Trip Update: Cloudcroft, New Mexico

After spending three days near El Morro, New Mexico, and revisiting our old haunts, we headed down to Cloudcroft in the Southern Sacramento Mountains. We also lived near here for a few years and had some favorite trails to hike. After a day of rambling around, we drove to a meadow on 8900-foot Alamo Peak, where I knew there'd be some nice stands of aspen with a bit of snow around their roots. While Trina hiked some more, I pulled out the oil paints and got the rust out of my brush hand.

The light this time of year and at this elevation is blindingly bright, and I worked in full sun without an umbrella. I had some trouble mixing my darks, but after looking at this sketch indoors, I decided my instincts worked.

"Alamo Peak Aspens"
5x7, oi

Unlike Sedona, which was well into spring last week, both El Morro and Cloudcroft are still at the tail end of winter. Still, on the Osha Trail in Cloudcroft, you can see a tuft of green here and there, especially where the sun is strongest. The aspens, though, are a long way from going into leaf.