Gila Mountains/Carlsbad Caverns, New Mexico: May 2004

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Flickr Set:
Arizona / New Mexico

I suppose I should write about my most favorite place in the Southwest, how I was enchanted by the spirits of Native Americans who once lived in New Mexico or all the adventure I found. But Im going to let the pictures do the talking, because trying to explain a solo road trip where I saw few people is best left unexplained!

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Photos

There's Something Special Going On Here
Carlsbad Caverns-35 foot tall stalagmite at the right- hundreds of thousands of years old!

Welcome to New Mexico
"Land of Enchantment"

Stairway to Heaven or Hell?
Carlsbad Caverns usually scares little kids- and sometimes adults too!

Roadside Shrine in Abandoned Chimney, New Mexico
Catholic/Native American shrine in an abandoned chimney just across the border in New Mexico. Sitting at 7000 feet(2200 meters) in the Apache National Forest, note the stone on the left- "thank you jesus for a elk in our hunt".

Gila Wilderness: USA
High Plains, Junipers, Gila River Gorge
Elevation of these hills is 5200 feet(1600 meters), the forested peak distant left is 10,700 foot Whitewater Baldy(3273 meters)!

Ancient Ponds, Decoration Forest
check out the rimstone at the bottom. An ancient pond was once there, causing the formations to grow over it like ice on a lake. Then when the pond drained, it left the formations seemingly suspended.

Gila River Gorge
Approaching the awe inspiring Gila Wilderness area. Gila sits at the same latitude as San Diego! Hot springs, cliff dwellings, 3000 meter mountains, 2 months of torrential thunderstorms, year round rivers and 2200 meters valley elevation means cool temperatures in summer while the surrounding desert bakes.

The Dolls Theatre, Carlsbad Caverns National Park
Zoom in of "the Dolls theatre". The "Soda Straws" are actually only the size of a fat pencil, but there are so many in such a small cubby hole the NPS rangers aren't exactly sure how it could form so tightly.

El Capitan, Guadalupe Peak, Wildflowers
El Cap= 8060 feet(2456 meters)
Guadalupe Peak= 8749 feet(2666 meters)
My sister and I were born 2 hours Southeast of here in Big Spring, TX.

Comments

[Antsy]

Awesome!
Great photos Stephen as usual! I love the caverns photos the most! :)

[mike roland]

nice photos
excerllent im moving theree in 3010