I last hiked the Cerro Grande route on September 21 with a large group and on September 22 by myself. On those hikes, less than two weeks after the September 10 grand opening of the route, I was surprised at how quickly it had changed into a clear, stamped down trail. When Dorothy and I hiked the route today to look at the condition of the trail, two months after the grand opening, I thought that other than more flattening of grass hummocks, the trail didn’t look that much worse for wear. Perhaps photos of the route's condition over time would paint a more accurate picture.
The trail, as Dorothy says, looks like a trail now. It is well worn in yet not entrenched. There are places where it has worn into the dirt but there are other places where it is still grassy.
After the trail passes the large elk exclosure at the beginning and ascends to follow along the logging road above Frijoles Canyon, there is a portion of the trail where my feet tilt sideways. Dorothy says that we have to see how wet the winter is and whether erosion occurs next year and that it’s always possible that water bars would be needed in places. One hiker on the September 21 group hike was very worried that when it rains, the steepest parts of the route will become very eroded.
At least up to the high pass below the grassy summit of Cerro Grande, people have stayed on the route rather than making a criss cross of trails. There are various elk trails going off the route but I didn’t see evidence that hikers are using them. There are very few places where the route is wider than a single track. It surprised me to see that people even followed a single track path on the wider logging road portions of the route.
The logging road ends at the high pass and the route follows through beautiful stands of golden, hummocky grass. From this high pass and up to the top of Cerro Grande, there are several instances where short portions of the trail consist of two different paths that separate but than converge and there are also a few very short lengths of the trail that have been widened to a double path.
On the summit, there are two high rock cairns, each topped with a stick, built near the peak’s benchmark. One of the cairns has conifer boughs arranged in a circle around it. I saw a dirt depression near the benchmark where a rock was recently removed--maybe to add to a cairn. On September 22, there were already signs of overuse (patches of bare ground) around the benchmark. On today’s hike, the worst wear on the summit is around the benchmark which has a lot of bare dirt spots. It seems that the benchmark area is where hikers (including our very large group on September 21) congregate to eat lunch and visit. So as to not overuse that area, Dorothy and I bucked the trend and had our lunch to the west of the benchmark where the views are just as beautiful.
There are places (especially around the elk exclosure) where fallen dead tree trunks lay across the trail’s path. As I step over them, trying not to trip, I wish midnight chainsaw man would appear and do his job! There are also places where the trail has rocks loosened from all the footsteps but those are easily removed. Overall, the Cerro Grande route is easy to follow because it is now well-worn and crystal clear. The grass hummocks in the trail tread have worn down and flattened enough that it's an easy walking surface. Without the route, hiking Cerro Grande would be harder. The route makes it easy to avoid walking in the meadow with all its tripping hazards--hidden tree branches and rocks and the stumble-inducing grass hummocks. Even so, it's a very steep, straight-up route.
All told, we saw 6 other hikers and one jogger on the trail today.
Thursday, February 13, 2014
Upper Alamo Headwaters Report August 17, 2005
We enter into the Upper Alamo Headwaters area, from Dome Road, through an impressively massive, rusted iron gate which will soon be torn down and recycled by Sam Gardner, who will also build a small parking lot at the trailhead. A rustic-looking wooden fence, similar to that along the Bandelier Upper Frijoles XC Ski Trail parking lot, will be built as an attractive, natural-looking entrance to the upper Alamo drainage. Per Dale Coker, this Upper Alamo Headwaters land was added to Bandelier National Monument by 2000 legislation which recognized, when Baca Location No. 1 was acquired, that the upper Alamo Headwaters was an integral part of the upper watershed of Bandelier.
First thing I notice are lots of birds flying about--fellow hikers identify the beautiful big one as a flicker--and tall golden grass in a broad, expansive, inviting meadow. Scooter Peak is on the right and a forest of mixed conifers and aspens is on the left.
Some of the aspens are in island-like groupings and I am looking forward to walking in this area in the fall. It’s really hard to describe the emotional affect that these groupings of aspens have on me--it's something about their lighter green color, their white bark with black markings, and their shaking leaves that makes them seem ethereal.
