After coming out of Salt River Canyon, the country flattens out near Springerville, AZ and the run into NM is pretty bland…….until you get to the tiny, dusty, broken down old redneck town of Quemado, NM, which has one of the greatest old time General Stores I’ve seen in many a year. Pics didn’t do it justice - you hadta go inside and see the cluttered shelves and smell the fragrance of the old woodstove, and the coffee the locals were drinking as they warmed up by it. From there you turn north toward Grants, NM, and the huge ancient lava flows at El Malpais (El Mahl-pah-EEs) Nat. Mon. I think that means “bad lands,” or “bad ground,” or some such. It’s certainly true, as the beginning of the trail at Lava Falls shows, complete with cairn markers for the trail………………

I called them “ancient,” tho’ I should qualify that by saying that the most recent flows were only 3,000 or 4,000 years ago. As the lava flowed, gases formed huge blisters, and some collapsed later………

I’m told that in some areas you can hear the hollow spots “ring” under your boots like a big bell, but my vibram soles didn’t work for that. There’s a lot of growth on this lava, which seems to prove the idea that lava flows are very fertile, after erosion has helped make rootholds possible. I was surprised to see 2 brilliant flashes of blue, and got close enuf to see these 2 Pinion Jays……….

They were very shy, however, and I couldn’t get any closer. There’s almost a forest on these flows now, and this tiny Juniper, smaller than the palm of my hand was struggling to make a start……..

In many areas, lichens have gained a hold on the rock, and look almost like an alien growth, or bacteria, or somesuch. They do serve the purpose of beginning to break down the lava into earth that the other plants can use for a toehold………..

Other plants have developed defenses to match the harsh lava they’ve homesteaded……….

Farther on, the ground gets rougher, harsher, and steeper. Types of lava are given Hawaiian names, such as the ropelike strands of pahoehoe, and the knobs of a’a. I saw lots of both, believe me……….

The many cracks and splits go clear out of sight in some areas, and great caution is called for. At this time of year, there are very few visitors, and an icy wind screamed across this desolation. I was prepared, but still had frozen ears when I got back to the truck. Here’s a huge crack that could easily swallow a person……….

Reminds me of the crevasses in glaciers, tho’ these were formed in fire. In many places you can clearly see how the cooling lava began to crystallize into the many sided shapes as at Devil’s Postpile. ( www.webpictures.homestead.com/devil.html ) This cooled too fast for that, tho’, but you can still see how the cooling rock split along jagged lines that show the beginning of symmetry and can be matched at an angle……….

A close look at the rock shows a texture much like the clinkers I dug out of our old coal furnace when I was a kid, those many years ago. It looks like gases in the molten lava were fizzing like soda pop as the stuff solidified, and these rocks used in a cairn really show the result in the “bubbles” of lava……….

One great thing about this is the traction. The edges of the lava bubbles are razor sharp, and you can walk on almost anything without any fear of slipping. The downside is that after running around the hillsides taking pictures and jumping across crevasses, etc., my boots were already showing the wear…….

Now, back to a more civilized landscape. Part way along the lava flow, and only about 10 miles south of Grant’s NM, on Hwy 40, are sandstone cliffs that channeled the lava. In one such area is the great “La Ventana,” or “The Window,” one of many “La Ventanas” thru this whole country……..

From the parking lot, it’s only a couple 100 yards to a viewpoint almost under the arch. It was necessary to - uh - “bypass” the fence at the bottom for this next shot, but so worth it. Fracture patterns in the arch tell me that it won’t last much longer, geologically speaking…………

This arch is about 75 ft high. Then, up onto the bluffs I visited in my 2002 trip here……….

The Malpais is less than 10 miles wide, but about 40 or 50 miles long. Next time, I’ll go down the other side to the cone that spewed this lava out, and visit the ice caves on its’ flanks. When I was here in ‘02, about 4 or 5 weeks earlier in the season, there were pools on top of the bluffs from recent rainfalls that were swarming with big tadpoles. I thought the frogs or toads responsible probably laid their eggs in the mud in the bottom of the pools, to hatch at the next rains like in the National Geographic African documentaries. Nope, the pools were bone dry, and no mud or dirt at all - just solid rock…………

A little farther on, in an alcove more protected from the ceaseless wind, I finally found a pool of water - almost dried up……..

Anything in it ?? Dare I hope ?? Yup, here ‘e is………….

About as big as the tip of my little finger, this one’s well along, with hind legs forming, but it’s November now, and this is at over 7200 ft elevation, less than 20 miles from the Great Divide, where the water on the west side flows to the Pacific Ocean, and that on the east to the Mississippi River system. They’ll probably be OK for water, and there appears to be plenty of algae for them to eat, but can they avoid the many crows that inhabit the area ?? Or will they mature and hibernate somewhere before being frozen by the on-coming winter ?? I mis-doubt I’ll have the chance to go and see, since my new job has me running like crazy, and this will prob’ly continue for the fore-see-able future. Then again, it’s only about 150 miles from Santa Fe - an easy weekend run for the Lar in the mighty Diesel Dodge. Why does such nasty, desolate country attract me so much ?? No idea. Maybe part of becoming a Desert Rat, eh ?? But then again, I still have my boat and run the heck out of it, too, so where does that leave me ??

I hope you don’t mind such a long story, but it was irresistable. Hope you enjoyed it, and there’ll be more coming as I explore my new home. There’s a tremendous amount to see and do here, in this rugged country that’s full of ancient Anasazi Indian ruins, and towns with buildings and streets dating from the 1600’s - such as the street where my hotel is located, in Old Town Santa Fe. What Fun ! ! ! Read more »

Posted: October 6th, 2007 under 06-11-11 El Malpais, 08 New Mexico.
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