A weekend trip to Chihuahua, Sonora, and Baja California, Mexico – concentrating primarily on some mountain drives in Sonora. Here is the first part: a quick nighttime dash from San Diego to Columbus, NM, then crossing over to Palomas, Chih., then heading west and south to Hermosillo, Sonora. Not actually in Mexico. here is an Arizona sunrise, somewhere around Benson. Some clouds over a Sonora mountain landscape. […]
We pick up in Iowa, where we decide to stop heading east in order to get to New Mexico. We see flooding along the Missouri River, and catch a thunderstorm in Kansas. Minimum maintenance road. Flooding causes standing water. Standing water causes mosquitoes and other insects. A fresh source of food means the dragonflies grow fat and happy. This one was about three inches long, with a five inch wingspan. [...]
The third day of the Gila River trip, in which I return from New Mexico back home to San Diego. Campfire from the night before. I don’t remember why we decided that Frosty the Candle Snowman had to go, but we certainly sent him off to Valhalla in style. An old alignment of New Mexico state route 32 yields this tilted, decrepit junction assembly. It dates to the late 1960s [...]
The second day of the Gila River trip – now with special guests! Dale, Beverley, and Shelly live in a completely different section of New Mexico, but when I discovered that they were camping on the western side of the state (only a 630 mile drive from San Diego!) I knew I had to drive out there for the weekend. I find them at Lake Roberts, and we head up [...]
A trip to New Mexico, essentially following the Gila River all the way. Part features the first day, and the morning of the second – driving from San Diego to Lake Roberts, NM. Adventures in terrible light-post placement. There are only two known 1957-spec interstate shields in Arizona. (The other one is on this exact gantry, facing the other direction.) Extremely pointy flower in morning light. Highway 90 between Lordsburg [...]
some photos from favorite old haunts … northeastern New Mexico, including a trip to Sierra Grande, the tallest mountain in Union County. Two days of photos – one of just hanging out, the second of actually going somewhere. Flowers still in bloom in late October at 6800 feet. Someone does one hell of a job with the gardening! Why has Dale ascended to such magnificent heights atop this flimsy half-a-utility-pole? [...]
not featuring any photos from Union County – this was the return trip of over 1200 miles, in time to even show up to work in mid-afternoon! We are on an old US-70 alignment, and here is the obligatory photo of the curves warning sign with the treacherous mountains in the background. […]
a trip to Mills Canyon, along the Canadian River in northeastern New Mexico. A demon beetle! These creatures are all over Mills Canyon. They’re two inches long and make shrieking noises. Oh, and they fly. The Canadian River, in infrared. This is where we park for a lazy day of being lazy. Really, this is our parking spot. It’s a little-known feature of the International Harvester Scout: Jesus Mode. Here, [...]
fireworks on the fourth of July in Raton, New Mexico – and other odds and ends. Sunset over highway 64/87. A few test shots before the last of dusk. Perfectly clear skies at 6800 feet. 5 1/2 minute exposure. […]
more from my trip to New Mexico, home of thunderstorms and brilliant orange sunsets. It happens to be raining in sunny Union County. Fence post, and observer, at sunset. Orange skies are orange. I had not seen this sort of sunset since just after a thunderstorm in South Dakota in 2006! […]