New Mexico

Pillars of Light and Rock

For hoodoo hunters, the Valley of Dreams area of the Ah-shi-sle-pah Badlands in northwestern New Mexico holds some of the most unique formations to enjoy. The Alien Throne is one of the landmarks hoodoos in this area, and I had a wonderful time photographing the amazing structures in the area.

The Sphinx

The Bisti Badlands in north western New Mexico are sculpted heaven with a little splash of hell. Time and natural elements have etched a fantasy world of strange rock formations made of interbedded sandstone, shale, mudstone, coal, and silt.

The Conversing Hoodoos

We had an extended stay in the Aztec, NM area this summer and this provided great opportunities to visit the Badlands multiple times. Several evenings and nights were spent exploring the infinite number of hoodoos and the night skies. These hoodoos adorned with a late season Milky Way are called the Conversing Hoodoos for obvious reasons.

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Sunset at Cox Canyon Arch

Another perspective of Cox Canyon Arch during one of the evenings spent there. I loved the Juniper trees that adorn the area.

Sunset at Little Delicate Arch

The is a small but beautiful arch with graceful curves that the locals affectionately call the "Little Delicate Arch". During our stay in Aztec, I have add the opportunity to visit this arch a few times and was fortunate enough to capture this beautiful sunset. The arch is visible from the roadside but a bit of scrambling and trail searching is required to get up close and personal.

Evening at Cox Canyon Arch

Cox Canyon Arch is a beautiful arch with a span of 42ft and a height of 35ft. This is a 12 image panorama taken as the beautiful evening light was fading fast. Getting to the arch requires a 4.3 mile drive on oil field dirt roads preferably in a high clearance vehicle. The hike to the arch is fairly short but requires a short scramble which can be tricky especially if lugging along a camera bag and tripod.

The Stone Camel

The Mushroom Dream

Another night spent by the Mushroom in the Bisti Badlands. I was worried that light pollution in the north from Farmington would be an issue. However, things worked out fairly well.

The Giant Mushroom Milky Way

Fantasy Night at the Alien Throne

For hoodoo hunters, the Valley of Dreams area of the Ah shi sle pah Badlands in northwestern New Mexico holds some of the most unique formations to enjoy. The Alien Throne is one of the landmarks hoodoos in this area, and I had the privilege to enjoy this remote spot under the starry skies with the company of coyotes howling occasionally in the distance.

The Cerebellum at Night

The Valley of Dream area in the Bisti Badlands has some amazing formations that take a life of their own in the darkness of night. I like to call one of my favorite formations the cerebellum for obvious reasons. Low level lights were used to light up the scene.

Cox Canyon Arch

This is a popular arch in the Aztec area with a span of 42ft and a height of 35ft. An approximately 4.3 mile on the area oil field dirt roads is required to reach the arch. The hike to the arch is relatively short but there is a section that requires a short scramble. After hoisting myself up, I used a rope to lift up my camera gear and tripod up this section. It is important to get your bearing and mark this location on your GPS especially if returning in the dark as this is apparently the only safe way to get back from the arch.

Arch Rock

A night spent at one of the beautiful arches in the Aztec, New Mexico area. It is however unfortunate that graffiti is starting to appear on the arch. Also, there was a lot of trash in the area that my better half spent time cleaning up.

The Baby Elephant

This one was a relatively small arch but quite picturesque, especially once lit up with low level lights. The opening is only around 3.5x2ft wide.

The Curves

The Aztec, NM area has hundreds of miles of oil field dirt roads used to service the oil & gas installations in the area. This makes it feasible to explore the multitude of arches in the area. The roads are best travelled on a 4X4 and should be avoided during the rains. It is very easy to get stuck in the seemingly innocuous puddles that form during the monsoon season. I say this based on personal experience. This is a small roadside arch that looked pretty mundane during daylight hours but came out pretty good as a milky way foreground.

La Mango Canyon Arch

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Gelfling Arch

Graceful Arch