piper01
Member
- Joined
- Oct 27, 2013
- Messages
- 182
April 10-11, 2015
****
For those of you who like hoodoos, the Bisti Badlands is hoodoo heaven!
I arrived at the Badlands late-afternoon, scanned my map, then shouldered my pack for the leisurely 1.5 mile hike out to the Egg Hatchery (aka Cracked Eggs), my must-see destination in the area.
First I passed by these hills, dripping in red rock.
I spent a while exploring the Bisti Rock Garden.
Mini-arch! It was common out here to see caprock hanging unsupported off the base of the hoodoo.
Hoodoos just hanging out, ya know, doing their thing.
Ah, I reached my must-see destination for the evening: the Egg Hatchery. I was a kid in a candy store as I scampered around from one "egg" to another.
Tugboat?
There were dozens of eggs in each direction.
Make sure to open your carton to check for cracked eggs.
Maybe aliens hatched from them...
...Nah, it was just a Piper01. (I'll spare you the rest of the shots from my "Hatching Series," as ridiculously awesome as they are.)
Maybe they weren't eggs but, rather, T-Rex skulls!
I had intended to hang out at the Eggs and take pictures in the lovely light of the golden hour, but alas, my plan was foiled as I watched the sun inch lower and lower in the sky, only to slip behind a cloud bank, not to emerge again that day. This was the sun's valiant last effort before the clouds swallowed it.
Soon after, I started my hike back to the car. With only a mile and half over flat terrain, it was no problem making it back before dark, even with a few brief stops along the way.
Bisti Arch (aka Dragon's Head)
Vegetation was sparse with little water to sustain it among the clay hills.
I was spending the night at Bisti, then continuing my ramblings in the morning. There are no camping facilities, so my options were to set up my tent in the parking lot or pack my camping gear into the Wilderness Area. I was the only vehicle left in the lot, so I opted for the lazy route and just slept in the back of my car so I could (maybe) get a quick start in the morning to see the sunrise. I'm usually more of a sunset person...
I was just beginning to stir in my sleeping bag as another vehicle pulled up in the dark of the morning. After he left with his camera gear, I decided I, too, should set out. (I didn't want to pop out of my car and scare the guy.) I was hoping to make it back to the Egg Hatchery for another chance at the beautiful light, but I left too late and only made it as far as this red hill when the sun emerged.
Err...make that, the sun briefly emerged then rose up further into that bank of low clouds that had plagued me the night before.
So, I ended up with a grey, overcast morning. Oh well, at least I wasn't going to get a sunburn. I had explored the flat central plain yesterday, so I opted to explore the northeast hills today, then circle back west toward the parking lot. If I had the time and motivation, I'd also do a loop of the southern hills.
One double burger with cheese please...
...hold the mushrooms.
Rocks eroded into complex shapes.
The hills were layered with coal.
I explored some of the drainage channels winding down the hilltops.
I stumbled across an oddity in this arid land: a pool of water nestled up high, between the arms of a ridge.
I wandered on.
I liked this pattern water carved into the soft clay side of a channel.
I worked my way down the drainage as it broadened toward the central plain.
The only bright spot against a sea of reds, browns, and blacks, these yellow flowers seemed extra colorful.
The view in the other direction.
I made my way back up the next drainage over, in search of petrified wood my map indicated was in the area.
The sky, already overcast, gradually darkened. A clap of distant thunder had me keeping a nervous eye out for rain; in this land of clay, water would be quickly turn the ground to viscous mud. I started to circle back closer to my car, just in case.
I found a petrified stump, still rooted where the tree had lived and died millions of years ago.
Some of the caprock overhangs were jaw dropping.
Gravity still works, right?
I had completed my northern circuit and, with the sky starting to clear, decided to pay a brief second visit to the Egg Hatchery, then continue beyond to an area of petrified logs.
Branch perfectly preserved in stone, knotholes and all.
It's not every day one sees a petrified log capping a hoodoo.
After the Egg Hatchery, this petrified tree was my favorite feature. It was at least 30 feet tall and still had its roots.
This log is slowly emerging as its ancient mud cover erodes away. Who knows how long it will end up being once fully exposed.
Right around noon, the clouds finally cleared and blue sky emerged.
My favorite (30+ foot) tree again, seen in context. It made a great view while I ate lunch!
By then, I decided I had seen enough for one visit. So back to my car I went, making a halfhearted attempt at skirting along the edge of the southern hills so I could see something new on the way. Once at the parking lot, I unlaced my boots, chatted with a few new arrivals, ate a well-earned snack, then checked my GPS. In the past 24 hours, I had explored nearly 15.5 miles; not too shabby.
*****
I found lots of good trip-planning information here: http://www.aztecnm.com/recreation/bisti/visit.html, including a map of many of the named features. Bisti is a great place to just wander and see what you can discover; there are no trails, so just pick a direction and go.
