New Mexico - Part 1

The Land of Enchantment - Part 1

My family took a trip to New Mexico at the start of August. It was our first time visiting New Mexico. We spent time in Santa Fe and in Taos, enjoying both places immensely.  During our stay in Santa Fe, in addition to spending time in the city, we visited Valles Caldera National Preserve, Los Alamos, and Bandelier National Monmument. From Santa Fe, we drove the High Road to Taos. On the way we stopped at Santuario de Chimayo. While in Taos we visited Taos Pueblo, saw the Rio Grande Gorge and Bridge, drove to the Taos Ski Valley, where we got absolutely dumped on with rain, and drove the Enchanted Circle Scenic Byway.

According to the State of New Mexico's website the phrase "Land of Enchantment" was first coined by Lillian Whiting as the title of her 1906 book. In 1935 the New Mexico State Tourism Board began using this phrase and the phrase was adopted as the official nickname of the state in 1999. 

While I only saw a tiny portion of New Mexico, what I did see was indeed enchanting, and I would love to spend more time exploring the state. This post will provide a bit of information on my take of the first half of the trip. I honestly did not take many photos on the trip. This was intentional, but at the same time I do wish I'd have taken more. 

Valles Caldera National Preserve

Valles Caldera National Preserve, located in the Jemez Mountains in the north-central part the state, is a stunning landscape encompassing nearly 89,000 acres. Caldera's are formed from large volcanic eruption resulting in emptying of underlying magma (either by explosions or lava flow) that results in a collapse of the land that once sat on top of the magma. Think of a crater. 

The dormant volcanic Valles Caldera, which is 12-15 miles in diameter, formed about 1.2 million years ago. It sits at the junction of two major faults, the Rio Grande Rift and the Jemez Lineament. Valles Caldera is a large grassland caldera surrounded by tree covered rounded volcanic domes ranging from 8,000 to over 11,000 feet of elevation. The area has geothermal activity including hot springs and sulphuric acid fumaroles (holes or cracks that emit gases) as well as a rich diversity of plants, animals, and history.

On the morning we went to the Caldera we hiked at the Las Conchas Trail (which is just outside of the Valles Caldera National Preserve) and follows the east fork of the Jemez River. The trail was an easy, meandering route through a canyon with forests, meadows and wildflowers.

I decided not to take any pictures with my camera (just my phone) during the hike so I could enjoy the time with my wife and son. I did take a few pictures with my camera at the end of the hike. The photo below is the start of the Las Conchas Trail.

After hiking we went to the Caldera, but were only there for a short time as my son was sick the day prior and seemed tired. I got a backcountry day (there are only 40 vehicle passes issued each day) pass from the ranger, but we ultimately gave it back to them for someone else to use. I would have loved to spend time in the crater, but it did not work out on this trip. I hope one day I could make it back to the caldera for photography. I'm not sure if that will happen or not, as I have a lot of ideas for photography, but not enough time.

After leaving the Caldera we drove to Los Alamos, NM, a place my mom lived for a few years when she was young. There were a number of rock formations I noticed between Los Alamos and Santa Fe that would make for nice images in the right light.  We returned to Santa Fe for the evening with the plan to go see Bandelier National Monument, which is located near Los Alamos and White Rock, the following morning.

Bandelier National Monument

Bandelier National Monument is an Ancestral Pueblo located within the Frijoles Canyon near Los Alamos, New Mexico. The national monument preserves the petroglyphs, masonry pueblos and cave dwellings (cavates) carved into the canyon walls. The park, contains 33,000 acres and 70 miles of trails when factoring in the Bandelier Wilderness.

Bandelier National Monument is named after Adolph Bandelier, a Swiss native who came to the United States at age 8; he was an anthropologist who researched and worked to preserve the cultures of the area. 

The canyon, which is continuous with Valles Caldera, was formed from volcanic activity, and has evidence of humans dating back over 11,000 years ago. The landscape is rugged and beautiful. 

The picture below is looking into Frijoles Canyon and Bandelier from an overlook within the park before driving down into the canyon. Valles Caldera sits within the mountains in the background.

I have to imagine the backcountry of the canyon is amazing. Eruptions from Valles Caldera covered the canyon in ash, which cooled into rock called tuff. The soft tuff eroded, creating porous openings in the canyon that could be shaped into shelters and blocks.

The historical sites were special to see and experience. Definitely a highlight of our trip. Unfortunately Alcove House (4th picture below) was closed as the ladders needed repair; so we were unable to climb up, but even from the ground, it was a special place to see and a beautiful walk to get there.

In the start of August the temperature was nice, especially in the morning and evening, but the sun was strong, and when not in the shade it was hot. The elevation, dry climate and intensity of the sun was no joke during the middle of the day. Hiking would probably be a bit more enjoyable in mid to late September, but it was not all that bad if you are in shape. I was reminded of hiking in the exposed areas of Hawaii. While here I started thinking I should return for a trail race. I found a race in Los Alamos that I was intrigued by. As I spent more time sitting with that idea I started thinking how difficult it would be to come from sea level to altitude and run a long mountain based trail race with the intensity that the sun in this area. 

Really, I was fascinated by New Mexico, the unique culture, the landscapes and the food, all so intriguing. I'd really love to spend a while driving around, exploring and photographing this part of the country. Such a different place compared to where I am from and live.