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| Scenic Drive | 18.00 Miles |
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| | Scenic Drive | 18.00 Miles | | | |
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| no partners | | Day 7 of my North Central New Mexico road trip. I had planned on doing Valles Caldera National Preserve the day before, but Day 6 was a wet and stormy day. So I stayed in camp and when the weather took a break, I went into Los Alamos for dinner. Lots of wildlife on the roads after the rain ended. 2 near misses on the Los Alamos highway just before Hwy 4 coming back. How I missed the Mulie and then 45 seconds later, the Elk, was nothing short of miraculous. One split second sooner and I would have clipped them both with the truck. I slowed way down after those heart attacks.
Day 7 meant checking out of the Campground at Bandolier and only having a 1/2 day at Valles. I had other plans in place already for later in the day and it was a bit of a drive to get there.
I arrived at Valles and managed to snag the last backcountry permit. It allowed me to drive into the deeper areas of the Preserve. I didn't think I had time to both drive it and get some hiking in, so I opted to just do the drive. I was right. The camera was overheating by the time I got back to the Welcome Center. It was only a 16 mile drive, but it was packed with photographic opportunities. The weather building and coming in, only added to some sweet light as well.
What a special place this is! The wildlife was abundant, with herds of elk roaming the grasslands, Gunnison Prairie Dog towns everywere you looked and tons of different birds. The landscape was immense, with several creeks and a river running through it and my timing was perfect for big patches of blooming Rocky Mountain Iris. Apparently, this place is also a fly fishing paradise, with lots of fishermen stalking trout on the creeks. I ran into the Park Service doing a fish count on San Antonio Creek, and they recorded 168 brown trout in 1/2 mile of waterway. Made me want to start taking fly fishing lessons!
I spent over 8 hours in the Preserve and then I had to get going to my next destination. The weather started to seal that deal anyway, but I knew I would have to return to this place at the tail end of my trip and get at least some short hikes in. It was hard to leave. This backcountry drive allowed me to get a feel for the place, but I think it was still just a small portion of what I could do here. But it was time now to head for another sort of adventure.
Yep, it's a photobomb. |
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Wildflowers Observation Moderate
Rocky Mountain Iris ruled the day. |
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| Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty & well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, totally worn out & proclaiming, "Wow What a Ride!" |
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