“You can’t rush something you want to last forever.” — Unknown
“A man can stand anything except a succession of ordinary days.” — Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
“Live out of your imagination, not your history.” — Stephen Covey
“One person with passion is better than forty people merely interested.” — E. M. Forster
After several days of hiking the trails of the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks (OMDP) National Monument, we headed for Valles Canyon located about 25 miles to the northwest. The hiking guide described it as slightly challenging, and would likely provide different terrain and vistas than the OMDP.
As cited on the websites below, there are dips in the road and warnings about flooding, but on this sunny (but very windy day) the roads were basically fine. (Note: Read the location directions carefully as Valles Canyon is somewhat tricky to find)
It was a bit of a trek from the parking area to the canyon itself. The road has some tire tracks and a number of rocky spots. Although there was evidence of 4×4’s use, rocks and high spots preclude the use of most vehicles
One of the first landmarks that assured the accuracy of the trail was the correct one was a defunct windmill and nearby water basins.
Old walls (ruins) now provide a nesting places for birds and (likely) other critters.
Mountains surrounding the canyon provided an impressive backdrop of color and form.
The geology of the canyon was very interesting. Here is a wall of one of the side canyons. Notice how it is made of sand that is embedded with rocks of various shapes and sizes and several that are rather large.
There were times that the path was not obvious and required the “most likely this way” option. We generally mark a waypoint on our GPS so we can readily backtrack if necessary.
Petroglyphs were noted and initially thought to be bogus, but further review apparently supported their credibility.
Some of the descriptions of the trail remarked about “boulder scrambles”!!!
And perhaps this is a more dramatic version!
Nearly halfway into the floor of the canyon we noticed something partially buried in the sand of the canyon. Can you tell what it is?
This handmade tin coffee mug was carefully exhumed for a photo, but then returned to the place and orientation it was originally found.
There were areas where the walls were high and the trail was narrow.
Other spots had a wide river bed that permitted easy walking.
Valles Canyon connects with Broad Canyon. A 500 foot segue into this latter canyon was strewn with light colored boulders and rock formations.
On the “long and winding road” back to the car, a section of a decayed Yucca holding water for insects and other small denizens was spotted.
There were more petroglyphs. Is that a whale on the top? A dinosaur?
A barbed wire fence tied around a tree required some tricky negotiation to continue through the dry canyon riverbed.
En route out of the canyon, a bull enjoyed a welcome drink oblivious to passing hikers.
Leaving Valles Canyon, a sign caught our eye (and apparently many other things as well!!)
Heading back to Las Cruces on Route 10, a large statue of a Road Runner about 20-25 feet tall caught our attention! Being an enthusiastic bird watcher, I needed to have a picture!!
If you go, read these:
Southern New Mexico Explorer – A blog about exploring the natural areas of New Mexico focusing on but not limited to Dona Ana, Luna, Otero, Sierra, Grant, Lincoln,Socorro and Catron counties.
“Everything becomes a little different as soon as it is spoken out loud.” — Hermann Hesse
“It’s not failure if you enjoyed the process.” — Oprah Winfrey
“Be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here.” — Max Ehrmann
“Anything that you have to acquire a taste for was not meant to be eaten.” — Eddie Murphy
Bryan Stevenson is an Attorney who fights for the rights of the poor, underprivileged and often disenfranchised people in the United States. His presentation is poignant and to the point. No American should feel at peace while justice is not served equally to all citizens regardless of economic, social, physical or other circumstances.
What are TED Talks?
You can read more about the history of TED here
If you want to be educated, challenged and yes, even entertained, watch Bryan Stevenson’s TED talk. It will be time very well spent.
Bryan Stevenson’s TED Talk – We need to talk about an injustice
“Bryan Stevenson at TED 2012” by James Duncan Davidson – Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
“Bryan Stevenson is the founder and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative, fighting poverty and challenging racial discrimination in the criminal justice system.” – From the website of the Equal Justice Initiative
Highlights excerpted from the transcript which can be viewed in full:
Bryan Stevenson – We need to talk about an injustice – Transcript
Read more about Bryan Stevenson on Wikipedia
TED is an acronym that represents Technology, Entertainment and Design and refers to a series of conferences around the world that features “Ideas Worth Spreading.” From its small beginnings in 1984 as a single conference, it has developed into one of the premiere venues for the sharing of information and ideas.
Included among the TED presenters are:
Read more about TED on Wikipedia
“Say not you know another entirely, till you have divided an inheritance with them.” — Johann Kaspar Lavater
“Knowing the name of a bird does not tell you anything about the essence of that bird.[ed]” — Richard Feynman
“When a friend does something wrong, don’t forget all the things they did right.” — Unknown
“There is a southern proverb–fine words butter no parsnips.” — Sir Walter Scott
“Courage is fear that has said its prayers.” — Anne Lamott
“It’s all too easy to fall hostage to the urgent over the important.” — Herminia Ibarra
“It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts.” — John Wooden
“There’s no thief like a bad movie.” — Sam Ewing
The translation from the YouTube Video:
“My goldfinch Tweety with a refreshing swim in my hands , I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.”
I found this bird bath relaxing, interesting and somewhat entertaining. I hope you enjoy it too!
“Simply be the qualities you seek in others.” — Dr. Wayne W. Dyer
“Nobody is bored when he is trying to make something that is beautiful, or to discover something that is true.” — William Inge
“Value the people who sacrifice something for you because maybe that something was their everything.” — Unknown
“I don’t have a bad handwriting , I have my own font.” — Bill Murray
“If you torture data sufficiently, it will confess to almost anything.” — Fred Menger
“If they can get you asking the wrong questions, they don’t have to worry about the answers.” — Thomas Pynchon
“The biggest human temptation is … to settle for too little.” — Thomas Merton
“Some people have no idea of what they’re doing, and a lot of them are really good at it.” — George Carlin
Mike Langford and Jackie Ranken, two professional photographers from New Zealand, share the reasons why they are so passionate about photography and why they find it so rewarding.
Mike Langford + Jackie Ranken from Untitled Film Works on Vimeo.
Below is the synopsis from the Vimeo page:
A look into the world and minds of award-winning photographers – Mike Langford and Jackie Ranken.
Shot in 4K amongst the breath-taking landscapes of the South Island of New Zealand.
Mike Langford: “I believe landscape photography is about a sense of place”
Mike’s passion is travel & landscape photography and travel book publishing with over 26 books to his name. “I believe landscape photography is about a sense of place, not just about what it looks like, but more about what it feels like.”
Jackie Ranken: “The on-going pursuit in finding new ways of seeing and exploring the landscape. My expertise as a landscape photographer began in 2001 with a series of images called “Arial Abstracts’. Black and white images made while upside down in a loop from my father’s antique bi-plane.”
