Sandia Cave Trail

There is a very cool trail in the Sandia Mountains, off a very rough dirt road that actually crosses over the mountains into the town of Placitas, just north of Albuquerque.  We walked the trail to check out the cave – altho we’ve lived here over 5 years, we had never visited the cave.  It was a very nice walk in the autumn woods….. 

 

Altho the trees had passed their prime in terms of color, there was still some green left in some leaves, mixed in among the leaves that had already lost their color.  I love the contrast between the fairly vivid green and the tired brown in the leaves.  Let’s not forget the touches of yellow, too!

 

As we approached the main cave, we came across this other cave.  I found it amazing that the ancient people who used to live in the caves had to make this climb each time they returned home from hunting for food or from searching for water.

 

And, here’s the entrance to the Sandia Man Cave.  Yes, that’s what it’s called, and since this cave had evidence that it was inhabited back to prehistoric times, I do believe this may have been the very first “man cave”!  Unfortunately, you can see the graffiti left by some young folks – definitely not prehistoric.

 

Using a flashlight, we could walk in only a few yards.  Here’s Jeff looking over a wall that was put up.  It was possible to climb over the wall and continue for a little bit.  It’s possible to go into it about 100 yards.  However, it gets smaller and smaller the farther in you go.  The cave actually continues beyond the 100 yards, but not so a human can fit.  It’s unknown exactly how far into the mountain the cave goes.

 

Here’s Jeff coming down the spiral staircase we had to climb to get into the cave – we’re definitely not as tough as our prehistoric ancestors!

 

Walking back along the trail, I noticed this forest wall.  I liked the texture contrast between the rocks, leaves and tree bark.

 

Isn’t this a lovely autumn portrait of the leaves along the trail?  I love the green, gold and brown, and the texture of the branches and also the veins of the leaves.

 

This carpet of leaves wasn’t deep enough to jump into, but it sure did remind me of the piles of leaves that kids used to jump into before they were set on fire.  Ahhh…that was a smell of autumn that I loved – even if it wasn’t good for the environment…..

 

And, we ended our walk with this image of some golden leaves still hanging on! 

Enjoy!

Thoughts About Life

The past few days have been full of frustrations, irritations and one  huge disappointment, so we truly needed a respite from life, at least for a short time!  We went for a drive into the Sandia Mountains close to home and then took a walk along the Sandia Cave Trail. It’s getting to the end of the beautiful fall color season, but there was still quite a bit of beauty to be seen.  With everything that’s been going on, I was also in the mood for some positive inspiration, so I found some lovely quotes to accompany the images……

 

Isn’t this the truth?  How many times have you found yourself just doing what comes naturally, and suddenly you find you’ve accomplished more than you ever thought you could?

 

I love this image, and the sentiment I’ve chosen to pair it with.  How many people wait for…..you can fill in the blank.  And, somehow they never seem to end up doing what they originally planned to do.  It’s fine to observe those folks, but don’t imitate them!

 

I love this quote!  It’s a valuable thought to keep in mind when things seem to be happening too slowly.  It’s just life, moving at its own pace.  Just relax and go with the flow.

 

I’ve known people in my life who were very proud of the fact that they didn’t change and always did things the same way they’ve always done it.  Consistency is good; however, to never change?

 

When we were in the cave, I tried to take a photo of the inside without my flash.  After I pressed the shutter to open it (to take the image), I realized that the shutter would never close until it got some light.  I just turned around and sort of waved my camera until enough light penetrated and the shutter closed.  I wondered what type of image would result, and this very cool abstract occurred.  The quote makes sense to me with this image.  Don’t be afraid to do something different – it’s a part of life!

Enjoy!