In northeastern New Mexico stands a cinder cone volcano that erupted sometime between 56,000 and 62,000 years ago. Lava flows spilled forth over almost 16 square miles. Now the plants and animals have returned to this once steaming and explosive place. Juniper and pinyon pine trees cover the sides of the volcano, roots growing down into cracks between the cinders. Lichen colonies, some as old as 20,000 years, grow in colorful batches on the side of volcanic boulders.
We first hiked down into the crater, gazing up the steep sides to the blue sky above. Then we summited the volcano, climbing to more than 8000 feet, and looked out over an amazing vista. Other cinder cones and the tremendous shield volcano, Sierra Grande, loomed over the scenery, all part of the massive 8000-square-mile Raton-Clayton volcanic field.
In the distance we could see the snowy range of the Sangre de Cristo mountains, the same mountains we'd seen up close at the Great Sand Dunes in Colorado.