All throughout our hike we see tall stumps leftover from past logging. There are also shiny black bits of obsidian scattered underfoot.
Near the the beginning of the hike, on the right, is a large bermed stock pond, a leftover from when this land was used for grazing. Around the stock pond are metal supports which look like tennis nets but with the nets rolled up at the top. Per Dale Coker, Stephen Fettig uses this apparatus to net birds for an ongoing study. This is not the only stock pond--all in all, we end up passing about 3 or so stock ponds or seeps. Dale Coker affirms that frogs sing here in the springtime. Now I can hardly wait to return in spring!
In addition to the stock ponds, we see a flattened rusty barrel and a HUGE black tire that Sam Gardner will thankfully remove when he builds the parking lot.
My overall impression of the meadow is of welcoming peace and natural beauty. As we get closer to Scooter Pass, I listen to the silence. As I look on the scene before me, I instinctively breathe deeper and relax.
Some of the vegetation that I could identify throughout our hike was: yarrow, purple daisies, dandelions, chickweed, clover, mountain parsley, pinedrops, sneezeweed, fireweed, geranium, green gentian, ferns, harebells, mountain juniper, lichen, moss, thimbleberry, currant, and mullein.
Due to our recent outstanding monsoon, fungi of all wondrous shapes and colors abound! Canadian thistle, an invasive, appears here and there. Dried wild iris stalks, which seem to especially like to grow in the middle of the road, promise an iris-filled spring!
After the flat meadow, the road to Scooter Pass goes mildly uphill but it is not strenuous. There are some places where signage would be required to keep hikers who wanted to walk the loop on the designated trail because there is a welter of confusing side logging roads.
To the right of the road, there are glimpses of pocket meadows in the woods. The Alamo drainage itself looked dry but the depression it forms is clearly visible. Dale Coker says that to the left of the road are the cliffs of Rabbit Ridge. One tree to the left of the trail has a dendrometer band on its trunk to measure the tree growth--more evidence of ongoing studies in this area.
In places alongside the road are huge boulders which look the scale of toddler-climbable mountains. Often, a chipmunk is standing on sentry duty or a bird is perched on top. The vegetation growing on the boulders gives them the look of hanging gardens. We did not see any large animals but there was evidence of elk throughout--scat and scuffed up elk trails.
When we arrive at Scooter Pass, with a connection to the road up Scooter Peak on the right and a connection to the Coyote Call trail to the left, we backtrack and find an old logging road running along the bottom of Rabbit Ridge. As we follow this, we eventually come to a snaggle of fallen trees and brush but than Dale Coker is able to pick up the logging road on a slightly lower contour.
While searching for the continuation of the logging road, we find a metal stake with a metal tag that reads "NHNM BAND VEG MAP". Dale Coker says that this demarcates a boundary of a vegetation plot being studied by Brian Jacobs.
Evidence that this area has been logged abounds--there are scattered tall stumps, one even in the middle of the road. We follow the logging road to its dead-end and then pick up an excellent, steep elk trail up to Rabbit Ridge. Dale Coker will submit the GPS information on our entire route.
As we hike uphill, a look back gives occasional small glimpses through the trees of Pajarito Mountain in one direction and the Rio Grande Valley in another. The forest is variously deep and dark or dappled sunlight but, overall, we are hiking through an open forest, only occasionally having to step over fallen logs, and not feeling hog-tied by downfall.
The first meadow that we get to has views on one side of some of Bandelier’s best--Boundary Peak, Rabbit Hill, St. Peter’s Dome and Cerro Pichaco. In the distance are Tetilla Peak, Cochiti Lake, and the Sandias.
Dale Coker points out the still visible damage of the trail the Valles Caldera National Preserve had put through the meadow on Bandelier land, We follow the grassy hummocks leading up to Rabbit Ridge and the first felsenmeer viewpoint.
The view of the Valles Caldera from the felsenmeer is outstanding. You can see all the way to the north rim of the caldera.
We continue along the ridge, seeing one recently fallen aspen with a dendroglyph but the date is illegible and the dendroglyph looks recent.
Along the ridge we see ladybugs clustering on grass stalks and bushes. As they get ready to hibernate, they collect in shiny orange globules. It is a welcome sign that summer is winding down and autumn is on the way!! Dale Coker points out a small portion of Dome Road below.
