This past summer I was fortunate enough to experience parts
of New Mexico that I had not had the opportunity to visit before. It was amazing; New Mexico is one of those
rare places on this planet that looks like a geographical sampler. Every bend in the road offered dynamic
changes in elevation, rock structure and climate. Some of my favorite shots came from two separate
places, the Sandia Mountains in Albuquerque and the ruins of Pueblo Bonito.
The trip was full of firsts.
It was the first time that my husband and our extended family had been
trapped in the car on an extended road trip together; we had a great time and
survived to tell about it. This was also
the first time that I had been to Albuquerque; it reminded me of how much I
miss the desert and how beautiful it can be.
This trip also marked my first, and hopefully not last, trip to Santa
Fe; Georgia O’Keeffe is now on my list of favorite artists. There are no shots of Santa Fe this time as I
focused on family shots while there. I will just have to go back to get some blog
shots later…maybe next year.
The photographs below are from two of the many day trips
that we took from Albuquerque. On day
one in the city we decided to ride up the mountain on the Sandia Peak Tramway
and spend the day hiking at about 10,000 feet above sea level. Now those of you who live in this area might
think to say, great idea, but we had been at 26 feet above sea level not 24 hours
earlier. The hike was painful and very
slow, our lungs were not happy with the choice of activity. I am please to say, however, that the
photographs from up there were definitely worth the suffering. The shot of the Kiwanis Cabin is one of my
favorites from the hike. It was built by
the CCC in the 1930’s and it is beautiful. The second shot is a view from Albuquerque
taken from just off the trail. It was
breathtaking, literally. The third shot
from the hike was of a butterfly I passed while walking through an unexpected
meadow that we found towards the middle of the journey. It is just an example of what I mean when I
say this place is a sampler of sights and experiences, who knew that all these
views could be possible to see within a mile span.
Highlighted New Mexican tourist spot number two and not
nearly as taxing of a hike was Pueblo Bonito. Located in Chaco Culture National
Historic Park in the northern part of the state, this jewel of North American Pueblo
people’s history was just as amazing. We all enjoyed eating a picnic lunch
outside of the visitor center, the view was picturesque, and it wasn’t too hot for
June in the desert; it’s a dry heat you know. The rangers here were very helpful and the
tour was packed full of historic tidbits.
We all enjoyed hearing the story about how a photographer had been hired
to capture live action shots of a large part of the cliff falling off of the
canyon wall in 1941, he missed his shot because he ran out of film shooting
this fantastic site, and he was at the store buying more film when the event occurred.
Talk about a tough brake. Lucky for me we have extremely large SD cards
now and no more film issues.
So much for the descriptions, now for the photos, enjoy.
Shots from Sandia Mountains:
