Behold these fine New Mexico stones. Pieces of some of the oldest rock on earth, down there at the bottom of the canyon, worn smooth by water flowing over them for eons. So what, huh. Go break a granite boulder or a slab of basalt from a rift, stack it in your driveway, and try [...]
Pilar
Rio Grande at Pilar, NM with geese and ducks, looking downstream
One of my favorite early Lou Reed songs, written in 1964. I’ve always identified with this verse, for some reason. More and more, it seems, not less. I wish that I was born a thousand years ago I wish that I’d sail the darkened seas On a great big clipper ship Going from this land [...]
Water is the most reassuring thing in the world in these parts
After nearly two straight weeks of below-zero lows—minus 17 °F the other night—I thought I needed to post a photo of actual liquid water. This is the Rio Grande at Pilar, NM on Dec. 23, 2012. (Downstream is to the left.) You hardly ever see bridges like this any more, either. The roadbed is built [...]
Just outside of Orilla Verde (BLM), a hop and a skip from beautiful downtown Pilar
Mallards on the Rio Grande… What many wouldn’t realize is that this scene is down inside a canyon. Just a short way from here, the cliffs are 800 feet high! That means it’s sheltered from the wind and warmer just from being lower. The rocks hold and give off a little heat, the river adds [...]
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