March 17…. See Rock City

Nah, not that Rock City. This was City of Rocks State Park outside Hurley NM. It’s a cluster of rock formations dating back about 35 million years, to when a huge volcanic eruption blasted the area, on the order of 300 times the Mt. St. Helens eruption back in the 80’s. Volcanic ash and pumice and tuff were blown all over the area, as far as 50 miles away, and has been eroding ever since.

We started out walking on a trail, but quickly branched off and just wandered through the site, in and out of caves and pits and cracks in the rocks, finding a little oasis here and there, different kinds of trees poking out of cracks. Climbing up until the way suddenly ended at a sheer wall, then back tracking. It’s not a huge area, but the way the paths wind in and out, you could walk for hours and never repeat your steps. Not an all day thing, but certainly good for a few hours. Worth a visit if you’re ever nearby, but I wouldn’t recommend it in the heat of summer. It was only in the 70’s today and it got warm back there surrounded by all those rocks. 🙂