Yesterday we headed up to Abiquiu for the Pedernal Arts Tour, where various artists from the Abiquiu area gathered in the town of Coyote, NM to show their wares. One bonus of the day was checking out an area we'd never seen. Beyond Abiquiu, instead of heading for our usual haunt at Ghost Ranch, we turned left at the entrance to Abiquiu Lake, which was formed by damming the Chama River.
We'd seen the lake from the main road, but the views here were really spectacular. Guess that's what you get when the Army Corps of Engineers dams up another beautiful canyon in the West.
Further down the road, we started to see lush green pastures at the foot of the red cliffs.
As we approached Youngsville, NM, we got an entirely different view of Cerro Pedernal. From Ghost Ranch, Pedernal is an imposing flat topped mesa.
However, its peak is actually long and narrow, as we can now attest.
Our visit to Coyote was fun, though brief. There were about ten artists in tents on a hill, as well as a gallery by the side of the road. We bought a few small things, then headed back the way we came. But not before a very interesting bathroom stop. We stopped at the Coyote Creek Store, where a sign pointed us to the laundromat for restrooms. The restrooms were fine, but the laundromat provided us with the best photo op of our trip so far. Now that's what I call multi-tasking!
On our way back to Santa Fe, we got a good look at the smoke plume from the Pacheco Canyon fire, which was taking advantage of the high temps and low humidity.
Turns out that was nothing compared to what we saw today. We slept in a bit, then got to work - Ree gathering the gifts we've bought as well as washing and ironing, me with coaching work, bills and assorted computer work. Around 3:00 I walked to the end of our Plaza to take a look at the fire. I immediately noticed smoke from the horizon to nearly overhead, and thought the wind must have shifted, bringing smoke our way.
Then I looked to the left and saw a monstrous smoke plume from a brand new fire, this one near Jemez Falls, south of Bandelier National Monument.
I decided to drive out a bit to get a better look. As soon as I rounded the corner on the main road of Park Plazas, I got a good look at how extensive the smoke was.
As I drove along, the extent of this fire became apparent.
In the opposite direction, the smoke was settling into the Espanola Valley. Ironically, this new fire could help suppress the Pacheco Canyon fire, as the sun was completely obliterated, keeping temperatures down and humidity up.
Toward sunset, the plume took on an otherwordly look as it glowed eerily.
This wildfire, dubbed the Las Conchas fire, started around 1:00 this afternoon and just exploded. The Pacheco Canyon fire grew to 500 acres in the first day; Las Conchas had covered 3500 acres within 7 hours. The fire is about 12 miles from Los Alamos, and is heading for Bandelier National Monument. Interestingly enough, the National Park Service closed most of Bandelier last Friday due to extreme fire danger, leaving only the Visitor Center, main trail and Tsankawi area open. This afternoon, Bandelier was evacuated. They're already telling folks in Los Alamos to prepare for a possible evacuation, and suggesting that people with breathing difficulty evacuate now due to expected heavy smoke. I drove through light ash showers on my way home. We're in no danger here, though after dark we could see flames on the ridgetops. More photos tomorrow.
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