There are numerous rock formations we found while exploring the Bisti Badlands that could be named the ‘Diving Boards’. Here are a few photographed at sunrise.
For the next five days, my good photographer friend Shane and I would be exploring the Bisti Badlands together. Shane’s Photography Website Because I had been shown around the area during the prior six day photo workshop, I was supposed to now be the guide. I had planned on this so I was prepared. I downloaded the Gaia GPS app on my iPhone. This would allow me to drop electronic bread crumbs along the trail to get us back to some of the sites I had visited previously.
Harold the Guide
As we hiked on our first evening outing we came across a petrified seal. It was additional evidence we were trodding along at the bottom of an ancient sea bed.
Gaia GPS is not a difficult app to use when hiking. I had practiced using it. I was ready. However, when the Muench photo workshop guided me into the spot that Shane and I were now trying to find, I forgot about the all important STEP ONE. That step is to actually bring the iPhone along on the initial trip so it could do the tracking. This app did me no good as I left my phone back at the hotel.
So on my first night of guiding Shane to the desired site, I was of little use. My next bad decision was for us to separate around an outcropping, thinking we would shortly rejoin. We did not. We got what seemed to be miles apart. It is easy to become disoriented with not a single familiar landmark to help as a guide. Bottom line is I took quite a tumble down a skree filled slope. Tumbling over and over and came to rest at the bottom of a hill with my camera pack still on my back and still grasping my tripod.
Kids!! Do not try this dangerous reenactment at home.
At the bottom of the hill I just laid there for a time, stunned, trying to see what shape I was in. I believe I either severely bruised or broke a rib. I would be in a lot of pain, not just for the next week, but for the next 60 days. Sneezing and laughing were the worst. Obviously, Shane and I eventually would meet up. We would be late to arrive at the desired spot, The Pedestal, but our route was terrible, not at all the nice path the workshop had led me on. Our return route in the dark would be no better.
While my knee was not a major injury, to get in and out of a tent, I had to crawl on hands and knees. The rest of the week I would not be in good shape… We never did get any sort of ooze on the wound or wash it off.
Yes, I’m getting older, but crawling on my bloody knees, bruised ribs and hurt back and stickers on the ground did not help…
The Pedestal
This is the area we had been searching for. There are certainly plenty of photographically interesting rock formations, but this is one the workshop visited.
I likely was a bit too enamored with the cracked rock acting as a leading line.
Shane gets down low for a better angle. In my condition, I was not able to do anything like this. I think he may have been taunting me. Kids these days.
Last evening light on the Pedestal .
CLICK on any photos for a larger view…
In Search of the Diving Board
The sun was shining on this diving board structure three minutes earlier. But I was messing around with some other photo scene and missed the good light. I like that the cloud somewhat mimics the form of the Diving Board.
So now you know we found this crazy structure which was not a given. There are numerous blogs describing the good time the hikers had, but ” …too bad we never found the diving board…” There is no path to follow after the first 100 yards. One has the option to drop down into the arroyo early in the hike or stay higher on the hills. We chose the latter.
Something a photo often cannot capture is the howling wind. The wind was so strong here we could really lean into it without falling over. It was blowing so hard neither of us took out our big-boy cameras at this view, only our phone cameras. With such severe wind it was surprising we saw no dust blowing anywhere, not even the horizon. The ground was an odd textured dried clay and was apparently impervious to the wind.
How can such a desolate landscape be so pretty…. at least it was to us at the moment. But we had to carry on to search for our intended target. The long shadows are proof we were getting a late start.
You can hike with GPS coordinates provided by some blogger on the internet, but how can you be sure where you are headed? They could be no more skilled than me, which could be a real problem. We were not at all sure we would find this place.
This is not particularly interesting scene. It is included more to show the texture of the rocks I slid or fell down. The jagged red rocks in the foreground are n what I think I slipped and rolled down. Yes, this fall took place months ago, but I’m still playing the sympathy card.
From a geologic perspective, it is somewhat interesting that two hillsides could be adjacent to one another but yet have totally different compositions.
With a name like the “Diving Board” it is surprising this unique rock formation is still standing. Fortunately it is likely too difficult of a hike for little kids who would get hoisted to the rock slab for family photos…
Based on what I researched for my first Bisti Badlands blog, a long slab like the diving board is a part of the 70,000,000 year old sea bed. Then 25,000,000 years ago, tectonics on the Colorado Plateau pushed the area up. The obvious substantial erosion is the results of the melting ice from the last Ice Age, 11,000 years ago. I don’t think there has been much rain since…
We continued to take photos and explore the area till long after sunset. I’m so happy to have made it to this seldom visited site exploring the Bisti Badlands. We saw no other visitors nor any other cars where we camped.
