November 9, 2025
by David Ryan
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Wandering through a Crane-Filled Wonderland

Andy Williams may have sung that Christmas is the Hap-Hap-Happiest Time of the Year. But for my money, the Hap-Hap-Happiest Time of the Year is when summer releases its grip of intense heat to let us get out and explore our wonderful desert landscapes;

The Bisit-DeNaZin Wilderness in New Mexico

And when the leaves start turning;

Turning Cottonwoods near the Rio Grande

And best yet, when the Sandhill Cranes return!

Cranes along the Rio Grande

One of our best places to see cranes in Albuquerque is in an unkempt section of the Bosque on the east side of the Rio Grande that is about a half-mile or mile to the south of the Hispanic Cultural Center. For those of you who do not live in New Mexico, the Bosque is a cottonwood forest that stretches along the Rio Grande from well north of Albuquerque to more than 100 miles to the south. It is believed to be the longest cottonwood forest in the world.

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September 29, 2025
by David Ryan
4 Comments

Checking out Pawhuska’s Swinging Bridge and Finding so much More while there!

A few years ago I read a little blurb somewhere on the Internet about a pedestrian suspension bridge in Pawhuska, Oklahoma. Interested in all things on foot, I put it in the back of my mind as something to check out. And finally, a couple of weeks ago, while on a road-trip heading east with my dogs, we got off of Interstate 40 and took U.S. Highway 60 to northeastern Oklahoma to check out the bridge.

If you have read the book or have seen the movie Killers of the Flower Moon, you are already familiar with Pawhuska. Pawhuska is the capitol of the Osage Nation in Oklahoma and is where several members of the Osage Nation were murdered for their “oil money” during the oil boom of the 1920s. Although the movie can be very disturbing, it is well worth watching.

Very early on a quiet Sunday morning we pulled into Pawhuska and parked in front of the town’s City Hall right on U.S. 60.

Pawhuska City Hall

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August 11, 2025
by David Ryan
7 Comments

Hiking to Sulphur Springs in Valles Caldera

Valles Caldera National Preserve is one of the most amazing places on earth and is worth a drive across the country to check out. It is a collapsed super-volcano that exploded around 1.2 million years ago and is featured in Wandering in the Clear Light of New Mexico, 60 Hikes within 60 Miles: Albuquerque, and in this recent brief article in the Albuquerque Journal. One look at it will take your breath away.

Valle Grande at Valles Caldera

Because of the books and article, I have been to the Preserve many times and have explored much of its backcountry. But there was one remote corner on the western edge of the Preserve that I had not explored – Sulphur Springs. Up until 2020, Sulphur Springs was part of a small privately-owned 40-acre in-holding.

When I last stopped by the Caldera visitor center a few weeks ago, I noticed that the Park Service has recently established a trailhead, at the end of an old Forest Service road to provide easy access to Sulphur Springs. Since Sulphur Springs is in the Preserve’s backcountry and off-limits to dogs, I had to wait until I got back to the area without my dogs.

I finally got back last week to do a quick reconnaissance excursion and didn’t even think to bring my camera. Fortunately, I did have my phone to take some pictures because what I ran into was amazing. Continue Reading →