Albuquerque

Spineless flowering cactus, which are planted all over the city and growing wild everywhere else. Not much else grows here without the aid of aggressive irrigation systems.


Japanese koi in a feeding frenzy at the tiny, but tidy Albuquerque Botanical Gardens.


A grilled chili tofu slab from Whole Foods, as part of our urban picnic lunch.


White adobe fence around the public school in Old Town Albuquerque. Faced with a lack of timber, adobe has long been the building material of choice in New Mexico, and, as a result, nearly every building from pharmacies to sprawling ranch houses to even the most flea bag of motels looks like it came straight out of an old John Wayne movie.


Tent Rocks National Monument built over seven thousand years ago when area volcanoes erupted periodically, creating layers of volcanic ash and sandstone.


You have to work hard to get to these views, climbing hundreds of feet and huffing wildly from the sharply increasing altitude. But the reward is great, and it's not just the epic landscapes. It's also the pleasure of hearing nothing but your heart thrumming in your ears, the soft silt bed cushioning your step. And the powerful feeling of your human value systems falling away, as you hike deeper into the rocks, pausing to prolong the moments of respite in the shady canyons, and remaining perfectly still when you spot a black-tailed jackrabbit bounding through the brush or see a tiny lizard zipping along a fallen branch.


Adam using a pre-obsidian 'Apache tear' as a faux nez.


The rocks constantly reminded us of Gaudi's architecture. No wonder the Spaniards were so enamored with these landscapes.


Thesis? What thesis?


Ditto.


Here's a spot in the world that humans haven't had a hand in constructing. Naturally, I had to do a downward dog (known for its 'grounding' effect).


The Dog House is an Albuquerque institution complete with a car hop, sun-weathered locals, terrible French fries, mediocre milkshakes, and foot-long chili cheese dogs (split down the middle, grilled, and covered in chopped onions and fire hot red chili gravy).


Only in America!