The hazy dust blown plain below the Sandia Mountains that was really being beat up by the wind, which is exactly why we sought the refuge of the high forest later that evening.

One of the things I wish I spent more time developing a passion for is backpacking. Luckily I have a friend named Scott Smith who is constantly giving me opportunities to explore the great outdoors in expert fashion. On the particular trip where I captured this photo we had taken a large sweeping trip through New Mexico, and were leaving the Tent Rock National Monument and headed toward Albuquerque, NM for a stop at REI before a night of camping in the Sandia Mountains.