September 5, 2023
by David Ryan
9 Comments

A Brief Lesson in Wandering

I haven’t written many Blog Posts this year because I’ve been wrapped up in developing a book about places that you can only find in New Mexico and are compelling enough or important enough to warrant a drive across the country to check out. I hope to have the book finished by the end of the year.

But I did take a few days off this week to check out an Oscar Howe art exhibit in Brookings, South Dakota. On the way back, I hoped to hike to the top of South Dakota’s high point (Black Elk Peak) in the Black Hills. Unfortunately a heat dome parked itself over the Black Hills, and I decided that a 7-mile round trip hike in 90 degree heat would be a little too much for the dogs.

So I decided to head back to New Mexico and drove south through Hot Springs, South Dakota at the southern end of the Black Hills. Because I had been to the town’s huge hot spring swimming pool and to its incredible Mammoth Site several decades ago, I only planned to drive through town on my way home.

As I was driving through the old part of town, I noticed a gazebo surrounding a spring and a trail along a creek and thought that this would be a good place to walk the dogs. When I pulled into a parking area, I spotted a closed-down public stairway right in front of me. And this is where our brief wandering lesson begins.

The Gazebo

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May 12, 2023
by David Ryan
8 Comments

A Little Known Fantastic Drive in New Mexico

If you’re familiar with New Mexico, you probably have some awareness of Chaco Canyon and its amazing ruins. The Chacoan culture extended way beyond Chaco Canyon in the form of communities called Outliers. The easternmost outlier, Guadalupe Outlier, happens to be on a steep-walled butte overlooking the Rio Puerco in the middle of the Rio Puerco Volcanic Necks.

The view north from Guadalupe Outlier.

The Rio Puerco Volcanic Necks are believed to be the largest concentration of volcanic necks (or diatremes) in the world. They were described to some extent a few months ago in another blog post: Cabezon – Shark Tooth Ridge – and the Rio Puerco Necks. The entire area has scenery worthy of a nation park.

Guadalupe Outlier (Hike 37) was added to the 3rd edition of 60 Hikes within 60 Miles: Albuquerque because the drive to get there is so fantastic. In fact, when I give talks on the 60 Hikes book, I always mention the drive and say that it rivals California Highway 1 for sheer beauty!

After one of the talks a woman from the audience came up to me and said that she had hard time believing my claim. All I could tell her was to check it out. I happened to bump into her again a couple of months later at another event, and she told me, “you’re right, the drive does rival California 1.” Continue Reading →

January 9, 2023
by David Ryan
4 Comments

Wandering Through Carlsbad Caverns

Over the past several months I have been gathering information on special places that you’ll only find in New Mexico and are compelling enough for you to drive across the country to check them out. I eventually hope to turn this information into a book or at least a series of blog posts.

To begin, there are currently only 24 UNESCO recognized World Heritage Sites in the entire country. Three of them (Taos Pueblo, Chaco Canyon, and Carlsbad Caverns) are in New Mexico. Only California has as many, and one of those (Frank Lloyd Wright architecture) is shared with several other states. (Ironically, New Mexico does not have any Frank Lloyd Wright buildings.)

Since it had been many many years since I visited Carlsbad Caverns, I took a short road trip to correct that oversight last week.

And all I can say is WOW!!!!

For me personally, it was a mystical and almost spiritual experience. I don’t think that I have ever felt as connected to the majestic forces of creation and nature as I was during my descent into and walk through Carlsbad Caverns. When I left the caverns two and half hours after entering, there was a sense of energized peace and gratitude flowing through me, and even several hours later my entire body still felt calmly alive – almost a slight vibration! Or as the 14th-15th-century mystic Julian of Norwich said, “all shall be well, all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well.”

If you’ve never been to Carlsbad, or if it has been some time, and if you have the time, means, and inclination, I can’t encourage you enough to check them out.

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