Sent in the field the other day...
Well not exactly. An email to pick up my new ID in Los Alamos is not really the first field exercise I was hoping for, but nowadays, every trip is a new adventure. So as I exited the facility nestled at the foot of the Jemez, the chain of mountains to my left beckoned more so than the canyon I had recently traversed. Oh cmon now, don't steep mountain passes dotted with elk crossing signs call to everyone?
I decided to put my GPS away and just drive. For those of you that don't know, the west is a topographically-challenged person's dream. As long as you get high enough (I'm talking altitude here!), you can see your destination from a hundred miles away. As much as I love Montana I do not believe it can lay sole claim to "the land of the big sky".
Needless to say, I had a good day.
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| View from an overlook descending into Bandelier National Monument. The native American cave dwellings are on the cliff face in the distance. Almost two-thirds of this area burned a few years ago in a Los Conchas wild fire. |
Before I knew it, I found myself on a lonely winding road to Bandelier National Monument. What lay before me I simply can not give justice. No pictures, no words. Therefore I will leave you with an open invitation to visit, to behold with your own eyes, for I will gladly return and give you a tour. I'll conclude with the words from someone near and dear to me, because quite frankly, she nailed it.
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Not from Bandelier but from the nearby Puye cliff
dwellings (taken with my phone through binoculars).
If you look closely you can see some of the hieroglyphs
made by the pueblo Indians possibly up to
a thousand years ago.
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"Behold in your heart, not your eyes. You are in an enchanted place for certain yet there are many more places to explore. As you begin reaching out further and further, make sure to savor the flavor."
I drank deeply today and it delighted my tastebuds to no end.
Enjoy!
And the best part of all and money well spent...I now have my annual National Park Pass!
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