It was a beautiful day when we left Las Cruces, New
Mexico, this morning. The wind was still
blowing, and it was unseasonably cold, but it was an ok day to drive toward
Tucson. Interstate driving is not as
much fun, or as interesting, as driving on back roads, but we didn’t have much
choice, and we made the best of it.
The desert landscape of southern New Mexico and Arizona
is wide-open, but mountain ranges can be seen in all directions. I had forgotten how mountainous this part of
the Southwest is. Many of the peaks and
ranges were covered with snow from the recent storm.
Texas Canyon in the Little Dragoon Mountains won the
prize for the most spectacular scenery of the day. Located just one hour east of Tucson, Texas Canyon
features distinct rock formations that seem to be tossed here and there. Pedestal rocks, spires and balanced boulders
characterize this distinctive landscape.
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| Texas Canyon |
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| Wonderful Rock Formations |
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| Granite Boulders Litter the Landscape |
Located amidst this wondrous scenery is the Amerind Foundation,
a privately-owned archeological and anthropological museum, art gallery,
research facility and library. Amerind
was founded by William Shirley Fulton in 1937 and is dedicated
to the preservation and interpretation of Native American cultures and their
histories. Exhibits include prehistoric
objects from archeological excavations in the Americas, as well as more recent Native
American art and artifacts.
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| Amerind Foundation |
My
favorite exhibits were the Southwestern rugs and textiles, and the Pueblo
pottery that ranged from late prehistoric ancestral ceramics to modern pieces. The rich colors and intricate details were
spectacular. A small gallery devoted to
Western art also contained several lovely landscapes and bronzes.
Although
Tim was very familiar with the Amerind Foundation, I was happy to learn about
it for the first time today. It was an
unexpected treasure, and much more than a welcome break from the long drive.
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| A Wonderful Setting |
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| The Landscape Here Is So Different |
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| Kitty Wants to Come Out and Play in the Rocks |
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