We now leave Durango and with it Colorado behind us. We continue to Santa Fe and on our way to Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness.

The Bisti/De-Na-Zin National Park is rather less known. Unjustly as it seems to me. It offers a bizarre landscape that needs to be explored on foot. But one after the other…

After Farmington we take the NM 371 (Vietnam Veterans Highway) towards Albuquerque. A lone sign points to Bisti Wilderness. We wanted to take the south parking lot and not the north. Therefore first to the next entrance. Over a gravel road one should get to the south parking lot. After about 30 minutes drive and 50 and real 10 miles still nothing in sight. Hope dies last… After one hour still nothing. A car is coming towards us on the sandy road. Stopped briefly and asked, the driver said that Highway 550 is a few miles straight ahead. Oh my! That means going through Farmington again and starting over. That costs 2.5 hours of time. No matter, nothing like there…

Once we arrive, we are greeted by an uninviting landscape. On foot we enter the area. Unfortunately, at first along the top (with no real chance to get down). Again 30 minutes time lost. Then down around into the individual bays of the landscape. What a bizarre rocky desert…

Bisti/De-Na-Zin Wilderness

Due to the loss of time we could only look at a few things there, but they were worth it. After 2.5 hours and 5 miles of walking we arrive back at the parking lot. There we are asked by an older couple what there is to see. We get into a conversation with the two Californians. It turns out that the man is Bob Kolbrener. He is a professional photographer and they want to explore the area for 5 weeks. Bob Kolbrener is put on a par with Ansel Adams in photography. Judging by visiting his website and the gift of greeting cards from his wife, that is absolutely true. Simply fantastic images. You can safely throw away your gear there….

After that we drive to Santa Fe. Arriving at the hotel at 8:30 a.m., it turns out that there was a booking error and only a single room was reserved. Offers regarding rollaway beds, etc. I decline. After some back and forth, the manager books rooms at the Holiday Inn. The rooms there are very nice and I actually did not want to move again tomorrow. Let’s see if something works out.

And finally, the quarter moon over New Mexico, the state that is probably most underestimated by tourists.