— Glistening white sands cover an area approximately 275 square miles of desert in New Mexico. White Sands National Monument is the world’s largest gypsum dune field. An otherworldly landscape, the area reaches temperatures over 100ºF (38ºC) in the summer months, … Read More

— Bandelier National Monument is a protected area near Los Alamos, New Mexico. It covers 33,677 acres and was designated a national monument on February 11, 1916. A visitor can walk around the various trails to get a glimpse of Puebloan people’s … Read More

— When visiting Taos, New Mexico, one should always plan to drive to the San Francisco de Asis Mission Church. A National Historic Landmark and World Heritage Church, the church was built between 1772 and 1816 by the Franciscans who lived … Read More

— Back in 2011 we decided to spend New Year’s in Taos, New Mexico. We’d been there before a couple of times, but this time we went with other friends, too. To make the trip even more interesting, three of … Read More

  — One of the fringe perks of road trips is the route one takes. If a traveler plans well, the route to get to a memorable destination can be filled with even more spectacular scenery. When we decided to go back … Read More

— The first time I drove on Highway 90 coming back from Big Bend National Park, I was not able to stop at this scenic location. There was some repair being done on the bridge. Then in 2012, on another … Read More

— Located in the Gila National Forest, southwest New Mexico, the Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument was established on November 16, 1907, by President Theodore Roosevelt through executive proclamation. In the 1200’s, the Mogollon culture settled in the area and … Read More

— Our vacation in 2010 took us back to New Mexico. Since we were in Taos for a few days, we decided to take advantage of a side trip on the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad, a national historic landmark. … Read More

– Guadalupe Mountains National Park is a remote park in northwest Texas, close to the New Mexico border and near Carlsbad Caverns National Park. The park offers excellent backcountry and backpacking opportunities (over 80 miles of hiking trails). McKittrick Canyon … Read More

Lens-Artists Challenge #299 – Hopeful This week, Patti challenges us to reflect on what makes us hopeful. Read about it and be inspired here. Through her inspirational words and beautiful photos, she offers various ways we can use to express … Read More

— Before anything is said, there needs to be a clarification. All cacti are succulents, but not all succulents are cacti. Therefore, the Aloe Vera plant, for example, is not a cactus. Also, simply because a plant may have thorns … Read More

— Recently I came upon a blog by a photographer named Denzil. He is based in Belgium, and the blog is simply called Denzil Nature. Nothing else is needed to describe what his blog is all about. In the blog, … Read More