Valles Caldera features a group of grassy valleys nestled with the ginormous crater of a long-ago volcano. I can pretty much count on getting caught in some kind of precipitation — often accompanied by thunder and lightning — whenever I’m there during the summer.
Big Sky
Summer Thunder and Dust Storm
Coming home through Shiprock about a week and a half ago, the weather looked so threatening to the south that I abandoned my plan to take the easy, good-weather way home. Instead, I took the longer way — down Highway 491, through the Navajo Nation to Gallup — so I could capture a few photos of the weather drama. I realize most folks would try to avoid the bad weather … but I’m a photographer, and therefore not entirely normal.
Landscape with Windmill
A brand-new shiny windmill in a field along the road out of Water Canyon (Magdalena Mountains).
Ojito Rock Formations
Rock formations in the Ojito Wilderness with an especially dramatic sky in the background.
Aluminum Yucca
This aluminum yucca, made from salvaged hollow aluminum fuel tanks from F-16s, is just east of Albuquerque, right off I-40. I’ve always wanted to take photos of it — especially at night, when it’s illuminated by multicolored LED lights — but I’ve never felt it was particularly safe to stop on the shoulder to get the shot. Yesterday a friend and I hiked through the Sandia foothills to see it … and i finally got my shot.
You can learn more about Aluminum Yucca (its name, really!) on the artist’s website.