NEW MEXICO ADVENTURES

A Walk in the Park

Petroglyph National Monument

A view of Albuquerque from the Petroglyphs

Most of the time my dog Clooney and I walk along the path near our house that runs parallel to the Alameda Drain. It is easy to get to, the view is always spectacular, and sometimes we even meet up with his other best friend — a woman who goes for walks with dog treats in her pockets. But sometimes I like to take him out where we can see other vistas, and one of our favorite hikes are the trails at the Petroglyph National Monument.

Located on the western edge of Albuquerque, it is an easy drive made easier by the fact that it is accessible in more than one place. We usually go to a Valvoline Instant Oil Change that backs up to one of the entrances to the park and then head out to see what we can see.

West Mesa

The West Mesa is basalt lava rock that rests on the Santa Fe Formation, the accumulation of sand and gravel that eroded from the surrounding mountains and mesas.

The basalt lava rock, it turns out, is a hospitable art medium if you happen to have a stone chisel and hammerstone, and these stone carvings are a record of what the Pueblo people who first settled this area saw, thought, and believed. I always feel a spark of delight when I see one of these carvings done by someone I will never…