We stop at another rock felsenmeer and this view of the caldera, above the Coyote Call trailhead, is even more expansive and awe inspiring. Definitely a place to slow down, sit on a rock, listen to the rustling wind, and meditate. Another fabulous get-away viewpoint courtesy of Rabbit Ridge!
We see an excellent elk trail that heads downhill to one of the logging roads below Rabbit Ridge and resolve to check it out one day.
We are at a pass between Rabbit Ridge and Rabbit Mountain and we close the loop by heading downhill through a meadow,to a logging road, seeing plenty of tall, gray stumps, and passing a warren of other logging roads. Dale Coker has hiked and skied this many times and knows perfectly the way back to the cars parked along Dome Road. Once again, some sort of signage would definitely be appreciated at crucial spots in this area. Although, in saying that, I want to go back one day and follow every one of the roads to see for myself where they all go!!
We pass a small drainage which feeds into Cochiti Canyon. On the way back to the Iron Gate, we pass an obsidian quarry which Bandelier hopes to be lucky enough to own one day when a boundary is redrawn. There are more numerous and larger chunks of obsidian spilling out of the road cut than I have ever seen before! Just past the quarry, we pass a Havoline oil container on the ground. Later, near Dome Road, we see 2 discarded plastic bottles. Dale Coker picks up a metal tag that is laying on the ground. Other than this, the area is thankfully litter free.
I enjoyed very much the opportunity to participate in this ground survey--thank you!
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
Upper East Fork Hike July 5, 2006
Nine people showed up--Tom and Cynthia, Joan and Gary, Robin and Rich, Ernie (Susan was working), and Joe. I wonder if people stayed away because they, like I, thought they’d encounter a deluge. I even brought along my fiberglass golf umbrella (it’s usable as a walking stick) but at the last minute, left it in the car trunk and I’m glad I did!
We took 3 cars. I drove Tom and Cynthia. We stopped at the Roland Pettit TH to disgorge the hikers and the drivers drove to the Las Conchas TH, across from House Ranch. On the way there, I spotted a sign that said “Wild Hogs”. I thought maybe the crazed critters were running all over the highway! In my mind, this was all but confirmed when I saw signs to slow to 35 mph and also a road crew person holding up a “SLOW” sign. When we got to the parking lot, other crew members told us to park across the street alongside SR4. They needed to keep the parking lot clear for their equipment. Apparently, some scenes from a Disney movie called Wild Hogs are being shot there. From what I could see, they have dug out a large squarish hole and made a dirt road into that from the highway.
After the hike, Ernie talked with two of the “heavies” guarding the set. The movie company is building a “waterfall” and “hot springs” near the climbing area across the river from the start of the East Fork Trail. It’s easier for them to build these “natural wonders” rather than drive/haul all their equipment and crew to a real waterfall and hot springs! Joe said that his daughter is working as an EMT on the set. He also said that no one thought to get an environmental assessment before they did all that digging and road construction. He seems to remember reading that some people were not happy over this.
Anyway, when we started hiking on the Roland Pettit Trail, we didn’t go very far before we turned left and up a hill toward a dead tree and there was a trail that I had never seen before! We followed it downhill for a while. It was steep in spots but not cliffy and, due to the recent rains, not skittery footing. Then when we had gotten downhill to an easy crossing of the East Fork, we started up a ridge on the other side to see a Trick Tank. I now know the symbol on the topo map for a Trick Tank--a very small circle. After that side trip, we went back down hill, but not all the way, to where we picked up a trail to our right and followed that up onto a ridge that was high above the Upper East Fork Valley. I could see views of Las Conchas mountain and saw a glimpse of the Las Conchas fee picnic area as we passed above it.
Norm B. wasn’t on the hike today but I bet he would have enjoyed this hike as he has mentioned to the group in the past that he has cross country skied along the East Fork from the Las Conchas fee picnic area. Joan said that she has walked along the East Fork from there also but it can get very brushy.
