I explored mostly along a route towards, around and past features known as the “Conversing Hoodoos” during my first scouting outing in the north portion of the Bisti Wilderness. Note that a few of the features in the images here were first seen by my son and I during our March scouting of this area; but we had scouted in much less of an organized manner and I wanted to record more precisely the locations of places to which I would return to photograph in better light conditions.
There are numerous canyons or washes throughout Bisti. The Conversing Hoodoos are near a junction of a couple of these canyons. These were to be my first features to photograph later and I wanted to check out various angles from which these might be photographed and whether they were best photographed at sunset or sunrise of if both sunrise and sunset would work well. There are many other interesting features near these and in nearby canyons or along the canyon walls.
I called the small hoodoo on the top of this hill “Jack Rabbit”, because it looks like a rabbit when viewed in a particular manner. This feature is just a little past the Conversing Hoodoos.
The Jack Rabbit hoodoo is difficult to photograph due to its location. A long zoom might be better for shooting this feature than either a wide angle or a moderate zoom.
Near the entrance into a canyon just past the Conversing Hoodoos is this pointy feature that was obviously the base for a hoodoo at one time, but the cap or head has fallen off.
There are many interesting features and emerging hoodoos in the Bisti canyon walls. These can be difficult to isolate for interesting photographs and their locations often limit the golden hour light with many being in shadows, when the light would be good otherwise.
I continued walking through a canyon just to the east side of the Conversing Hoodoos, finding many interesting features both in the canyon and along the canyon walls.
I made a number of images of one particular hoodoo to illustrate how these can look so much different depending upon the angle of view.
From these two perspectives, this looks like a gecko; but others might imagine something else.
Continuing along the canyon, I found a feature that I referred to as “Big Mouth”.
Later in the day, while having a conversation in the parking lot with a group from a local mission, one asked if I had seen the “Clam”. I knew immediately that they were referring to this one that I had been calling “Big Mouth”.
Another view of the Clam and other nearby features in this canyon.
I’m always amazed when I find man made objects such as these in places where one would not expect to see such thing. These appear to be automotive engine parts, but there is not anything nearby to suggest how these arrived here. I assume these must have been dumped here many years ago before this area was designated a protected wilderness.
To be continued…
Ken
What you described as Big Mouth, I immediately thought of as Clam Shell and then was surprised that it was referred to as the Clam by the group you met. Interesting too that these rocks can take on different images by how they are viewed. I definitely saw the Gecko!
Shutterpug, that Clam Hoodoo was so obvious, I do not know why I did not immediately see it as such. I guess I must have mentally named it from a distance, then fixated on that name. Yes, these rock features can look completely different from various points of view and others may imagine a completely different form than what I perceive. Thanks for the comment.