Mineral Creek, New Mexico!
One of the very few constantly flowing streams in NM (
kinda).
The reason for the 'kinda', is that shortly after passing by the trailhead the creek disappears into the rocks, never to reappear. OK
so if that was the only evidence of NM variability, no worries, but around three miles up this drainage, this quite active stream, all of a sudden
disappears into the rocks. A dry drainage results for about 1/4 mile... then, all of a sudden, the creek is back in business, and better than ever!
And so it continues down to past then trailhead to disappear forever... or at least until this water is sucked back up out of the aquifer.

And yes, this is a very looooong series... but Mineral Creek is a very unique place in New Mexico


Starting up the creek

This, for much of its length, is a slot canyon

Coffee Bean & Mocha are wondering, do we really want to do this?



Rocks and rocks and rocks. Dang, I hate these rocks. NO! Wait a minute, I love these rocks!

Cripes, there must be a better way to do this!


Like I said, a slot canyon, water... does it get any better than this?



Hey! I'm sure they are just hugging each other. Wait a minute, this is a NO sex zone!



Jeff's dog Jessie has to reconiter this section!

Right, I'm sure this is natural. Uh huh.

At this point, for the goats, the greenry is more interesting. Later the water will take precedence.

Hiking partner Jeff Ross.




Balanced rock. I'm certain it will fall... sometime.

Rock shapes & colors have always been my fascination!



At this point, the water flows OVER the rock, later it will be different!




Mocha & Coffee Bean clearly have differing interests.

I'm not sure that this particular waterfall isn't artificial, i.e., created by the miners.

Ezra is wondering what the he-- we are doing up here anyway?

Mocha & Coffee Bean are alike in their philosophy that any & every hill must be climbed!

At this point in the canyon, the creek cuts right through solid rock.


Coffee Bean doing a little decorative trimming.

This rock undoubtedly deposited here during a session of high streamflows.

Here the creek looks so benign... but then there are times...



And this pile was created during one of those times. The large log got stuck crosswise to the streamflow, and the junk coming behind it began to stick and form this dam, forcing the river to flow around to the right.

A Century plant in the preliminary stages of producing blooms.

A cholla in the same stage as the century plant.

A couple of beautiful cuts in this stream.



One of the most obvious indicators of the value of this location to mining. This creek is loaded with specemins of this era. Along with rock structures, walls, etc.




On the way back down the creek.


Coffee Bean is wondering why anyone would need a rock cairn to find their way down a slot canyon.



Almost looks like a mudflow, but it is solid rock.




As have said before, I am fascinated by rocks. Especially like this one with this insert of red rock, and even bordered by another type of rock.

Another interesting rock. Some white, some red!



Watching this was loads of fun. Ezra somehow can sense that this green slime is majorly slippery, and is stuck at this point wondering what to do. He 'danced' around for about 2 minutes in the throes of indecision.

Jeff Ross, hiking partner, coming through the same slippery area, and exercising ever-so-much caution.

A center-of-the-canyon monolith.