In early June, my wife and I made an RV trip through the great plains of the American Southwest to the historic area of Santa Fe, New Mexico. I captured a wide variety of images along the way,  a few of which are featured in this post.

In the photo above, a bison wandering through a patchwork of wildflowers evokes the quiet resilience of native wildlife, a reminder that these animals once shaped the rhythm of the prairie.  I captured this image at Caprock Canyons State Park in West Texas, where the wildflowers were in full bloom and the bison hanging out in more photogenic locations than in my visit there last year. The park hosts the Texas State Bison Herd, descendents of the bison saved by legendary rancher Charles Goodnight.

Nearby, a vacant building, perhaps once a schoolhouse, stands on the high plains, the skeletal trees around it echoing a story of abandonment and harsh seasons. Those who have traveled from Texas to Colorado along US 287 may recognize this roadside site just outside of Memphis, Texas.

Entering New Mexico along the highway, we stopped at Capulin Volcano National Monument, where the road to the rim of the extinct volcano provided this vista of a rainy cold front moving into the foothills o the eastern plains. 

After an overnight stay in Raton,  we continued south toward Santa Fe with a stop at Fort Union National Monument.  In the photo below, adobe walls and wagon remnants speak to a time when commerce and conflict met on the high plains. Fort Union was a supply hub for all of the other southwestern forts, until eventuallly closing after railroads connected tthe area. 

Several nights in Santa Fe gave us the opportunity to enjoy the arts, culture, and food of Santa Fe, and we enjoyed perfect weather with temperatures in the mid to high 70s during out stay. A morning visit to Bandelier National Monument provided this image of a cliff dwelling built directly into the canyon wall, standing firm among sage and shadow, holding stories that stretch back centuries.

An enormous volcanic eruption created the 14 mile wide Valle Grande  pictured here at Valles Caldera National Preserve.  Jara Creek runs through the center of the valley in this panorama photo, with the ring of mountains and cloudy New Mexico skies forming the backdrop. 

Thanks for stopping by to take a look at this post! Follow me on Instagram or Vero, where  I post a new photo most weekdays featuring my current photographic activities. 

Scott