At times, we had to skirt around large fallen trees. Once, we were walking in a narrow, dry canyon that was congested with fallen trees for a short distance. Eventually, we reached a grazing fence, with the East Fork in sight, and the fence had a crude “gate” in it--one of the primitive stick and wire ones. Tom held the gate open for everyone. I realized that I have often seen this fenced area from the official East Fork Trail and always wondered about going over there to check it out. Maybe I would have discovered the trail that Joan led us on but, until today, wouldn’t have known where it went. I have always been puzzled by the Roland Pettit Trail as it didn’t seem to go anywhere, just ending frustratingly soon at the Baca fence.
We now had to cross the East Fork to go over to the “official” East Fork Trail. While everyone searched for the best way across, I spotted what looked like metal forest service signs on several nearby trees and strolled over to check them out. They said something like official boundary monument. Two of the trees were bearing trees but I couldn’t find the third one. The date was 1989. At the base of one of the trees, someone had wrapped some kind of natural cordage around a stick to attach a small pine cone to the stick and had plaited the end cordage like a tail for the stick and propped it upright against the tree. I wonder if I discovered a sacred spot.
A few of us crossed on a very large, sturdy log that Tom found for Cynthia to safely cross on but most went over on a smaller, more rickety looking log. I chose the large, sturdy log but said “Damn!” out loud when I started to trip over my walking stick (the log was far enough above the water that I had to place my walking stick on the log to steady myself) and thought I was going in the drink for sure!
Later, Joan told us, we could have bailed out at the grazing fence had the weather deteriorated but, since the weather was fine--overcast, cooler, but no immediate rain, we continued on upstream. Right after the stream crossing at the grazing fence, we saw another fence--the triangular one that comes down to the stream. Joan said that the Baca (now the Valles Caldera National Preserve) had wanted to ensure that the cows could get to the East Fork for water and hence the small fenced triangle of the East Fork River. We were outside of that fence but started seeing huge, fresh cow plops. On our way to lunch, everyone else noticed the 5 or so cows and calves sitting in the shade but I didn’t notice them until we were heading back after lunch. That explained all the fresh, nearly steaming cow pies!
I noticed two colors of wild roses along the trail--one was pink and the other red. I smelled the red one and it smelled like real roses, unlike some of the giant, showy roses at the Fuller Lodge Rose Garden which smell like absolutely nothing--should be illegal!! I thought I saw Jacob’s Ladder, maybe choke cherry, definitely saw some fat gooseberries, lots of beautiful white daisies with a yellow center, lots of tall, yellow cutleaf coneflower being visited by butterflies, a lone harebell, angelica growing in the streambed, tons of yellow cinquefoil, and always, always heard the haunting song of the hermit thrush.
After crossing the sagging bridge, at a bend in the river and near a campsite, the group took a much longer lunch than I have ever seen them take. Everyone was thoroughly enjoying the day and the setting.
Ernie has a Lowrance GPS that he bought for $60 on eBay and it had the trail we had been following up on the ridge. I was amazed at that and wish the National Geographic Topo! maps were that up to date! Gary’s GPS gave a final tally of 4.8 miles.
Completely, officially, topping off a fantastic day, on the way home, well past the Frijoles Canyon dip but before the Coker Trail, we saw 3 cars in the opposite direction, stopped in the road with their emergency blinkers on. I slowed and pulled off the road when I spotted a baby bear cub with its mama that everyone was looking at. The mama seemed in no distress although she was fairly close to the road. She was steadily making her way uphill, though, away from the road and the little one was scrambling along to follow her. Before today, I had only seen 2 bears in NM--one in the Peralta Canyon area and one crossing West Jemez Road--but I have never seen a baby bear with its mother. They both looked very beautiful and healthy and I am happy that I got to see them.
We took 3 cars. I drove Tom and Cynthia. We stopped at the Roland Pettit TH to disgorge the hikers and the drivers drove to the Las Conchas TH, across from House Ranch. On the way there, I spotted a sign that said “Wild Hogs”. I thought maybe the crazed critters were running all over the highway! In my mind, this was all but confirmed when I saw signs to slow to 35 mph and also a road crew person holding up a “SLOW” sign. When we got to the parking lot, other crew members told us to park across the street alongside SR4. They needed to keep the parking lot clear for their equipment. Apparently, some scenes from a Disney movie called Wild Hogs are being shot there. From what I could see, they have dug out a large squarish hole and made a dirt road into that from the highway.
