Volcano road

Heading northward along 87 we made it into New Mexico, going through part of the Kiowa Grasslands. The grasslands themselves were completely different from what we'd driven through so far, with less scrub and a gentle blend of grama and other grasses into reds and golds. As the grasslands rose into higher elevations of northeastern New Mexico we began to see pronghorn along some of the rocky areas alongside the road.

In northeastern New Mexico the highway is built upon old lava flows that emerged relatively recently in geological time (80,00+ years ago). It is difficult to imagine as you are driving the fiery volcanic valley, and in the distance the eruptions of the volcanoes. Although many of the volcanoes themselves were only cinder cones, with only a single eruptive event in their history, they have certainly left their mark on the landscape. We traveled to Capulin Volcano National Monument to see one up close. There's a winding road around the volcano itself, ending at a parking lot at the top and beautiful 360 degree views of the grasslands. Unlike Arenal in Costa Rica, you can walk up to the edge of this now-extinct volcano and even hike down into the crater. We weren't lucky enough to have a photo like the one above (from the national monument website), although we did have spectacular views from the top of the volcanic valley and the other cinder cones surrounding Capulin.

Bird-wise this has been a great trip. Through the panhandle we encountered large numbers of
Red-tailed Hawks and American Kestrels perched or actively foraging along roadsides. Today it was easy to see Meadowlarks on fence posts, and Northern Harriers working the fields alongside the roads. At Capulin though the weather and wind were bitingly cold I did manage a few sparrows (Chipping and Savannah) as well as a Western Scrub Jay squawking alongside a Common Raven.

We spend the night in Raton, NM, where Smith nearly decided he wanted to live permanently (after getting loose and running away from the car while we were moving stuff into the room for the night--thankfully Rich and I chased him down with a bag of dog treats). We're preparing for possibly 1-3 inches of snow tonight, and an 80% chance of snow tomorrow. Although the drive might be a little treacherous, we'll certainly have a white Christmas!