A walking Paul finds the forest 3/4 of a mile to the east. A mile later and a 1,000 feet higher, a huffing puffing and, by now, panting and resting Paul reaches the crest of the Talpa Ridge. And that same Paul walks along the ridge 8,200' above sea level and, using his camera as an excuse, stops frequently to snap photos and pant some more.
And here are some of those photos
Looking towards the west, we see both Talpa and Ranchos de Taos. South Taos, if you will.In the distance are the Tusas Mountains and, towards the north, is the Taos Plateau, the volcanic field I mentioned in the previous post.
To the north is Taos. And what is commonly called Taos Mountain with the tip of Wheeler Peak (the highest point in New Mexico) and the Taos Ski Valley visible in the distance.
Hard to see stuff in these small photos. Here is a closer view of those mountains
Turning around, looking to the south, we see Truchas Peak, which I think is the second highest peak in New Mexico.
And continuing to turn a bit to the southwest, we come to Picuris Peak.
Let's see. Where else can we look?
Oh, lets look down
I don't know the name of this flower. If you know, please let me know.
This one I do know. It is a Castilleja (aka Indian Paintbrush) at the base of a Cholla.
So I stumbled back down the hill, falling only once. And at home I found the apricot tree in full bloom
And inside, I checked up on my hand planted yucca seeds and found them happy as can be
And the best part: I encountered no one on the trail. Social distancing at it's best.
Hope you are doing well.