After the hike, Ernie talked with two of the “heavies” guarding the set. The movie company is building a “waterfall” and “hot springs” near the climbing area across the river from the start of the East Fork Trail. It’s easier for them to build these “natural wonders” rather than drive/haul all their equipment and crew to a real waterfall and hot springs! Joe said that his daughter is working as an EMT on the set. He also said that no one thought to get an environmental assessment before they did all that digging and road construction. He seems to remember reading that some people were not happy over this.
Anyway, when we started hiking on the Roland Pettit Trail, we didn’t go very far before we turned left and up a hill toward a dead tree and there was a trail that I had never seen before! We followed it downhill for a while. It was steep in spots but not cliffy and, due to the recent rains, not skittery footing. Then when we had gotten downhill to an easy crossing of the East Fork, we started up a ridge on the other side to see a Trick Tank. I now know the symbol on the topo map for a Trick Tank--a very small circle. After that side trip, we went back down hill, but not all the way, to where we picked up a trail to our right and followed that up onto a ridge that was high above the Upper East Fork Valley. I could see views of Las Conchas mountain and saw a glimpse of the Las Conchas fee picnic area as we passed above it.
Norm B. wasn’t on the hike today but I bet he would have enjoyed this hike as he has mentioned to the group in the past that he has cross country skied along the East Fork from the Las Conchas fee picnic area. Joan said that she has walked along the East Fork from there also but it can get very brushy.
At times, we had to skirt around large fallen trees. Once, we were walking in a narrow, dry canyon that was congested with fallen trees for a short distance. Eventually, we reached a grazing fence, with the East Fork in sight, and the fence had a crude “gate” in it--one of the primitive stick and wire ones. Tom held the gate open for everyone. I realized that I have often seen this fenced area from the official East Fork Trail and always wondered about going over there to check it out. Maybe I would have discovered the trail that Joan led us on but, until today, wouldn’t have known where it went. I have always been puzzled by the Roland Pettit Trail as it didn’t seem to go anywhere, just ending frustratingly soon at the Baca fence.
We now had to cross the East Fork to go over to the “official” East Fork Trail. While everyone searched for the best way across, I spotted what looked like metal forest service signs on several nearby trees and strolled over to check them out. They said something like official boundary monument. Two of the trees were bearing trees but I couldn’t find the third one. The date was 1989. At the base of one of the trees, someone had wrapped some kind of natural cordage around a stick to attach a small pine cone to the stick and had plaited the end cordage like a tail for the stick and propped it upright against the tree. I wonder if I discovered a sacred spot.
A few of us crossed on a very large, sturdy log that Tom found for Cynthia to safely cross on but most went over on a smaller, more rickety looking log. I chose the large, sturdy log but said “Damn!” out loud when I started to trip over my walking stick (the log was far enough above the water that I had to place my walking stick on the log to steady myself) and thought I was going in the drink for sure!
Later, Joan told us, we could have bailed out at the grazing fence had the weather deteriorated but, since the weather was fine--overcast, cooler, but no immediate rain, we continued on upstream. Right after the stream crossing at the grazing fence, we saw another fence--the triangular one that comes down to the stream. Joan said that the Baca (now the Valles Caldera National Preserve) had wanted to ensure that the cows could get to the East Fork for water and hence the small fenced triangle of the East Fork River. We were outside of that fence but started seeing huge, fresh cow plops. On our way to lunch, everyone else noticed the 5 or so cows and calves sitting in the shade but I didn’t notice them until we were heading back after lunch. That explained all the fresh, nearly steaming cow pies!
I noticed two colors of wild roses along the trail--one was pink and the other red. I smelled the red one and it smelled like real roses, unlike some of the giant, showy roses at the Fuller Lodge Rose Garden which smell like absolutely nothing--should be illegal!! I thought I saw Jacob’s Ladder, maybe choke cherry, definitely saw some fat gooseberries, lots of beautiful white daisies with a yellow center, lots of tall, yellow cutleaf coneflower being visited by butterflies, a lone harebell, angelica growing in the streambed, tons of yellow cinquefoil, and always, always heard the haunting song of the hermit thrush.
