be flourishing on this small man made lake in the high country. Thanks for looking. G

Comanche Point, Valle Vidal

Geraint September 13, 2017 2 Comments

Comanche Point in the Valle Vidal (Valley of Life), New Mexico. Beautiful evening light in the Valle Vidal Unit of the Carson National Forest at Comanche Point and the confluence of the Rio Costilla and Comanche Creek. Thank you for looking. G

Aspens Hopewell Lake

Geraint August 31, 2017 4 Comments

Aspens Hopewell Lake. On the trail at Hopewell Lake, sauntering through the forest in the high mountain air. Soft, moist meadow grasses underfoot, aspens, mysterious, beckoning on ward. I can take this, and more of it. Thanks for looking. G

Black Bear, Valle Vidal

Geraint August 19, 2017 4 Comments

Black Bear Valle Vidal (valley of life) New Mexico. From a photo tour a couple of weeks. It’s a beautiful animal and it was fun to watch him (a young male) turning over rocks and eating grubs. He was unperturbed by our presence, all though I felt he was very aware that we were in the area. Thanks for looking. G

Bull Elk, Valle Vidal, Carson National Forrest

Geraint August 8, 2017 1 Comment

Bull elk in the Valle Vidal unit of the Carson National Forest, NM. After a thunderous downpour this bull elk was spotted in an arroyo, watching us watching him. Along with a bear, another bull elk, a flock of eighteen young Merganser ducks floating down the Rio Costilla, the day was capped of by a torrential hail storm followed by massive clouds and Red-tailed Hawks on the plains. All in all it turned out to be a fantastic day on a photo safari through the high country to Cimarron. Thanks for looking. G

Indian Paintbrush In The High Country

Geraint June 13, 2017 1 Comment

Indian paintbrush on the slopes in the high country of the Valle Vidal unit of the Carson National Forest, New Mexico. What a gem of a place is this! For most of the day today we had it all to ourselves. The “paintbrush” are popping up all over the hillsides, attended by a multitude of daisies. The meadows are filled with wild irises and fields of grass, in the high winds, became instant cousins to ocean waves. A horseman riding bye held on firmly to his cowboy hat … and his horses reins. Thanks for looking. G

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Geraint Smith Photography

Tag: Carson National Forest