Despite having just paid a lot of money for a workshop that tried to teach me how to take photographs of the night sky using many exposures, this is a simple one click photograph.
One of many spiders seen on the way back to camp.
The walk back was not easy. We would be on one side of a big arroyo then think we needed to be on the other side. Of course crossing was no issue for the much younger and more fit Shane, but it was arduous and painful for me. Along the route, we would see these small eyes glowing bright red 15 feet ahead. We eventually saw they were spiders. I’m not sure what they would eat, as we seldom ever saw an insect.
Setting up Camp in the Bisti Badlands
NO CAMPING sign
While looking for a suitable camp site, we quickly learned all of the beautiful spots next to rivers and shade trees did not allow camping. Keeping out campers apparently is what keeps their land so beautiful and pristine. Well, it was free of liter.
Should any of you hardy souls and New Mexico backpackers wish to explore this area, this is what a typical camp site might look like. We hiked in and back to the Jeep each day. Carrying all our photo gear plus camping equipment seemed a bit too difficult.
Jeep Problems
Tico’s Auto and Truck Repair in Farmington, NM.
Since Shane was not very familiar with the ways of New Mexico, he was fairly hesitant about visiting Tico’s for some much needed repair work on our Jeep. We did not have a lot of options as we did not want to go to a big new car dealership. Tico’s it was.
We were not at all sure if Tico could fix our Jeep. One thing was abundantly clear. Tico sure knew how to take cars apart…
As it turned out, Tico was very familiar with the complex problem regarding the Jeep’s lack of acceleration on hills. He knew all the details and how to fix it, but we did not have the numerous days or $7,000 that would require. Tico spent MUCH time with Shane explaining the issue and how to go about getting it fixed. We could not have stumbled upon a better garage nor a friendlier, helpful family run business. Tico certainly does have a great website for such a small business. Give them a call should you ever need to have car work done in Farmington, New Mexico. Tico’s Auto and Truck Repair
Door to Door selling tortillas
As often happens in New Mexico, people go door to door or sell homemade Mexican food. While waiting for work on the Jeep, these two men were selling homemade flour tortillas. Tico’s wife bought some so we thought that was a good endorsement. Back out into the desert we went chewing on warm tortillas.
Next up is the Bisti Badlands Alien Egg Factory.
Had no idea this interesting site existed. You’re lucky more damage was not done during the falll. Love the photos!
Thank you again for continuing to follow. Too bad not everyone in your household appreciates these…. I had so much fun with Shane, I might consider this for an annual trip…
it is a rare man who admits to a mistake…good on ya! I hope all the booboos have healed
Gracious, mistakes?? I make them daily. If you cannot laugh at yourself, who can you laugh at? Thank you for following along all these years. Got a comment from Cindy last week, so I wondered about you. Thanks for looking.
Seems a larger tent my be useful in situations where knee injuries occur. Something along the lines of this.. https://tentsntrees.com/best-large-camping-tents/
thanks for sharing your adventure, and for the love of brad, please be careful. 🙂
Yea!!! Thanks for comment, Lou. I’m always looking for it early on. Yikes, that tent sleeps 10. I could have had a private nurse too. I’ll indeed check into this.
Great shots. Good to see you’re OK. Got to be careful, old fella.
OUCH ! I know that rib pain.
I fell backpacking in Copper Basin. Fishing early am. The other couple and Margie were asleep. They told me they heard the air going out of me when I fell. I slipped on an innocuous little green pine bough laying on a rock and landed on my side on a very sharp pointed rock. Metal fly box in my pocket kept the rock from penetrating and my ribs “just” got cracked. I also got a scraped up knee. We had one more night in camp so I got to do the how do you get out of a backpacking tent with broken ribs and a sore knee! Shane’s video of that made me wince and it was easier for me I am a whole lot shorter than you 🙂
A couple of days later after packing out and spending a night in Mackay I tried to climb Mt. Borah. It was okay until I got to chicken out ridge and the moves with hands and feet to climb that made be see stars from the rib pain …. yes I chickened out. Yes those ribs hurt for a long time.
The diving board looks a bit like the remnants of a crashed drone 🙂 You still got some very cool images in spite of the challenges. I really like the one exposure night shot !
Looking forward to the rest of your “rib” move adventures down there.