Riparian ecosystem – a curious nature

High on the Views: Camping Above the Rio Grande

June 6, 2025

Such an awesome-inspiring place to spend a Spring week in New Mexico!

Three of the five big boys! Rocky Mountain Big Horn Sheep.

Rio Grande del Norte National Monument …..

comprises a breathtaking 245,000 acre area of the northern Rio Grande rift valley in north central New Mexico. Established as a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) national monument in 2013, the rugged wide-open plains average 7,000 feet in elevation before dropping into steep narrow canyons carved into the landscape by rivers that have been flowing for millennia.

The confluence of two of these rivers, the Rio Grande and the Red River, occurs in the northern Wild Rivers area of the Monument. It’s at this confluence where the gorge is its deepest at 800 feet, and its widest from rim to rim measuring 3/4 mile. It’s an impressive view from the la Junta (“the Meeting”) Overlook. All of the views from anywhere along the rim are impressive.

We backed our RV (‘Felix’) into what must’ve been the best designated camping site ever ….. #9 on the southern loop in Big Arsenic Springs Campground. After setting up, we discovered that Felix rested only a few steps west was the rim and the long plunge down to the Rio Grande! But immediately south of us, the rim formed a small peninsula where nearly every afternoon I could be found sketching the plants growing from the basalt cliffs, or the swifts and turkey vultures soaring along the cliffs and over the river aided by the canyon’s updrafts. This skinny little peninsula quickly became my favorite sit spot; then late one morning it became priceless …….

Can you spot our RV? We were precariously perched above the Rio Grande, right on the rim of the gorge!

I could hear them approaching, like a swarm of bees. In a matter of seconds I was witnessing a cacophonous chorus of 100’s of pinyon jays. These noisy birds quickly moved in and onward while descending, like they were famished, on this year’s piñon pine cone-laden trees in large erratic groups, all the while screaming, “Hurry, Hurry, Hurry, Hurry!” Where exactly they came from or where they went remains a mystery. All I know was the spectacle must’ve lasted a good 10 minutes or more, as I watched wave after wave of these birds pass by. I still get goosebumps (jaybumps?) recalling those exciting moments.

We had planned to spend only one day camping in the Monument, but every morning we decided to stay at least another and then another day. We hiked every rim and interior trail (sometimes more than once), spent hours at all of the Overlooks getting ‘High on the Views,” were thrilled with our chance encounters of five (5) Rocky Mountain Big Horn Sheep rams (twice in one day), and marveled at how the forces of nature* collaborated to carve the narrow and steep 800 foot deep gorge within the Monument.

But alas, it became time to pack up our home away from home. Even tho a string of completely clear days allowed sun to shine on our solar panels from sunup to sundown, keeping Felix’s battery purring happily our entire stay, it did nothing to recharge our potable water tank. So the morning we found the water indicator light teetering on ‘Empty,’ was the day we headed for home (after enjoying a farewell hike, of course) with my nature journal full of sketches and memories for a lifetime!

Do you have an especially special place where you can spend time in nature? Please share your discovery and what makes it so awesome!

As always, thanks for stopping by!

*Geology 101

From the overlooks throughout the Monument, we could see stacks and stacks of basalt and ash lining the narrow canyon walls of the Rio Grande Gorge. It’s hard to imagine the volume of material deposited during two very active periods of volcanic activity that occurred 5 and 3 million years ago. Soon after these events, water moving through the major drainage in the area (today’s Red River) began eroding pathways into these deposits as it flowed downstream into the 10-16 million year old rift valley. Geologists refer to the ancient Red River drainage as the ‘original Rio Grande’ because the still-closed San Luis Basin to the north (in south central Colorado) would not overflow for a few million years. Then 400,000 years ago, coinciding with a change in climate resulting in an overabundance of snow and rain, the San Luis Basin filled and spilled. As water does so well, this new and powerful river, today’s Rio Grande, moved ‘downhill’ towards the ‘original Rio Grande’, cutting through everything in its path (including the ancient volcanic deposits). When it converged with the ‘original Rio Grande,’ the erosive force of both rivers became enough to eventually carve out an 800-foot deep gorge in the Rift.

