While my parents were in town (which at this point was several weeks ago) we went to the Valles Caldera. I had never been before but I'd heard it was a beautiful place. The caldera is what was left when the volcano erupted millions of years ago. Throughout time, it has been a mountain, a lake, and now an empty basin where only grass can grow. The day that we went it happened to be overcast, which is unusual for Santa Fe, but that certainly did not detract from the beauty of the place:
I couldn't help but take panoramic photos, since part of the majesty of the place came from being able to spin in a full circle without seeing any signs of life. When the caldera was a lake, minerals settled in the soil so that now trees cannot grow - only this tall brown grass.
The bump of land on the left of my mom is actually what used to be an island in the lake.
Here's a closeup of the island - you can see the yellow glow of the aspens which had just started to turn yellow.
I couldn't get over how the weather really made the place look ominous. There was such contrast - the yellow grass, the dark green mountains and the mottled gray sky.
I would love to see this place when the weather is clear, but I think we experienced the Caldera in the height of its beauty.
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