We did a motorcycle ride to the wilderness of Ponderosa and Jemez in search for a tower. It was a fun ride and one of the most challanging so far. I struggled at the beginning but was able to settle in as time went by. We were deep in the forest and I had a good time exploring the back woods of Jemez.

In the distance you can see Cochiti lake. In the foreground you can also see part of the road we were on.

My DR650 can be a handful at times. There was a time when I took a fall when I went into a pit at a faster pace I should be at, and fell hard (I didn’t even had time to put my hands down). But the good thing was I did not get hurt and my bike did not get damaged.

Here is a video of part 2 of the leg, I saw the sign.

This shot was taken on the I-25 bridge on the Nogal Canyon, just north of Elephant Butte. We rode down the canyon to get close to the bridge from highway 1, the frontage road from I-25. It was cloudy and looked like it might rain. This shot was hand held using 3 shots to convert to HDR.

Up further north, almost approaching Route 66 casino, of Laguna Pueblo, I was able to get a better look at Rio Puerco. I was totally amazed! It could not be? Is this true?

It did indeed have water, but in the desert this water does not last long. It gets soaked in the dry sand. Then suddenly I realized that I should had followed the Rio Puerco south instead, but it was too late, it was time for me to track back. It is too hot, my lips are dry and the water on my camelback is running low.

Oh well! But you can see more pictures on the slideshow and even a video to boot.

 This shot was handheld with three different exposures and merged for the HDR look.

This pictures was taken while doing a ride to the Pajarito Mesa on my motorcycle. I was able to reach the Rio Puerco but it was all dried up. If you look closely you can see fresh shotgun shells on the ground and the camera mounted on the shield of the bike for video. The clouds were moving quickly, as if they were responding to the desolate dry terrain. My slideshow of Pajarito.

The shot was handheld, transformed as HDR.

This was my third trip to the Rio Rancho Badlands. This time I lead a group of Flickr photographers to the area. I got them lost trying to find the dirt road, but we found it late in the day. We got some god light and the clouds were perfect.

I did get a flat on our way out and in the dark, but it was a good day for photos.

@3x dif exp, HDR

I was asked to photograph the horse of a good friend Patty Flannagan. A black beauty! She wanted a shot of the horse running, but inside the stables the horse could not get good speed for me to get a good action shot. I got real close so I could pan the background and blur it, to give it the look of speed. I thought it came out “just” alright, but Patti was very happy with the results, and at the end that is what matters.

I once wanted to own horses, but now days, I just get comfort watching the horses run.

Shot was handheld.
Slideshow.

My 2004 white Goldwing. This bike has taken me to many far away places and back safely. But recently I have been neglecting this bike too much but I am going to try to ride it a little more often. I have many fond memories of many long distance rides and would like to add more miles of memories. Some day in the near future I would like to do a cross country ride across the US and maybe one to Alaska.

This shot was taken on a ride to Madrid on the Turquoise Trail.
Three exposures blended for HDR.

During our July family get-together, we made a trip to Bandelier. We climbed the ladders to the Alcove House. Formerly known as Ceremonial Cave, this alcove is located 140 feet above the floor of Frijoles Canyon. The elevated site is now reached by 4 wooden ladders and a number of stone stairs.

Alfredo was afraid to climbs the stairs and we pushed him to do it. On this shot you can see him completing one of the ladders and Perico behind him providing some encouragement. I took the shot while waiting for them on a rest area half way up.

The one million-year-old Valles Caldera (15-mi diameter) is the centerpiece of the Jemez Volcanic Field in North Central New Mexico. The caldera was formed when the volcanic pile collapsed in response to a huge eruption of ash from the magma chamber.

I took this picture during our family reunion in July, 2008. We saw a pack of coyotes trying to kill a lone deer that had been seperated from a herd. This is a place I want to spend more time photographinng, especially in the winter.

This shot was taken from the rest area on state road 4 and I used different three shot to merge into an HDR.

I participated on a ride with the Advent Rider Group through the beautiful Jemez wilderness. We started in Cochiti and made our way through the dense forrest and eventually coming out somewhere in the Espanola valley. It was a long ride that took all day  to complete.

I will remember this ride because this is where I broke a rib during a hard fall. But after healing in less than one month I was doing another ride not far from there.