August 4, 2011

New Photo Series - El Malpais National Monument

While I am working on my Alaska pictures, here is the start of a new photo series for you: highlights of El Malpais National Monument. This geological area is one of those little known places managed by the National Park Service and the Bureau of Land Management. We decided to stop here during our April trip to New Mexico and we’re glad that we did! 

El Malpais was established in 1987 and is located in the high desert lands south of interstate 40, midway between Gallup and Albuquerque. This is very desolate country and we saw only a handful of visitors while we were driving and walking on short trails. (Let’s just say that there was no need to remove our shoes to help with the counting!) The name means “badlands” in Spanish. With an incredible rugged terrain, it lives up to the name! The elevation ranges between 6500 feet and 8300 feet. Most of the 114,000 acres is not accessible thanks to the volcanic remnants of lava flows and caves.

For the initial post of this series, a few examples of notable sights in the conservation area are shown below. The first photo records the remains of an old block-wall homestead, sheltered near a massive rock wall. Scenes like this serve as a reminder of a tough life once lived in the high mountain desert.


In addition to the towering sandstone cliffs in the topography, we also periodically saw giant monoliths rising above the terrain. Oddly out of place, they look like they had been magically dropped from the sky. 



















And this rock buttress was spectacularly immense, dwarfing mature trees and the farm ranch at its base.


7 comments:

  1. Stunning photographs. The name may mean badlands but it looks totally gorgeous to me

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  2. Beautiful photos! I hope you'll share more of these! I lived in Crownpoint, NM for 3 years...a long time ago! And I still love to travel to that area and explore! I hope you'll look it up on a google map! Hugs!

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  3. How lovely, and great with no crowds.

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  4. Having been in the area before, it is even more beautiful than I remember, through your camera's eye...gorgeous photos. i rmember seeing remians of old stone huts also..have to wonder how they survived in such rugged country. thanks for sharing these photos donna..will look forward to seeing all your photoshoots !

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  5. I think it's gorgeous and it's hard to find a place now a days without crowds so that was a bonus. LOL!

    Happy Friday
    Kim

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  6. Simply amazing, Donna!

    The blue sky makes one feel so blessed to be alive, and able to enjoy God's beautiful handiwork.

    (hugs)

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  7. The immensity of it is what boggles my mind.

    Also the snakes and scorpions ...

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