Not far from my new home is a collapsed volcanic crater named Valles Caldera. Comprised of grasslands, peaks, rivers and hot springs, the landscape is striking.
The Valles Caldera from NM Road 4
Local fauna partake in the short grass of the Valles Caldera.
Part of an elk skull hangs from a barbwire fence near the visitor center.
Cerro La Jara, a lava dome, rises 250 feet from the caldera floor.
A tree on the edge of Cerro La Jarra.
A marker along the Cerro La Jara trail.
New Mexico Cinquefoil.
Western Blue Flag irises.
Cattle graze in the Valles Caldera.
Looking northwest over a pond in the Valles Caldera.
The east fork of the Jemez River in the Valles Caldera.
Walking back from the pond. The Valles Caldera Visitor Center can be seen just right of center.
Horses in a meadow near Jemez Springs, NM.
Battleship Rock, Jemez Springs.
by Salvador Zapien