T'was a lovely dawn in Tucumcari, 6 C and calm. We left the freeway at Santa Rosa and headed up and across a plateau.
Between Vaughan and Corona, Nancy spotted prong horned antelope and our first road runner, the official bird of New Mexico. We descended the plateau at Carrizozo and headed over to
Valley of Fires Recreation Area It's a 125 square mile lava flow, the youngest in north America.
We got a campsite on a sandstone island, overlooking the surrounding lava flow. Kirk and Nancy went hiking and took a few shots.
The lava flow is good habitat, with wider species diversity than the surrounding lands. Several animal species have evolved darker phases to better utilize this area. Fort Stanton is just up the highway, built specifically to subdue the Mescalero Apache who were "resistant to intrusions".
On a sobering note, about 30 miles west of here is the
Trinity Site. Just dark now, and it's still glowing to the west..... 299 Km. today
2 comments:
Looks like a really nice spot. How much are you paying for the campsite?
R&A
It was a lovely spot, with great facilities. We paid $12 for a dry site.
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