I already shared one set of images from the hike my wife Carol and my daughter Kelia and I did in the red rocks near Gallup New Mexico, but it is worth a revisit. And besides, I still have a lot of images from that hike. In this shot you can see the drop off to the canyon floor from the the next ledge of hard stone above it. This shelf is being slowly worn back toward Church Rock itself. Above the ledge the character of the canyon changes…it becomes narrow and more resembles the famous slot canyons of Arizona.

And the way the water carves the rock is always interesting. This is a pot-hole, dug in solid stone by a swirl of water over centuries.

And as always, the red of the rock contrasts dramatically with the the high blue New Mexico sky…especially with a few wispy clouds to set it all off.

Church Rock in Red Rocks State Park is a fascinating place for a hike.

Canon SX40HS in Program with iContrast and –1/3 EV exposure compensation. 1) and 2) 24mm equivalent field of view, 3) 28mm, 4) 60mm.

Processed in Lightroom for Intensity and Sharpness.