After crossing the sagging bridge, at a bend in the river and near a campsite, the group took a much longer lunch than I have ever seen them take. Everyone was thoroughly enjoying the day and the setting.
Ernie has a Lowrance GPS that he bought for $60 on eBay and it had the trail we had been following up on the ridge. I was amazed at that and wish the National Geographic Topo! maps were that up to date! Gary’s GPS gave a final tally of 4.8 miles.
Completely, officially, topping off a fantastic day, on the way home, well past the Frijoles Canyon dip but before the Coker Trail, we saw 3 cars in the opposite direction, stopped in the road with their emergency blinkers on. I slowed and pulled off the road when I spotted a baby bear cub with its mama that everyone was looking at. The mama seemed in no distress although she was fairly close to the road. She was steadily making her way uphill, though, away from the road and the little one was scrambling along to follow her. Before today, I had only seen 2 bears in NM--one in the Peralta Canyon area and one crossing West Jemez Road--but I have never seen a baby bear with its mother. They both looked very beautiful and healthy and I am happy that I got to see them.
Cerro Grande Handline Report September 21, 2005
Today I went up Cerro Grande and walked the handline down the ridge to the edge of the Valle Canyon meadow. If you're up on Cerro Grande, near the benchmark at the highest point of the peak, the handline trail is in the trees to the north, more or less, of the benchmark. In fact, if you look behind the biggest cairn that has sprung up on top of Cerro Grande, there is a dim trail behind it, in the grass, that goes into the trees to the north.
In the trees, the handline trail starts out like a pleasant walk in the woods,pine cones under foot, with very well defined, single track. That part doesn't last long, though, because then you come to the steep, stony middle part and my first reaction is "elevator shaft"!
That part is short also and than the trail moderates and comes to a rock felsenmeer. There are views of Redondo, Redondito, Cerro del Medio, and La Garita from the felsenmeer. You walk straight across the felsenmeer and the handline trail continues for a short distance down to the edge of the Valle Canyon meadow.
Walking the trail, you catch glimpses of the caldera and of Pajarito Mountain through the trees. At one point, I spied Cerro Rubio and Valles de los Posos when I looked back during a rest stop while going back up the "elevator shaft".
There are places where there are standing dead trees at the side of the ridge that block what would have otherwise been a great view. The sides of the trail are littered with cut trees from the construction of the handline. The trail is easy to follow because you essentially keep to a ridge that is more or less north-south trending and the various cut tree stumps are a dead giveaway that you're following the handline.
There was a bit of fall color starting, mostly in shrubs growing in the understory.
In the trees, the handline trail starts out like a pleasant walk in the woods,pine cones under foot, with very well defined, single track. That part doesn't last long, though, because then you come to the steep, stony middle part and my first reaction is "elevator shaft"!
That part is short also and than the trail moderates and comes to a rock felsenmeer. There are views of Redondo, Redondito, Cerro del Medio, and La Garita from the felsenmeer. You walk straight across the felsenmeer and the handline trail continues for a short distance down to the edge of the Valle Canyon meadow.
Walking the trail, you catch glimpses of the caldera and of Pajarito Mountain through the trees. At one point, I spied Cerro Rubio and Valles de los Posos when I looked back during a rest stop while going back up the "elevator shaft".
There are places where there are standing dead trees at the side of the ridge that block what would have otherwise been a great view. The sides of the trail are littered with cut trees from the construction of the handline. The trail is easy to follow because you essentially keep to a ridge that is more or less north-south trending and the various cut tree stumps are a dead giveaway that you're following the handline.
There was a bit of fall color starting, mostly in shrubs growing in the understory.
Sunday, October 22, 2006 - O’Keeffe Country Geology Field Trip
Just outside of Abiquiu, before steep climb to Abiquiu Dam and Chama River Overlook, and right before “Red Rocks” roadside marker on right side of road, is forest road and an arroyo that goes to Copper Canyon on your right. Kempter says that Copper Canyon is in a little ways and he hikes up the black dike on the right to get a good view of Copper Canyon--there is no trail up the dike--which he describes as an expansive canyon.
