Boulders and Exploring the foothills of the Sandias
Every time I go up into the foothills of the Sandia Mountains I think the same thing, I need to come here more. There are so many different trails to approach the Sandias from that it will take you quite a long time to exhaust them all. Like this time, I found this rock wall that was great for bouldering and general climbing and exploring. It was even dog accessible! If you have not gone out to the foothills of the Sandias in a while, take some time this weekend to get a very different view of Albuquerque.
A random stop lead to exploring the Sonoran Desert in Tucson, Arizona for the first time. When most imagine what a cactus looks like, they picture a saguaro standing tall with its arms out. This section of desert had on display a wide variety of odd, tall, and even dying saguaro cacti. I was impressed by the size and boldness of a saguaro standing naked in the desert. Knowing they do not start to grow their first arm until age 70 really puts the longevity of these desert flora into perspective, especially when you see one with 4 or 5+ arms.
Back in Deming, New Mexico exploring both east and west of the Florida Mountains out on a rural land real estate photography shoot for Hemingway Land Company, my Jeep Renegade Trailhawk took me miles off road dodging tumbleweeds and avoiding thorny bushes. In a total of 6 hours in the desert over two days, I saw no human, just a few jack rabbits and a coyote. It was great! It was definitely a New Mexico True experience.
Hidden on the back of a mesa in Sedona, Arizona, the Devil’s Bridge is a stunning rock formation with a long line of people waiting to take a photo on it. There is a long way and a less long way to reach the Devil’s Bridge in the first place. Having a Jeep Renegade Trailhawk allowed us to take the less long way, as a mile of very, very rough road was bouncily traversed in the Jeep. After the still not insignificant hike to the back of the mesa, I think I noticed the long line of people before actually noticing the Devil’s Bridge itself! How does something like this naturally occur? It’s just another wonder of Nature. One cannot actually cross the bridge as it would take a hardly leap to get back to the side of the mesa, which I contemplated doing, but with much of it still snow and ice covered, that is something only possible in the summer. I did not wait in the line to stand on the bridge, but you can see Jessica in the top photo standing out on the Devil’s Bridge. As you can see, the red rock view’s from the bridge are not bad at all either!
Many times when I am out on a rural land photography shoot, it is just me and a cactus passing the time waiting for the sun to set for me to get my final shots. Such was the case on a recent shoot in remote northwest Rio Rancho, New Mexico where this cactus kept me company and allowed me to make this photo featuring a sky full of floofy clouds.
Sedona, Arizona is famous for its red rock mesas. I wanted to see one that could not easily be seen just by driving down a paved roadway. Such are the conditions that were the catalyst for seeking out Submarine Rock. Only serious off road vehicles can make it out to this mesa, or you could go on a long hike on foot to reach it as well. The trusty Jeep Renegade Trailhawk made it, and allowed me to fly my drone and take out my camera to share this video and these photos with you of this majestic and mysterious landscape in Sedona.
When I first arrived at the Grand Canyon in northern Arizona, there was a bit of down time before I could actually go and see the canyon itself. Fortunately for me, a group of elk was foraging right across the street. This was my first time to photograph elk like this. It turns out these animals are real characters sticking out their tongues at me, laughing, and getting themselves covered in snow just to make a photo more interesting! Thank you Grand Canyon elk for being so photogenic and letting me get some great wildlife shots!
