Organ Mountains Desert Peaks National Monument - Broad Canyon plus desert exploring

A couple of weeks ago I led a hike to Broad Canyon. It was the first time  I'd been there during the summer months. It was nice to to see the ash trees full and green.  It was overcast the entire morning which kept temperatures in the low 70's which was  also very nice. We had a couple of close encounters with rattlers who didn't rattle which wasn't so nice, but it was to be expected given mild weather and the fact that it was September the month in which of I've seen more rattlesnakes than any other.

We did the standard route downstream from the Kimball Place. Water was flowing through the sand in places. Brown puddles filled hollows in the bedrock. The recent rains had also cut crevices across the road going down in the canyon which made the driving rough enough  to necessitate leaving one of the  cars from our group at the top of the mesa.
 I'm never quite sure what to make of other's reaction to this place. I think it's one of the crown jewels of our Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument, yet I frequently get the feeling that many people I've brought there are underwhelmed by the experience.
 The week before, it was too hot for hiking, but I did do some driving around in the desert with occasional foot excursions interspersed. I followed the powerline road south of Reichey Butte  through some low hills and then turned around where route came to the flatlands on the west side.
 I got out and walked around once finding some household junk ( but no remnants of a trailer or house) and this mysterious sign.

 Then I went out driving on several county roads in the immense basin surrounded by the uplands of the Uvas, Rough and Readies and the Sleeping Lady Hills. I've explored there often always hoping to find some evidence of ancient occupation but have so far come up empty.

Dark, Thousand Mile Canyons - Lincoln National Forest

Revisited a couple of place in the Sacramento Mountains over the last few weeks. Looking for peaceful and uncrowded hike near Cloudcroft  on a Sunday last month proved to be a little elusive. I first thought of the little Sleepy Grass trail (FT 11) just outside of town, but the trailhead on  US 82 was packed. We then went over to Zinker Canyon (FT 5660) off of NM 244, but no sooner had we gotten out of the truck when we were greeted by some very loud gun fire. Listening to that was not what we had in mind at all. So, we proceeded out to the trail-less Dark Canyon. It was a warm day and  the canyon only provides intermittent shade, but the springs were all flowing which helped out our dogs quite a bit. Sad to  say a large oak that sat in the middle of canyon had been completely ripped out of the ground in some recent  windstorm, but other than that things remained pretty much the same as when I hiked there several years ago. We turned around at the piped spring which made for a four mile round trip trek. It was perfect place for the calm retreat into the forest. Perhaps there were more spots like it that day, because coming back we could see that most of the people visiting the area were lining up at the Texas Barbecue Restaurant.
 On Labor Day, we went out to Thousand Mile Canyon(FT 9216), which I calculated was far enough away from Cloudcroft to avoid any lingering  crowds. I was right. We only met two ATV riders on 3 or so mile hike from the bottom to the top and back again. This is a nice hike in warmer weather ( although it was only in the 60's that day) because unlike many of the hikes in the Sacramentos it is not through open meadows, but rather shaded  with firs, pines  and aspens almost it's  entire length.