Intro: November 2011 - Carlsbad Area

I wrapped up my previous post with my arrival in Carlsbad New Mexico, having some breakfast and generally getting my bearings.
But, before I got any further I want to revisit some Google satellite imagery of the Carlsbad area. This is one of those images which I posted previously.

Carlsbad NM area wells - wind blown area

In my previous post I asked of the "windblown" appearance of the area in the lower right: "Geologic? Man made? Very curious. If you have any idea on what created this land form I would like to hear from you."

Well, we have our answer. I heard from my buddy Geary Schindel who is the Chief Technical Officer for Aquifer Science with the Edwards Aquifer Authority. He had contacted Lewis Land, Karst Hydrogeologist with the National Cave and Karst Research Institute in Carlsbad.
Here is what Land had to say about the "windswept" features.

Those features are actually in New Mexico, between Eunice and Jal, and they are naturally-occurring, although they certainly look manmade don’t they? I’ve never been in that particular area, but they can be clearly seen on air photos and 7.5 minute quads of the area (e.g. San Simon Ranch and San Simon Sink quads).
George Bachman refers to them as aligned swales, drainages and depressions. Bachman, who is one of the grand old men of New Mexico Quaternary geology, said they are thought to have formed by etching of caliche between former longitudinal dunes that have since disappeared. He suggests a late Pliocene or early Pleistocene age for the swales and dunes because winds were from the west-northwest, as indicated by alignment of the swales, rather than from the west or southwest, as indicated by younger, still extant dunes.
He concludes “Evidence of these wind directions is preserved uniquely on the oldest preserved physiographic surface in the region, the High Plains surface. Almost all criteria for wind directions on younger surfaces indicate that later dominant winds have been from the west or southwest” (Bachman, 1973, Surficial features and late Cenozoic history in southeastern New Mexico: USGS Open File Report 4339-8).

So, now that The Mystery of the Windblown Landscape has been solved let's move on down the road a bit further.

Area map of Carlsbad NM, Carlsbad Caverns NP and Guadalupe Mts NP

Above is a Google terrain map of the Carlsbad NM area. As you can see Carlsbad is the closest city of any size to two National Parks: Carlsbad Caverns and Guadalupe Mountains. The Caverns is about 25 miles from the city of Carlsbad. Guadalupe Mountains NP, which is just across the line in Texas, is about 50 miles away. So, I had a little bit of a drive to get to the trailhead for my planned hike which was near Pine Springs on the above map.

Area map of Frijole Ranch and Frijole and Foothills trails in Guadalupe Mts NP

The trailhead was near the parking area for the Frijole Ranch. This is no longer a working ranch and is now part of the park. It is now a museum.

The six springs within a three mile radius of the Frijole Ranch made it a magnet for early travelers and settlers.

Frijole Ranch is a delightful oasis on the edge of the dry, lower slopes of the Guadalupe escarpment which truly captures the rugged sprit of the American West. Today the Frijole Ranch History Museum occupies the old ranch headquarters, and displays the sequential human history of the Guadalupes from Native Americans and the early ranching community to the establishment of a national park.

Source: National Park Service

Frijole and Foothills trails in Guadalupe Mts NP

I got to the Ranch around 11:00, parked, got my pack readied and then walked the short distance up the Ranch road to the trail head. The above map is a section I scanned from the NatGeo Trails Illustrated map for the Park. I used Adobe Illustrator to emphasize the trails and area for the hike I was about to embark upon.

 

  Click for larger image

On my way to the trailhead I was magnetically drawn to this view. I was captivated! Spellbound! Visions of my Lovely Wife danced in my head! At first I was mystified by this response to the sweeping view of this arid landscape. Then, it hit me. There, directly in front of me was Nipple Hill! No wonder my thoughts had turned to my darlin'!

  Click for larger image

I stood there for quite a while and gazed longingly at this Natural Wonder. My thoughts began to drift off to things other than this magical landscape. Then, it was back to reality and I was off to the trailhead for the Frijole Trail.

  Click for larger image

This is my idea of perfect trail signage. Hikers only!!

I paged through the trail register to see who had been by. So far the only people besides me for that day was a couple from Los Angeles. I never saw or heard them. Perfect.

  Click for larger image

This is the view at the very start of the trail. On the left, the entrance to Bear Canyon can clearly be seen.

  Click for larger image

I wasn't 50 yards up the trail when I suddenly noticed I had company.
These are most likely Mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus).

  Click for larger image

When they saw me they all bolted, running directly in front of me and across the trail. If you look closely at this photo you will see the deer in the middle has all four feet off the ground. It was "pronging" or more correctly "stotting".
Stotting (also pronking or pronging) is a gait of quadrupeds, particularly gazelles (e.g., Thomson's Gazelles), involving jumping high into the air by lifting all four feet off the ground simultaneously. This may occur during pursuit by a predator. It might also occur during play. - WikiPedia
This always looks comical to me like they are something out of a cartoon. I first saw this running behavior in 1979 when I saw a small group of Pronghorn Antelope in southern Wyoming.