****
For those of you who like hoodoos, the Bisti Badlands is hoodoo heaven!
I arrived at the Badlands late-afternoon, scanned my map, then shouldered my pack for the leisurely 1.5 mile hike out to the Egg Hatchery (aka Cracked Eggs), my must-see destination in the area.
First I passed by these hills, dripping in red rock.
I spent a while exploring the Bisti Rock Garden.
Mini-arch! It was common out here to see caprock hanging unsupported off the base of the hoodoo.
Hoodoos just hanging out, ya know, doing their thing.
Ah, I reached my must-see destination for the evening: the Egg Hatchery. I was a kid in a candy store as I scampered around from one "egg" to another.
Tugboat?
There were dozens of eggs in each direction.
Make sure to open your carton to check for cracked eggs.
Maybe aliens hatched from them...
...Nah, it was just a Piper01. (I'll spare you the rest of the shots from my "Hatching Series," as ridiculously awesome as they are.)
Maybe they weren't eggs but, rather, T-Rex skulls!
I had intended to hang out at the Eggs and take pictures in the lovely light of the golden hour, but alas, my plan was foiled as I watched the sun inch lower and lower in the sky, only to slip behind a cloud bank, not to emerge again that day. This was the sun's valiant last effort before the clouds swallowed it.
Soon after, I started my hike back to the car. With only a mile and half over flat terrain, it was no problem making it back before dark, even with a few brief stops along the way.
Bisti Arch (aka Dragon's Head)
Vegetation was sparse with little water to sustain it among the clay hills.
I was spending the night at Bisti, then continuing my ramblings in the morning. There are no camping facilities, so my options were to set up my tent in the parking lot or pack my camping gear into the Wilderness Area. I was the only vehicle left in the lot, so I opted for the lazy route and just slept in the back of my car so I could (maybe) get a quick start in the morning to see the sunrise. I'm usually more of a sunset person...
I was just beginning to stir in my sleeping bag as another vehicle pulled up in the dark of the morning. After he left with his camera gear, I decided I, too, should set out. (I didn't want to pop out of my car and scare the guy.) I was hoping to make it back to the Egg Hatchery for another chance at the beautiful light, but I left too late and only made it as far as this red hill when the sun emerged.
Err...make that, the sun briefly emerged then rose up further into that bank of low clouds that had plagued me the night before.
So, I ended up with a grey, overcast morning. Oh well, at least I wasn't going to get a sunburn. I had explored the flat central plain yesterday, so I opted to explore the northeast hills today, then circle back west toward the parking lot. If I had the time and motivation, I'd also do a loop of the southern hills.
One double burger with cheese please...
...hold the mushrooms.
Rocks eroded into complex shapes.
The hills were layered with coal.
I explored some of the drainage channels winding down the hilltops.
I stumbled across an oddity in this arid land: a pool of water nestled up high, between the arms of a ridge.
I wandered on.
I liked this pattern water carved into the soft clay side of a channel.
I worked my way down the drainage as it broadened toward the central plain.
The only bright spot against a sea of reds, browns, and blacks, these yellow flowers seemed extra colorful.
The view in the other direction.
I made my way back up the next drainage over, in search of petrified wood my map indicated was in the area.
The sky, already overcast, gradually darkened. A clap of distant thunder had me keeping a nervous eye out for rain; in this land of clay, water would be quickly turn the ground to viscous mud. I started to circle back closer to my car, just in case.
I found a petrified stump, still rooted where the tree had lived and died millions of years ago.
Some of the caprock overhangs were jaw dropping.
Gravity still works, right?
I had completed my northern circuit and, with the sky starting to clear, decided to pay a brief second visit to the Egg Hatchery, then continue beyond to an area of petrified logs.
Branch perfectly preserved in stone, knotholes and all.
It's not every day one sees a petrified log capping a hoodoo.
After the Egg Hatchery, this petrified tree was my favorite feature. It was at least 30 feet tall and still had its roots.
This log is slowly emerging as its ancient mud cover erodes away. Who knows how long it will end up being once fully exposed.
Right around noon, the clouds finally cleared and blue sky emerged.
My favorite (30+ foot) tree again, seen in context. It made a great view while I ate lunch!
By then, I decided I had seen enough for one visit. So back to my car I went, making a halfhearted attempt at skirting along the edge of the southern hills so I could see something new on the way. Once at the parking lot, I unlaced my boots, chatted with a few new arrivals, ate a well-earned snack, then checked my GPS. In the past 24 hours, I had explored nearly 15.5 miles; not too shabby.
*****
I found lots of good trip-planning information here: http://www.aztecnm.com/recreation/bisti/visit.html, including a map of many of the named features. Bisti is a great place to just wander and see what you can discover; there are no trails, so just pick a direction and go.