Red rocks on way to Abiquiu Dam, off US 84, are pre dinosaur. CO Plateau rose in elevation but very stable--didn’t rift or form mountains--maybe because the sediments are so thick.
230 mya, NM at sea level. Rivers, etc., deposited sediments, including Entrada Formation (fossilized sand dunes) and ocean deposits. 70 mya North American and Farallon plates collided in Pacific and NM rises above sea level, raising sedimentary layers and then they are eroded over time. Rocky Mountains formed during intense uplift 70-40 mya. Then, last 40 my, Basin and Range pulling apart and extension occurs with a north south trending lineation. Extension of crust allows magma from mantle to find its way to the surface. CO Plateau uplifted but not much deformation. San Juan Mountains are the north boundary of the CO Plateau. Mesa de Abiquiu is another name for the long, dark mesa called Black Mesa. Ojo Caliente sandstone is another fossilized sand dune.
Abiquiu Formation was the earliest deposit in the Rio Grande Rift and it is mainly pumice and ash washed down from the Taos Volcanic Field (may also be called the Latir Volcanic Field). It is 20-30 my old. The surface of the cliff above the Rio Chama at the roadside Overlook is Paleo sandstone. Cerrito de la Ventana is the dark dike that crosses US 84.
We took CR 155 to Plaza Blanca or White Place, which Georgia O’Keeffe has painted. We passed Helen Hunt’s, of Hunt’s Ketchup fame (I coined The Lycopene Queen), and Marsha Mason’s ranches. Marsha Mason grows lavender. Abiquiu Formation is very silica rich and hence its white color. Ojo Caliente sandstone is 12 to 9 my old. CR 155 is washboardy. Kempter pointed out CR 156, off of CR 155, and said it leads to Shirley McLaine’s property and also to a piece of property that he co-owns and would like to build a 1000 square foot dwelling on one day.
Sierra Negra is capped by 6 my old basalt and that is why it has not eroded down--same with Mesa de Abiquiu or Black Mesa. Lots of erosion occurred between Sierra Negra and the mesas to the west and Polvadera. Faulting and erosion makes the CO Plateau landscape look complex but underneath are all the broad, formerly continuous layers of the CO Plateau.
After we parked at Plaza Blanca (parking and hiking here graciously allowed by the Dar Al Islam Mosque), we met some hikers coming back who said that they found a small labyrinth but we didn’t stumble across it in our walk.
It is so elemental in Plaza Blanca with the hard-baked, glinting soil and the rock and boulder littered landscape, all set off by the whiteness of the place. Kempter pointed to the upper levels of the Abiquiu Formation to a layer of big boulders and told us that was a former river level. The whiter, more laminated layers of the fantastic turrets in Plaza Blanca are flood sheet deposits of the Abiquiu Formation. Ojo Caliente sandstone is deposited on the Abiquiu Formation. Also, the area has some young, Quaternary sediments (orange) from 60,000 years ago that redeposited over the Abiquiu Formation after the Ojo Caliente and El Rito Formations eroded away. Some of the boulders, large and small, in the present day channels, washed down from the Tusas Mountains--Ortega Quartzite. The arroyo with pink sand is from the Quaternary deposits of 60,000 years ago (although they look orange when viewed from afar in place on the mesa tops.) Kempter says that these 60,000 year old Quaternary deposits were basically from the ancestral Chama River. Chunks of black basalt on the modern day surface are from the black dike to the north of Plaza Blanca.
Attending these field trips and listening to Kempter explain the scenery is like seeing Geology Revealed!! Kempter says that 500 mya, this area was above sea level, 300 mya it was below sea level and the ocean came into this area. By the Cretaceous, the sea had come down from the Alberta area and up from the Gulf of Mexico and that essentially the land that is now the United States formed 2 islands. From 65 mya, the land was always above sea level and the ocean had disappeared from this area. Volcanism didn’t begin until 40 mya. In all that time, a lot of layers have eroded away. The Chama El Rito formation originated from the Sangres. The Ojo Caliente layer was aeolian. Before the layers eroded away, the whole area was once as high as Sierra Negra.
