Chiricahau National Monument

On my way from Alamagordo to Tucson, I saw what has become my color of the year: brown. The sign for the Chiricahau National Monument said it was just off the highway (it was not), however, it was 100% worth the extra miles to get there. 

Driving in, it just looked like more mountains. Beautiful, certainly, but ordinary-ish as mountains go. Through the Coronado National Forest, past the visitor's center, and nervous that by 4:00pm arrival would mean I'd miss seeing the park due to early sunsets, I came around a bend and was absolutely floored.

This photostream will give you the highlights and I strongly recommend you visit yourself. 

The rock here is rhyolitic, uplifted millions of years ago and full of joints (cracks, basically) from the stress of the geologic movement. Due to chemical and physical weathering, softer pieces of rock have eroded leaving the towering structures that look as if young giants left their blocks out.

While I would have loved to have come for a full day, getting the hour before sunset allowed me to see the way the light can change our view of the rocks.

Driving up to Massai Point, elevation 6,870 feet, the view of the surrounding terrain was incredible.

This viewpoint shows columns, balanced rocks, and pinncales. Can you tell the difference?

I'm an absolute sucker for a dome-shaped rock. The contrast of the rhyolite against the trees (Ponderosa Pine, I think) just made me so happy. It is easy to remember that the universe is a power much greater than ourselves when you are out in the wilderness.

For more sudden detours, incredible rockscapes, and sunsets that make you swoon, keep coming back!