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| Acequia |
Took back roads 315 and 144 over the Jemez Mountains to connect with highway 4. I saw two "cowboys" with their dogs moving their cows to new pasture. Quite a number of cows roam the area restrained by fences and cattle guards. Then took 286 south that was supposed to lead to the Cochiti Mesa but lead to three dead ends. I saw a deer; other than that barely a person. I could see the destruction of the Los Conchas Fire of 2011, which burned more than 150,000 acres. I learned about this on my return from a driver, who has the only home I saw in that remote area. He said the side of his house had been burned and had to be replaced and that the fire supposedly started when a dead aspen fell on a powerline, generating a spark. Next, I took 289 south through the Dome Wilderness Area also burned by the wildfire. This was a good road for awhile; but then it got really rugged before connecting to highway 16 and finally Interstate 25. Saw a deer and some turkey vultures in the grass by the side of the road. The Dome Wilderness is made up of rounded, pine-forested summits, deep canyons, and comparatively flat mesas. Two prominent summits are found in the wilderness, Boundary Peak, which with St. Peters Dome is part of the small San Miguel mountain chain, and Cerro Picacho (Hill Peak). The other major topographic feature of the Dome Wilderness is Sanchez canyon, created by erosion of the soft volcanic tuff (compressed volcanic ashes) that makes up the Pajarito Plateau. This tuff typically weathers into vertical cliffs. I saw features suggestive of this description but could not identify positively what they were.
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| Birch Trees at Higher Altitude |
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| Cowboys Moving Cattle |
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| With Dogs |
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| Unusual Outcropping |
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| Burst of Yellow |
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| Wildfire Devastation Widespread |
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| Cerro Pedernal at Start of Trip |
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