Unlike its cousin, the white-tailed deer, mule deer are generally more associated with the land west of the Missouri River, or more specifically, with the Rocky Mountain region of North America. Mule deer have also been introduced to Kauai (Hawaii) and Argentina. The most noticeable differences between whitetails and mule deer are the size of their ears, the color of their tails, and the configuration of their antlers. In many cases, body size is also a key difference. The mule deer's tail is black-tipped, whereas the whitetail's is not.

Source: WikiPedia

  Click for larger image

They didn't go far. They regrouped, looked back at me and then started to forage and amble along up the hill side at and unhurried pace. I saw them on and off for the next hour until they had worked their way high up into the escarpment and then they were gone.

  Click for larger image

The trail slowly but surely gained elevation as it wound it's way up to the base of the escarpment. From here I got some great views of the surrounding countryside and Betsy Hill. WHOOPS! I mean Nipple Hill.

  Click for larger image

This unique feature is also called Nipple Mountain and Nipple Peak. "A nipple by any other name..."

  Click for larger image

The sombre brown and dry landscape made me realize I had never been here in the Spring when things had greened up. I have made 4 trips here and all of them have been in the Winter. I need to fix that.

  Click for larger image

This dead Alligator Juniper's blackened trunk told the tale of it's demise.

  Click for larger image

I continue on up the trail and Big Nipple still dominated the landscape.

  Click for larger image

This is looking up into Bear Canyon. I have now walked about 1.5 miles of this 4.5 mile loop. I am also now at the highest point. From here on out the trail will start to wander back down the hillside.

  Click for larger image

Every time I visit the southwest I find myself in a state of confusion when trying to identify Yuccas and Agaves and other plants which are similar in appearance (at least to my eyes.) Case in point? The plant on the right of this picture.

  Click for larger image

This close view shows the white, curved fibers along the length of the leaves. This should make it Banana Yucca (Yucca baccata). But, I would swear what looks like a tree trunk was the remains of an old flower stalk. But, Banana Yucca has flower stalks which seldom top 3'. So, this certainly confuses the issue.
Considering Texas has 19 species of Yucca and 6 species of Agave, it is no wonder I get confused!

  Click for larger image

In the foreground we have Sotol (Dasylirion wheeleri), also known as Desert Spoon.

At the Fate Bell Shelter, which is on the U.S. side of the Rio Grande, sotol is depicted in paintings on the rock walls. Sandals, baskets, ropes, mats, and many other items of sotol fiber show it was a highly important resource to Ancient Pueblo People of the Basketmaker culture. These artifacts date to around 7000 BCE.

The base of a cooked sotol stem may be eaten rather like an artichoke leaf (by scraping across the front teeth). This remnant, called a "quid", resembles a spoon and can be used as one. Archaeological sites where "Desert Spoon" was eaten in this way are full of discarded quids thousands of years old.

Sotol and lechuguilla flower-stalks used as atlatl dart hindshafts were found in Ceremonial Cave (Hueco Mountains, near El Paso, Texas). Sotol may also have been affiliated with fire because the sotol stem was used as a fireplow.

Source: WikiPedia

Based on the information above the Sotol was an invaluable plant to the indigenous people of the area.
One word mentioned above - "Fireplow" was new to me. I now know it refers to primitive fire making. In fact, you can order Sotol fireplow sets and lots of other survival goodies from Granny's Country Store. Ain't the World Wide Web great!?

  Click for larger image

This may be Soap Tree Yucca (Yucca elata)

This plant reminds me of another Yucca, the Joshua Tree (Yucca brevifolia). But, this area is way out of the range of the Joshua Tree.

Native Americans used the fiber of the Soaptree Yucca's leaves to make sandals, belts, cloth, baskets, cords, and mats, among other items. Inside the trunk and roots of the plant is a soapy substance high in saponins. In the past, this substance was commonly used as a substitute for soap and shampoo, which was used to treat dandruff and hairloss.

At least one tribe, the Zuni, used mixture of soap made from yucca sap and ground aster to wash newborn babies to stimulate hair growth. The Apaches also use yucca leaf fibers to make dental floss and rope. In times of drought ranchers have used the plant as an emergency food supply for their cattle.

Source: WikiPedia

  Click for larger image

Where's that Nipple!? I am now on the other side of the Bear Canyon wash and it has blocked my view.

  Click for larger image

But, that's OK. I now have another great view all these Alligator Junipers which were abundant on this side of the wash. I guess maybe the fire which had killed the others did not get over here.

  Click for larger image

Now I have "turned the corner" and The Nipple once more dominated the landscape. And, as a bonus there is a nice plant of Mescal agave (Agave parryi).

  Click for larger image

Agave parryi is sometimes used for making Mezcal. When I was in Bustamante, Mexico with Geary, Rune and Calvin we visit a Mezcal distillery and I bought a bottle of "the good stuff" to take home. It is an acquired taste, to be sure!

And so ends another day. I drove back to Carlsbad and settled into yet another El Cheapo Motel. Knowing it was the last one made it a bit easier to tolerate.

Next stop - Green Vally, Arizona!

 

<== Previous

 

Back to TOP