Simon Ruin highlights an amazing canyon hike in New Mexico
Even on my tenth visit to the Navajo Dam and Navajo Lake areas of San Juan County New Mexico, I still found another hidden gem to explore for the first time. The San Juan River connects the lake and town, and in the middle are “holes,” day recreation areas, most of which are accessed on the south side of the river. I wanted to check out the northern side of the river, which led me to the Simon Canyon Trailhead which culminates at an old Navajo ruin atop a huge boulder. It was used as a kind of fort and is surprisingly well preserved. Climbing around the area on boulders myself I photographed it from all angles. The hike out there from the trailhead on its own, with its stunning canyon views, would have been worth it alone, but with the ruin to see at the end, this is a definite hidden gem you should work into your San Juan County travel plans! Check out the full history in the photo below and at the bottom of the page a Google Map to get you there yourself!
Award Winning Landscaping Photographed for a Calendar
The past two weeks I worked with the Albuquerque Water Utility Authority on a fun photography project to photograph the ten winning xeriscape yards around the city. Home owners submitted their landscaping for consideration, and once the winners were announced, I went out to each property to photograph the yards to be featured on the Water Utility Authority’s website and in an upcoming calendar. The winners were from all corners of the city ranging from Four Hills, to the west side, to right in the middle in Nob Hill. Likewise, some yards were professional designed, while others looked more natural and wild. I also got to see an agave in bloom for the first (and only) time in its 10 year life. I forget the exact name of the agave featured below, but it was something like cow’s ear and is a very special agave I was told. Thank you to the team at the Water Utility Authority for choosing me as the photographer for this project!
Rainy day views of the USS Lexington in Black and White
A rainy vacation day did not stop me from venturing out with my new Sony 24mm f/1.4 G Master lens to visit the site of the USS Lexington in Corpus Christi Bay. The rain meant having an adjacent seawall empty of other people for clear shots of the massive ship. I am always looking for unique perspectives of oft photographed subject matter, and the views from the seawall afforded that opportunity. I also go to catch a glimpse of a sea turtle swimming by!
Walk into 1923 at the Pioneer Museum in Chloride New Mexico
New Mexico is full of hidden gems, like the Pioneer Museum in the very small (population 10) ghost town of Chloride, New Mexico. When the store went out of business in 1923, it was sealed off, and essentially became a time capsule for the period. All the shelves are just like they were that last day it was open in 1923. The current owner gives a fascinating history of both the contents of the store and its former owners. Chloride is not exactly on the beaten path, but what hidden gem is? If you are visiting Truth of Consequences, this is a great day trip to make as the roads leading out there are great for driving as well. Have you been here?
Farewell to a loyal friend in the Jeep Renegade Trailhawk
It is the end of an era in vehicle ownership for me, as I have had the last adventure in my beloved Jeep Renegade Trailhawk. What started in March of 2019 and took me on 73,000 miles all over New Mexico, Texas, Colorado, Arizona, and Utah, comes to a conclusion in February 2022. In all those miles the Jeep never let me down once, not on road or offroad. It is very bittersweet selling it, just like it was selling the Mazda3 I had before the Jeep. I guess this is the way it goes. In the last two months though, the Jeep went out in style driving on the national seashore in Corpus Christi, up to the top of a mountain in Tucson, and on the snow in Valles Caldera National Preserve with four people and three dogs in it! Just like the Mazda3 got me and Kiki out of Florida, and the Jeep was at the heart of desert adventure in New Mexico, perhaps the next vehicle will take us to the completion of our journey all the way to where the Road meets the Sea.
Driving through solid rock at the Gilman Tunnels of New Mexico
The Gilman Tunnels in the Jemez area of Sandoval County in New Mexico were one of the last more well known, of the lesser known, curiosities in the region I had never yet been to. That was remedied on a winter day with a few snow flakes falling. Up an unassuming neighborhood road you go to end up driving right though a solid rock tunnel. No supporting structures needed to hold up these tunnels hewn right out of the mountainside. Have you been to the Gilman Tunnels? If not, check out the map link below to go visit them this weekend!
Taking the more scenic route back from Tucson, Arizona led to the discovery of the Salt River Canyon Bridge in southeast Arizona. This is a fantastic place to stop, take a break, and enjoy some very nice views. You can even stroll out over the Salt River on a pedestrian bridge while getting a close up view of the bridge you’ll eventually drive on to climb out of the canyon. If you have the time and do not mind a bit of a hike, you can go down to the river itself. Have you been here before?
