I went out to Sandstone Bluffs last week. We’ve had a lot of rain and snow recently and I hoped there would be some puddles in the sandstone with reflections. There were puddles, but because the water was frozen, they didn’t really reflect. Whoops!
Mount Taylor was resplendent with its fresh covering of snow. It’s the southernmost of the Diné people’s four sacred mountains and is called Tsoodzil,1 which means blue bead or turquoise mountain.2
Of course I took a few photos of lichen while I was hiking — who could resist? Lichens are one of the few natural sources of color available in the winter. Not to mention that they’re especially pretty in combination with the sandstone.
What really motivated me to take the trip was the window/skylight/bridge below. I first saw it last spring when the light was incredibly harsh. I was guessing that the soft winter light might shine directly on it in late afternoon. The good news is that I was right. The bad news is that the light was so soft and uniform that I could hardly see the window. This photo is one I took in harsh light last year.
I hiked down into the sandstone castles below to see the window. While the background area in this photo looks mostly flat and green, nothing could be further from the truth.
When you see it up close, you realize the ground is largely composed of incredibly rugged basalt. It’s what’s left of a huge lava flow many thousands of years ago and is, in the words of the National Park Service, “treacherous to navigate.” That might be an understatement. This is one of the few areas I hike in only when I have a companion.
El Malpais, the name of the national monument, literally means bad country in Spanish; a not-quite-so-literal translation is badlands. It’s an apt description for this massive area of solidified lava.
I can’t actually pronounce either of these words. Diné is really different from English and Spanish.
Mt. Taylor can also be seen from Albuquerque. I do indeed perceive it to be blue much of the time.
Loving the lichen!!! What a wonderful tableau of color and texture.
Appreciate your scenic view pics. Area around Grants is a place we’ve yet to explore, your pics are an incentive, thanks!