Magical Places
Celebrating places of beauty & magic
Earthy yet stylish, this exquisite state is blessed with endless clear blue skies stretching over a dramatic terrain of desert and mountains. Sharp bright sunlight illuminates the land, seemingly making everything -bushes, rocks, trees, flowers - come alive.
Characterized by Native American culture, numerous artist colonies, and yes, even UFO crash sites, there is something truly magical and mystical about New Mexico.
Northern New Mexico
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The perfect blue skies of New Mexico
Camel rock, just north of Santa Fe
The farther north you go, the more mountainous the terrain and more dramatic the cloud formations.
Breathtaking scenery on the road to Los Alamos
Santa Fe
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Entrance to Fort Marcy park - my favorite spot in Santa Fe.
A brick pathway winds up a hill offering spectacular views
of the city...
Platform at the summit
A high cross stands tall, commemorating the Franciscans killed
in the Pueblo revolt of 1680.
Turning around to look at the other side...
Spiral staircase inside Loretto Chapel
The construction is a mystery..Legend has it in the 1800's, an unknown man appeared with only a hammer, built this staircase and disappeared. The staircase has no visible support and seems to be made from one piece of wood!
Turquois Trail
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Leave all your worries behind on the Turquois Trail - a scenic drive south of Santa Fe along highway 41
What a great day trip this makes!
What pure joy it was driving along the open empty road on this perfect sunny day...
Creed's "Higher" blasting on the radio...
Sandia Peak
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Glorious purple mountains Sandia Peak...
Sandia Peak is one of the highest peaks in the world - over 10,000 ft high! A tram takes you to the top - doesn't look like much, but honestly I lost track of how many times my ears blocked up on the ascent
The sun was setting on the climb, sweeping reds and magentas along the mountainside...
View from the top
Looking down, overlooking Albuquerque
Notice it's already getting dark!
Very Large Array
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The VLA (Very Large Array) is a l-o-n-g drive from Santa Fe, but so scenic, it's enjoyable.
Scenery outside Socorro, on the way to the VLA
Finally made it!
The VLA is a Y-shaped array of satellites, patiently awaiting communication from the cosmos.
The energy here is so sharp and clear, with such a futuristic feel...Makes you ponder the meaning of it all...
I would've loved to meditate here at night under the stars
A walkway guides you around the site
Closeup view of a satellite dish - remember "Contact"?
White Rock Overlook
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About an hour northwest of Santa Fe is this amazing overlook
..the Rio Grande snakes below
Bandalier National Park
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Pulling over on hwy4 to enjoy the scenery
(if I had a nickel for every time I did this I'd be rich)
Near the entrance is this breathtaking view of Frijoles Canyon
Entrance to the Cave-Dwellings area
See the holes in the rock? These are the Cave-Dwellings - the ancient Anasazis actually lived in them
A pathway guides you along the side of the porous rock...
One of the many ladders allowing you to climb up and take a peek
inside these caves
- and climb I did (boy were my legs sore the next day...)
Here's the view from inside one of the caves
The highest and most fascinating cave was 140 ft above ground!
Five shaky ladders up, here's the view looking down from the top...
