Red Rock Mesas of McKinley County New Mexico Drone Video
Back out in the New Mexico desert for the first time in a while for rural land real estate photography. This time I was in McKinley County New Mexico somewhere west of Grants and east of Thoreau. The obvious highlight of this area were the many red rock mesas creating a dramatic view and landscape. I sent the drone up and over the mesas showing the view from atop, ground level, and in between. If you want to own these views, contact Hemingway Land Company.
For me Sedona is a place of long time mystery and intrigue. It was a stop on my very first trip out west in 2000, where I ate one of the best meals of my life, a vegan chimichanga, while looking out at Snoopy Rock. I can only remember about 7 eating experiences in my life, and that is one of them. A second visit three years ago was all too brief and I could not find that chimichanga restaurant again, and lost my dog’s favorite traveling blanket. A third visit 1.5 years ago was more extended, where I got to drive my own Jeep offroad and over the most challenging obstacle I’ve ever encountered offroad. It was also the height of winter and in contrast to that amazing chimichanga meal, I had an outdoor meal (cannot remember the dish) that was one the coldest experience’s of my life. It was outdoor dining (even before Covid-19) in about 30F temps. It might as well have been 20 below. Still, I look forward to returning to Sedona again soon, this time with my mountain bike to explore the red rock like one only can from such an intimate machine. What are your Sedona experiences? Let me know in the comments below.
Telephoto lens for mesa landscape photography in New Mexico
At the end of a rural land real estate shoot in Rio Arriba County, New Mexico, near Abiquiu Lake, I noticed some mesas in the distance. I did not need to get photographs of them for the client, but one of my axioms is a real photographer always stops to get a photo if he/she sees an opportunity. So I got out my Sony a7 III with Sony 70-200mm f/2.8 G Master lens attached to get these shots, as the mesas were quite far away and they would look tiny in a wide angle lens one might normally think to use for landscape photography. The sun was going down, and there were good clouds in the sky, a recipe for near ideal landscape photography conditions.
Hidden on the back of a mesa in Sedona, Arizona, the Devil’s Bridge is a stunning rock formation with a long line of people waiting to take a photo on it. There is a long way and a less long way to reach the Devil’s Bridge in the first place. Having a Jeep Renegade Trailhawk allowed us to take the less long way, as a mile of very, very rough road was bouncily traversed in the Jeep. After the still not insignificant hike to the back of the mesa, I think I noticed the long line of people before actually noticing the Devil’s Bridge itself! How does something like this naturally occur? It’s just another wonder of Nature. One cannot actually cross the bridge as it would take a hardly leap to get back to the side of the mesa, which I contemplated doing, but with much of it still snow and ice covered, that is something only possible in the summer. I did not wait in the line to stand on the bridge, but you can see Jessica in the top photo standing out on the Devil’s Bridge. As you can see, the red rock view’s from the bridge are not bad at all either!
Sedona, Arizona is famous for its red rock mesas. I wanted to see one that could not easily be seen just by driving down a paved roadway. Such are the conditions that were the catalyst for seeking out Submarine Rock. Only serious off road vehicles can make it out to this mesa, or you could go on a long hike on foot to reach it as well. The trusty Jeep Renegade Trailhawk made it, and allowed me to fly my drone and take out my camera to share this video and these photos with you of this majestic and mysterious landscape in Sedona.
I imagined being able to find places totally not on the agenda during a recent 5-day whirlwind Western Road Trip with eldest friend Terry and his wife, Beth, visiting from Florida, and of course also with Jessica, her dog Artie, and my beloved puppy Kiki. Mexican Hat rock formation was one such place. This day Jessica and our dogs got up at 5:15am to see the sunrise in Monument Valley, then we all reconvened and visited Forrest Gump Point and then Goosenecks State Park. Seeing a sign for Mexican Hat and having time, and a Jeep Renegade Trailhawk, we turned down an unknown dirt road and started exploring.
