New Mexico, Part 2

What an incredible time! Abiquiú is a lovely area, north of Santa Fe. It's where Georgia O'Keefe and Ansel Adams both found inspiration. It's lots of ridges and lovely eroding formations. Most of the formations are 25 million year old ash and pumice that were deposited under an affluvial system (as opposed to being deposited by a volcanic eruption). The ash and pumice does come from a volcano, probably the Questa Caldera, north of Taos. The panoramic on the last post is the region called Plaza Blanca, which is where we started. We went first by the Abiquiú Formation, then headed off over the ridges. Kirt was very excited to have a hiking partner. He leads many tours and classes here, but doesn't get to really hike very often. There were two places he'd been only once before, and that's where we headed. And thankfully--because you all know how much of a lightning wimp I am--the two storm fronts kept us shaded and cool, and we only heard the thunder in the distance.


The Abiquiú Formation in its surroundings, and then up close, with ravens perched above.



These red slanted rocks demonstrate a fault line. As you look along this area, you can see other sections of the fault protruding above the surface.


The flat topped mountain in the background is Paternal, one of Georgia O'Keefe's favorite spots.


Yes, it's me! We'd been climbing up and down these ridges for more than an hour at this point. Notice the lack of bandages here. Kirt was also very excited to use his first aid kit this trip. I had a boulder give way under me in Snake Canyon, and scraped up the side of one leg pretty good. Just trying to prove my father's idea that my middle name should have been Grace, I guess. I also took four cactus spikes in my feet. But no rattlesnake bites!


Here you can get a good sense of the deposition and erosion. As the ash and pumice were carried to this spot and settled, they had boulders and stones mixed in with them. Now, as the ash and pumice wears away, the boulders fall out.


Close up of a dried mud pool.


Window rock. This and Snake Canyon were our destinations.