Clouds Over Abo Ruins

I hadn't intended to visit Abo Ruins - I actually had never heard about the site. I was headed somewhere else, but I didn't have a firm destination nor any hurry to get there. When I saw the sign on US 60 for Abo Ruins, I decided to check it out. I discovered a place of haunted beauty and stunning quiet - a magical place for photography and reflection.

Abo Pueblo

There are few buildings at Abo Pubelo that have been excavated - the small house in the foreground and the large church complex in the background. They were part of a much larger pueblo that was abandoned sometime between 1672 and 1678,

The Road Out of Nogal

View of Nogal, New Mexico, and the immense valley beyond, from Highway 37.

Sierra Blanca

View from the overlook on the road to Ski Apache on Sierra Blanca Peak, near Ruidoso.

Rays and Streaks

Sunlight slicing through storm clouds over US 380 near Carrizozo, New Mexico.

Land of Enchantment

Sun Strikes Slot Canyon

The entrance into the slot canyon at Tent Rocks.

Tent Rocks Vista

The most spectacular place I visited during a week in New Mexico was Tent Rocks. Volcanic eruptions millions of years ago left layers of pumice, ash and tuff (and bits of glass and rock). Rain and wind have cut away large sections of the land, leaving cone-shaped rock formations, intricate canyons and hypnotizing patterns.

Tent Rocks 9075

Sediment Close-Up

Canyon Walls at Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument.

Old Route 66

New Mexico Highway 6, which was US Route 66 from 1926 to 1937, west of Los Lunas.

Road to Nowhere

I was so surprised that this tiny little dirt track, which appeared to vanish well before the horizon, was marked by a sign, as though it were a recognizable highway.

El Malpais

Rain Pool

A shallow pool carved into sandstone bluffs at El Malpais National Monument.

Leading Lines

Rock Tree

I'm not sure where this tree found anyplace to extend its roots; to me, it looked like it was precariously perched atop the Sandstone Bluffs in El Malpais.

The Narrows Panoramic

Highway 117

The road south of The Narrows in El Malpais.