The trail into Soledad Canyon (Organ Mountains).
Pasqueflowers, 2021 Edition
Easter was early this year and spring came a bit late, so neither coincided with the other. The pasqueflowers made up for that unfortunate circumstance by being extra plentiful.
The (Not So) Mighty Rio Grande
I went down to Las Cruces for a couple of days at the beginning of the month. Someone gave me classic New Mexican directions to a small slot canyon that went something like this: “Go through Radium Springs. You’ll see a green, you know, ranch gate with some cars parked near it. The gate is locked but it’s BLM land so just go over it. Make sure you go to the west side of the river; don’t go to the Leasburg slot canyon because then you’ll have to cross the Rio Grande on foot.”
I thought to myself, “Oh gosh, there’s no way I’m going to cross the Rio Grande on foot, especially in the spring.” There were a lot of green ranch gates but somehow I found the correct one, on the west side of the river, scrambled over it and explored the slot. It was really fun.
The road to the slot canyon went right along the Rio Grande at one point, so on the way back I parked on the side of the road and investigated. I went down into the riverbed and this is precisely what I saw. I decided to cross the river on foot after all and the deepest the water ever got was about 2 inches.
They say a picture is worth a thousand words. 🙁
My Deer Friend, 2021 Edition
I love it when deer stop and look straight at me and my camera. I’m pretty sure this happens more often in the spring than any other time. I am always honored by their trust in me and often thank them out loud for allowing me to take their photo.
After the Storm
The weather was gnarly Wednesday morning — a fierce, howling wind coupled with continuous snow. It was also the morning of my second COVID vaccination appointment so there was no way to avoid going out in it. Later, I went out for a rather tentative, snowy walk in the Sandia foothills, and Mother Nature treated me to one of her finest sunsets. The clearing weather seemed to be a metaphor for my growing feeling of, if not full-on normalcy, a freedom I haven’t felt for over a year.