Bisti Badlands and De-Na-Zin Wilderness...

I'll bet you never knew there were such places! South of Farmington, New Mexico, they are oases of weird in an otherwise dull landscape.

I went to De-Na-Zin first. No road access. A gate to squeeze through, a dirt path, and 'yer on yer own.'

Being a stubborn wretch, I hiked in about three miles and realized I was nowhere near the good part. It would be a couple of more miles, and the heat was building.

Not wanting to end up face down in the dirt, I retreated with only a few glimpses of this extensive park:

 

There were scattered formations along the way, some of which were graceful and elegant:

 

 

While others only a mother could love...

 

 

So I took off to the nearby Bisti Badlands. Better luck there, as part of it is unfenced (I hate barbed wire on my skin), and a road runs through it.

 

Bisti has distinctive black, red and white sections. The most interestingly formed structures were in the white section:

 

 

The army of white gargoyles turn into distinctive groupings as we approach:

 

 

Wandering among the formations is fun. They remind me of Goblin Valley in Utah

http://www.divexprt.com/HDRphotography/Utah.html#Goblin and Fantasy Canyon up near Dinosaur National Park:  http://www.divexprt.com/HDRphotography/FantasyCanyon/FantasyCanyon.html

 

Nature has these fits of artistic fervor, lapsing into unhinged scupture...

 

 

She should keep her day job.

 

Oh, wait...

 

 

We even discover Captain Nemo's  Nautilus!

 

 

and a nice store with coffee tables:

 

 

 

OK. I'll stop--but not before showing you the red hills:

 

 

Going back in the early morning to wrap up in the better light. Have to get done, the radio says the monsoon is almost here!

 

The long drive home will take up much of Monday.

 

The end approacheth...