I went up to the Pecos Wilderness at the very end of September. Because it’s north of Albuquerque and is at a higher elevation, I thought I might be able to see some early fall colors. Turns out I was mostly wrong about that.
The trip wasn’t a lost cause though; in addition to a lovely hike along Panchuela Creek, I photographed one of my favorite subjects, the old bridge at Tererro, for about the gazillionth time.
The bridge was built about a hundred years ago and has been replaced by a newer, more utilitarian bridge. The new bridge is so nondescript and unobtrusive that, but for the sight of the old one, you could easily cross the Pecos at that point without even noticing.
Motor vehicle access to the old bridge is blocked but it still seems more than stable enough for pedestrians. So I walked across the bridge, back and forth, also for about the gazillionth time, looking for new and different photos.
The water was crystal clear. I loved the shadows the bridge was casting at that particular moment, but thought their lines were a bit too repetitive to make an interesting photo. I included my own shadow to break it up a bit, and voilà!
Thanks and a Correction
The last email occasioned many responses, some arriving as email messages and others as comments. Thank you so much for taking the time to share your thoughts and knowledge with me. I appreciate your active engagement with my photos, as well as your tolerance of my often incomplete descriptions and sometimes outright inaccuracies.
I learned from Joel that, instead of having X and Y chromosomes, birds have Z and W chromosomes. That was an entirely new concept to me. I found a couple of web resources that helped me learn more:
I also learned from MK — who knows far more about birds than I do — that the little “bonus” bird behind the red crossbill is likely a pine siskin rather than a yellow-rumped warbler.