A Weekend in the Jemez Mountains

This weekend, my friend and I decided to skip town and all the potlucks and parties we'd been invited to (seriously!) and spend some time in the substantially cooler Jemez Mountains.  We camped on free public land (yeah - free camping!) in the Jemez on Forest Road 144, about fifteen minutes up the mountain from La Cueva.

It was lovely to leave Albuquerque's 96' sunshine behind and find some 67' cloudy sky.  I have long ago decided that the Jemez are actually where clouds are born in New Mexico, and we got plenty of cloud cover and sheet lighting during the night.  Also - it is open range out there, and the cow passing through the woods next to my tent was INCREDIBLY disconcerting.  I'm not a Sasquatchy lady - but I'm sure glad I knew it was a cow, because it was big and loud and far too close for comfort. :P

The next morning we went for a hike on a nearby trail, and bouldered around on some rocks.  I made the incredible rookie mistake of not checking to make sure the rock I was climbing had a feasible exit point on the top, and got stuck down climbing on some pretty sketchy stuff in my hiking boots.  My knee was a bit bloody and I was certainly reminded that I definitely need to think things through before showing off my not-so-mad bouldering skills.

Deciding that we had done more than enough damage for the morning, we headed for Fenton Lake State Park the next day.  While my friend did an incredible watercolor of the lake and mountains, I took lots of photos.  Lots of them.

On a sidenote, it seems every 20-something woman these days is into photography.  I guess I would fall into that category, only I am definitely not interested in photographing babies or engagements or senior portraits.  No thanks.  I want bright, sweeping landscapes with lots of crazy details.  So - here are some to share.