Red rocks on way to Abiquiu Dam, off US 84, are pre dinosaur. CO Plateau rose in elevation but very stable--didn’t rift or form mountains--maybe because the sediments are so thick.
230 mya, NM at sea level. Rivers, etc., deposited sediments, including Entrada Formation (fossilized sand dunes) and ocean deposits. 70 mya North American and Farallon plates collided in Pacific and NM rises above sea level, raising sedimentary layers and then they are eroded over time. Rocky Mountains formed during intense uplift 70-40 mya. Then, last 40 my, Basin and Range pulling apart and extension occurs with a north south trending lineation. Extension of crust allows magma from mantle to find its way to the surface. CO Plateau uplifted but not much deformation. San Juan Mountains are the north boundary of the CO Plateau. Mesa de Abiquiu is another name for the long, dark mesa called Black Mesa. Ojo Caliente sandstone is another fossilized sand dune.
Abiquiu Formation was the earliest deposit in the Rio Grande Rift and it is mainly pumice and ash washed down from the Taos Volcanic Field (may also be called the Latir Volcanic Field). It is 20-30 my old. The surface of the cliff above the Rio Chama at the roadside Overlook is Paleo sandstone. Cerrito de la Ventana is the dark dike that crosses US 84.
We took CR 155 to Plaza Blanca or White Place, which Georgia O’Keeffe has painted. We passed Helen Hunt’s, of Hunt’s Ketchup fame (I coined The Lycopene Queen), and Marsha Mason’s ranches. Marsha Mason grows lavender. Abiquiu Formation is very silica rich and hence its white color. Ojo Caliente sandstone is 12 to 9 my old. CR 155 is washboardy. Kempter pointed out CR 156, off of CR 155, and said it leads to Shirley McLaine’s property and also to a piece of property that he co-owns and would like to build a 1000 square foot dwelling on one day.
Sierra Negra is capped by 6 my old basalt and that is why it has not eroded down--same with Mesa de Abiquiu or Black Mesa. Lots of erosion occurred between Sierra Negra and the mesas to the west and Polvadera. Faulting and erosion makes the CO Plateau landscape look complex but underneath are all the broad, formerly continuous layers of the CO Plateau.
After we parked at Plaza Blanca (parking and hiking here graciously allowed by the Dar Al Islam Mosque), we met some hikers coming back who said that they found a small labyrinth but we didn’t stumble across it in our walk.
It is so elemental in Plaza Blanca with the hard-baked, glinting soil and the rock and boulder littered landscape, all set off by the whiteness of the place. Kempter pointed to the upper levels of the Abiquiu Formation to a layer of big boulders and told us that was a former river level. The whiter, more laminated layers of the fantastic turrets in Plaza Blanca are flood sheet deposits of the Abiquiu Formation. Ojo Caliente sandstone is deposited on the Abiquiu Formation. Also, the area has some young, Quaternary sediments (orange) from 60,000 years ago that redeposited over the Abiquiu Formation after the Ojo Caliente and El Rito Formations eroded away. Some of the boulders, large and small, in the present day channels, washed down from the Tusas Mountains--Ortega Quartzite. The arroyo with pink sand is from the Quaternary deposits of 60,000 years ago (although they look orange when viewed from afar in place on the mesa tops.) Kempter says that these 60,000 year old Quaternary deposits were basically from the ancestral Chama River. Chunks of black basalt on the modern day surface are from the black dike to the north of Plaza Blanca.
Attending these field trips and listening to Kempter explain the scenery is like seeing Geology Revealed!! Kempter says that 500 mya, this area was above sea level, 300 mya it was below sea level and the ocean came into this area. By the Cretaceous, the sea had come down from the Alberta area and up from the Gulf of Mexico and that essentially the land that is now the United States formed 2 islands. From 65 mya, the land was always above sea level and the ocean had disappeared from this area. Volcanism didn’t begin until 40 mya. In all that time, a lot of layers have eroded away. The Chama El Rito formation originated from the Sangres. The Ojo Caliente layer was aeolian. Before the layers eroded away, the whole area was once as high as Sierra Negra.
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