Paradise Found – and Left

Mountains. 

I miss mountains in south Texas.

Even though it is called “The Valley”, there ain’t no mountains here in deep south Texas.  But there are mountains in northern New Mexico.  The Mystery Guest Blogger and I took a short trip to Angel Fire, New Mexico, to visit our property there.

As you might expect at this time of year, the weather is winterish.  After all, the village of Angel Fire’s elevation is 8,500 feet. The aspen leaves are at the end of the fall color cycle – just waiting for a strong wind to blow them off  the trees.  Most nights are below freezing in anticipation of the beginning of ski season.

(As always, be sure to click on each photo to see a larger version.)

The first full day we were there brought snow squalls and wind.  The ground was still too warm for the snow to stick to the ground in the valley where Angel Fire is located, but  I loved to watch the snow swirl and dance even though there wasn’t any prospect of building a snow man.  I used to hate cold and snow, but that was before I discovered skiing.  Now I watch the snow and don’t worry about shoveling it or driving in it – I just like to watch while its falling, and ski on it when the storm passes.

The next day dawned bright and clear.  God had deposited a big glop of marshmallow on nearby Wheeler Peak.  This photo was taken from the same location as the snow photo above.  The weather was so perfect, I just had to go for a walk.  In the late afternoon, all I needed was a long sleeved shirt and a light jacket – there was just enough breeze to make the air feel crisp.

I discovered that late afternoon is dinner time for hawks.  The trail wound through a wet lands area centered on a small creek.  High above the reeds and grasses were at least a dozen hawks.  I know absolutely nothing about birds – I mean nothing – but through the magic of Internet discussions boards, I have found out this is a juvenile female Northern Harrier.  I guess she was looking for some field mice to harrie, eh?  And this guy, I am told, is a juvenile red tailed hawk.  I guess if I’d seen the top of his tail, I would know for sure if it really was a red tailed hawk.  He seemed to be looking right at me much of the time.  I wonder if he was intrigued by the red hat I was wearing.

There is something that invites me to go for walks when I’m in Angel Fire – even at night.  Because the bears are looking for the last scraps of food to gorge on before they go into hibernation, I kept an eye pealed for any of the large critters rummaging around the dumpsters, but I didn’t see any bears.  With no bears in sight, I had time to look at the village from a different perspective – at night, before ski season starts, when it is quiet and little traffic.

Two days – that’s all the time I had in the mountains – much too short a time.  But, I’ll return.  The pull of New Mexico’s mountains is too strong. Thanx for the trip, Sis.

Comments

[James Machin]

Durango CO has the same pull for us.

[Miss July]

Glad you guys are enjoying the mountains! Wish I could join you up there. I've been thinking a lot about you guys and hope you're doing well. I'm sure the MGB is enjoying this break from work.

Love to you both!

[Russ]

Yeah, the hawk probably smelled a rat. Sure was nice, thanks.

[Jack Dickson]

Doug,

Your photo's of Viet Nam are amazing! I love your work and I'd love to get together and shoot the breeze over a tall pint of Guiness and discuss your trips to Asia and I can tell you of my adventure to Japan. You've managed to capture the essence of Viet Nam so perfectly, it's people and culture. I love the asian culture and its people.

I'm a big fan of your photo's and I look forward to speaking to you soon and perhaps getting together at some point.

Cheers!

Jack