Boulder caps

In an earlier post I mentioned the boulder caps that protect the tent formations on the hoodoos at Tent Rock National Park, northeast of Albuquerque. These photos show the caps clearly.

View from the Summit - Tent Rock

Panic Point

It's about a four foot drop to the next "step" here - far enough that, coming up, I had to pull with my hands as well as scramble on a couple narrow, slippery footholds. Coming down was a controlled "fall/drop".
Though I found it much easier to breathe in New Mexico, I ran into a bit of O2 deficit at the higher levels. And at one point I felt a bit of panic before I realized I just needed some breathing assistance from my inhaler. This shot was taken from the panic point, about 10 minutes from the top. I insisted that Nelson go on to the top without me, because I didn't want him to miss the view that fellow hikers promised. After about ten minutes and an inhaler hit, however, I regained my courage and continued on. Unbeknownst to me Nelson had gotten just a couple minutes from the top and turned around, wondering if I was okay. He was surprised to find me not all that far away and we hiked on to the summit together.

Tent Rock - NE of Albuquerque 27 Jan 07

About two feet of snow pelted the Albququerque area around New Year's Day, said the residents. Natives hiking Tent Rock National Park said that the snowfall provided the best views they'd ever seen. The formations in these photos are called "hoodoos". Boulder caps perch precariously atop some of them; the caps protect the softer rock forming the "tents." Some of these "tents," the trail guide said, are 90 feet high. This tent village was shot at the base of the trail (Nelson took all of the Albuquerque and Santa Fe photos; my camera is broken).

See that spot of reddish color immediately in front of the crevice? That's me...squeezing through the gap.

Santa Fe NM - 27 Jan 07

Notice how the adobe wall was built around the tree...

Albuquerque, New Mexico - 26 Jan 07

Like the hotel where we stayed, Albuquerque buildings are mostly adobe or faux adobe, and usually terra cotta, sage, or butter.

I reserved a compact car, but the AWD we got for the same price proved to be a blessing especially on mud roads like the one in Santa Fe below.