NEW MEXICO, DAY 2: PETROGLYPHS, LAS GOLONDRINAS RANCH, AND LUNCH

 June 26, 2021

Our second day in New Mexico was going to be another hot day, so we tried to get an early start, We arrived at Petroglyph National Monument at 8:50 AM. As it didn't open until 8:30, that wasn't bad.

We spent our time in the Boca Negra ("Black Mouth") Canyon, a 70-acre section of the park with many of the most easily accessed highlights. We started with Mesa Point, a .3-mile climb up this basalt hill. (It was harder than it looks.)

One of my favorite petroglyphs was right next the the trail head. It looks like it has been enhanced, or perhaps it is the modern recreation of an ancient petroglyph. There are supposed to be many of these spirals--which are associated with wind, water, spiritual emergence, and one's journey through life--throughout the Southwest.

"Breathtaking" has a very literal meaning when you are hiking up a steep hill in warm weather.