Ute Mountain Road, Northern New Mexico
Ute Mountain Road, Northern New Mexico. I pulled over here a couple of evenings ago for a cup of tea and to watch the rain move through the area after a day on the road photographing around northern New Mexico and southern Colorado. It was a beautiful day that ended nicely. Thanks to my friend Larry and thank you for looking. G
Highway 285, Ojo Caliente, New Mexico
Highway 285, Ojo Caliente, New Mexico. Road trips are the norm here and there’s plenty of empty roads out west in “normal” times. This trip was no different. Probably a few cars at the most. How many is a few? …five! It wasn’t too difficult to get a shot with no cars on the highway on this beautiful day with a clear sky and view. Thanks for looking. G
Avenue, Trees, Mirrored, Ranchos De Taos
Avenue, trees, mirrored, Ranchos De Taos. More play with older images. This one at a B and B south of Taos. When I pick up photographers and friends visiting New Mexico, I often snap a few images, while I’m waiting or on the enroute. Again I’m playing around with another app and preoccupying myself, at least for part of the day. Thanks for looking. G
Road G, Southern Colorado
Road G, in Southern Colorado. One of my favorite roads, not only as it’s my initial ‘G’, but because it was the road that carried me to the San Luis Valley for the first time in 1990. From Wild Horse Mesa in the east, I could look southwest to Ute Mountain, west to the Rio Grande and north through the valley to the 14,000 foot snowy peaks. And beyond, as far as the eyes could see! My parents were with me on that first trip. Every time I head into this area I carry a little part of them with me on my initial road! Thanks for looking. G
Cave View, New Mexico Back Country
Yesterday, Pami, myself and friends, Chris and Carla, made a trip to beyond, the back of beyond. We have future plans for more trips back, to the back of beyond. Much of the trip was spent driving Arroyo del Cobre, north of Abiquiu, NM. The arroyo narrowed considerably, until, what can marginally be called a road clambered out of it to a bench. After more sandy driving and choking dust we arrived at an artesian spring in a boggy meadow. Later, we visited an ancient petrified river bed and this shady ledge with a cave, probably dug many years ago by a prospector. There are camps and hunting grounds of indigenous peoples, strewn with artifacts, in this land of red rocks. These days, hundreds of bonsai junipers and tranquility abide. Chris said “we are geological time travelers”. Thanks, Chris and Carla for being our guides. Thanks everyone for looking. G
Roads, Southwest Style, Traffic Jam
Roads, southwest style, traffic jam. This area was predominantly sheep ranching years ago. Shepherds would take their flocks from New Mexico, north to the rail heads in southern Colorado. This was a small group of about five hundred head of sheep. The truck had to wait about twenty minutes until they were past. Thanks for looking. G
Ice Road, San Acacio, Colorado
Ice road in San Acacio, Colorado. Just over a week ago it was 16 degrees fahrenheit at 3pm and the hoar frost hadn’t budged on the trees. Today, in the southern San Luis Valley, it was 47 degrees fahrenheit. Quite a shift from this ice road skating rink to a sloppy muddy mess. We’ll take the moisture and won’t complain too much. Thanks for looking. G
The Road To …
The Road To … “Up in this air you breathed easily, drawing in a vital assurance and lightness of heart. In the highlands you woke up in the morning and thought: Here I am, where I ought to be.” Izak Dinesen
Thanks for looking. G
Valdez Valley Winter Road
Valdez Valley winter road just north of Taos at the gateway to Taos Ski Valley. Waking up to the snow this morning did the heart good following one of the driest summers we’ve had in a number of years. This first snow, in the Taos area last night, prompted us to take a drive around some of our rural neighborhoods. Coming across this scene in the Valdez Valley was like stepping into the “living” land of enchantment! Thanks for looking. G
State Line Road New Mexico, Colorado Border
State Line Road New Mexico, Colorado Border. Out where we can see for miles in all directions watching the storms build, and where shadows race down the dirt roads ahead of us, is fast becoming a favorite photo tour location and a vast sanctuary for me. Come out for July and August to a northern New Mexico and southern Colorado summer. The fires have diminished. The monsoon rains embellish the afternoons with storms and rainbows and the evenings end with a classic western sunset. Thanks for looking. G
Looking Down Town Taos
Looking Down Town. I often find myself continually looking up or out at a landscape, or I remember things like “keep your chin up” or “things are looking up”, or thinking, how my heart feels like it is soaring with the eagle I’m photographing. A few weeks ago during the last rain I wandered around down town Taos, around the plaza and Bent Street, and made a whole series of pictures looking down. I’ll add a few more images over the next few days unless, that is, something spectacular calls my attention upward again. Thanks for looking. G
On The Road In Colorado
On the road (literally) in San Acacio, Colorado. I’ve been photographing this building for many years. On it’s last legs, or is that stilts? the old home has been a wonderful subject all this time. Now, as it corkscrews, as the wind torments the siding and the interior folds in on itself, the character of the building begins to resemble that of an elderly person requiring the aid of a walking stick. Thanks for looking. G
Gorge Bridge Road And Clearing Storm
The Rio Grande Gorge Bridge road, US Highway 64 heads east through Taos, NM from Teec Nos Pos, Arizona to the Outer Banks, North Carolina. At this point, in the above image, US 64 crosses 600 feet above the Rio Grande Gorge over the “high bridge” as it is known locally. This week’s storm clears for a few hours before the next front moves in, and spring turns to winter for the third time in as many days. A double photo op ensued. The fog lifted, followed again, by sinking heavily into the canyon like ethereal waterfalls and just in case we didn’t get the image the first time, the fog rose once more and dissipated. Here’s the image from the road bed. Next stop N.C. Thanks for looking. G
Here’s some further reading: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Route_64
Ute Mountain Twilight
Ute Mountain twilight, heading home from Colorado, south to San Cristobal, NM this evening. The sight of Ute Mountain is a beacon on the horizon. It acknowledges, that at this point, it’s only forty minutes to home. Not far now!
Target Practice New Mexico Style
Target practice, New Mexico style. The practice of shooting at road signs while driving by. This sign on the road from Pilar to Carson, has been replaced since I made this image. For now the new sign stands pristine, warning of the upcoming hairpin turn. Somewhere in my portfolio of images I have a whole series of road signs full of gunshot. I’ll let you know how this particular sign is doing when I drive by and shoot it next time. Thanks for looking. G
Mesa Road, Across Taos Pueblo Land
Mesa Road snows across Taos Pueblo land from highway 522. It snowed again yesterday, following high temps in the sixties last week. Makes it all very interesting, especially for image making.
