Bisti Wilderness Area – April 3-6

 

What a surprise!

I knew nothing about this area and hadn’t even noticed it on the map.  But, a friend of Julie’s had recommended it – so we went.

Just South of Farmington NM, camping is allowed at one of 2 parking areas about 4 miles off the highway and down a bumpy gravel road.  Actually, I think camping is allowed anywhere in Bisti – there were tent campers, but around the parking areas is really the only place for a trailer. 
The scenery from the parking lot is a little moon-like.  Flat, sandy and surrounded by hills. There are no trails in Bisti – you can just wander around.  I understand that there are topo maps with locations of some of the unique features and GPS coordinates of same – but we didn’t have any of that.  We had been told – ‘just follow the wash about 2 miles due east’, which we did. 

OH MY!  For a mile and half or so, the scenery in the wash was interesting – the nearby hills, eroding in interesting patterns and revealing interesting layers and colors, but nothing very special.  But then, we hit the most amazing area.  I could have wandered through the rocks, hills and small canyons for a very long time without getting the least bit bored.











Along about now, I was remembering the 1999 Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver movie ‘Galaxy Quest’ – when they landed on a planet with little aliens and a big rock monster.  I couldn’t get those scenes out of my head as we wandered through this bizarre landscape.











Don’t these look organic?  Like large mollusks of some kind . . . .





The following structure was the perfect size for a lectern.





Oysters on the half-shell?





These are known as ‘cracked eggs’ but looked more like roses to us.











The cap rocks seemed so fanciful sometimes





There was also petrified wood (indeed, entire trees!).  At first glance, this log looked just like any decaying wood one might find in the pacific NW – until you stepped on some of the wood fragments and they ‘clinked’.  Yup – absolutely, petrified in every detail.

Everything looks glorious at sunset!