Confluence of the Rio Grande and Red River

Fading Flowers Reveal Leafy Greens ….. Cedro Creek

July 14, 2023

Learning the deciduous Trees and Shrubs shading Cedro Creek Nature Trail ….. Grab n Go Nature Journaling

The timing and location of our daily hikes are being influenced by the extreme summer temperatures we’re experiencing throughout central New Mexico, and throughout the desert southwest. Whew! Even at 7300-8300’ elevation, 95-100F has become the norm, with no relief (or moisture) in sight. I don’t even want to think about Albuquerque temperatures; over 100F before noon, and soaring.

Because hiking in the Albuquerque foothills, at any time of the day, is out of the question, we’ve begun revisiting some our favorite mountain trails. But even tho these areas are higher in elevation, and shadier, it’s still plenty hot. That means if we set out between 7-8am, we can still manage a few miles before our water, like all the creeks, runs dry.

A few mornings ago, we decided to hike Cedro Creek Nature Trail, a rocky but easy dirt path under the shade of big cottonwoods. Expecting to find some water in the creek (there was none), I was hoping to find some interesting wildflowers (which had all withered and dried). The further along the trail we hiked, my focus quickly changed from wildflowers to other natural elements.

Geology is always interesting in these mountain drainages, and Cedro Creek is no exception. The overlying shales and limestones have long ago eroded to reveal large granite boulders that showed signs of erosion from long ago flowing water. That’s a nice thought!

And then there were so many varieties of deciduous trees and shrubs; their leafy greens not only provided relief from the heat, but became a visual treat as we explored the riparian areas alongside the dry creek bed.

As my curiosity about the diversity of tree and shrub species began to grow, so did the air temperature. Not wanting to become reduced to a sweaty puddle in the middle of the trail, and sensing a swarm of drooling, biting gnats and flies giving me a hungry eye, I resorted to collecting leaf and branch samples using a Grab n Go technique. By the time we got back to the car, I had 3 large ziplocks stuffed with over a dozen species of tree and shrub leaves and some fruits.

Back at home, in the comfort of my cool studio, I began my detailed study of these leaves (and the few bugs that managed to hitch a ride). Three days and several gallons of iced tea later, I had completed the 5 journal pages in this post.

That iced tea was deliciously cool, but not as cool as learning what’s growing overhead along Cedro Creek!

Until next time ……. be curious

A Festive Anniversary Week in the Sonoran Desert. Part 6: Mt. Lemmon – Tucson’s Majestic Backdrop and a Cool Summer Retreat

(December 11-17, 2022)

December 16, 2022

We totally get it! Why Mt. Lemmon is nicknamed “Tucson’s Great Escape.” Why the scenic highway is ”Cool!” From the Lower Sonoran Desert and the Tucson Valley (2,200 feet) to the upper reaches of a Spruce-Fir Forest (topping out at about 9,200 feet), the popular Scenic Highway up Mt. Lemmon offers breathtaking views, plants to discover, geology to learn, recreation opportunities, and temperatures often 30 degrees F lower than the desert below. That means a lot, especially when Tucson’s summer temps are in the triple digits!

But on the day of our driving adventure we found snow ….. on the highway, at scenic overlooks, and on walking trails. The storm hit 4 days earlier forcing closure of much of the highway. But on this day, most of the roads were clear and so was the sky.

So come along and learn what there’s to see along the Mt. Lemmon Scenic Highway.

The Road to Master Naturalist: The Middle Rio Grande Bosque Tour and Lessons Shared by a Nature Journaler

“From the spillway below Cochiti Dam to the headwaters of Elephant Butte Reservoir, the Middle Rio Grande Bosque is more than a cottonwood woodland or forest. It is a whole riparian (or riverside) ecosystem…..”

This is how “A Field Guide to the Plants and Animals of the Middle Rio Grande Bosque”¹ begins, and on June 26th, the Master Naturalists’ trainees spent quality time touring and learning about the nature of this very special area.

The Road to Master Naturalist: A Field Trip … Tijeras Creek Remediation Project

Yay! After waiting out Covid for 2 years, Bernalillo County (Albuquerque) is once again holding classes for Master Naturalist certification! Both Roy and I applied and were accepted into the program along with 20 other students of all ages and backgrounds.

Many of the classes are being held via Zoom meetings. But thanks to scheduled field trips we are getting to know each other while learning some cool stuff, including a visit to The Tijeras Creek Remediation Project, in our home town. We never realized!