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Trip Report: Bosque Del Apache & White Sands, New Mexico
by Russell Graves
Southern New Mexico is a wide-open and mysterious place with lots to offer photographers. The landscape is an interesting dichotomy between desert flats, mountain ranges, expansive river valleys, and the contemporary and historic impression that man leaves on the land. With so many interesting things to see, I was excited to be leading the first southern New Mexico tour for Backcountry Journeys.
Day One
The first day of a tour is always exciting. This is when the group comes together for the first time to talk about their backgrounds and expectations for the trip. I always love this first meeting.
After a brief chat at the hotel, we headed across town to eat at one of Albuquerque’s top-rated local restaurants – Sadie’s of New Mexico. Sadie’s features a wonderful mix of traditional Mexican food and foods made with the cultural influence of the rich New Mexican tapestry.
For dinner, me and other guests ate the stuffed sopaipilla made with spicy shredded chicken and a side of beans and rice. While we waited on our food, the server brought us Sadie’s regionally famous salsa served with fresh chips. When the main entree was delivered, I immediately knew why the server recommended the stuffed sopaipilla.
Served with a side of red sauce, the chicken was tender with a nice blend of spices with an added crunch from the sopaipilla with which the chicken was wrapped. The beans added a salty side dish while the fresh tostadas blended nicely with the Mexican rice.
After dinner and brisk conversation, we return to our lodging for the night to prepare for a long day of photography.
Day Two
Up early, we headed from our hotel in Albuquerque south to the small desert town of San Antonio. Just eight miles south of the small town, the world-famous Bosque Del Apache National Wildlife Refuge sits along the banks of the Rio Grande River. While the Rio Grande River is perhaps best known as the notorious border between Texas and Mexico, running through the New Mexican desert it brings life-giving water to an otherwise arid and inhospitable land.
In the refuge, water is diverted from the river through irrigation ditches that refuge managers use to flood fields for waterfowl and to water corn and triticale crops that are grown to feed the wildlife on the refuge.
We arrived at the refuge right at sunrise. While the crowds were piled up at a pond full of cranes on the highway leading into the refuge, I chose the path less traveled and took the group immediately to the refuge interior where I had scouted some interesting wildlife a day earlier.
It was the right call.
Immediately we saw a band of javelinas and spent fifteen minutes photographing them from just a few yards from the vehicle. Continuing through the refuge we spent the rest of the morning photographing flying geese, cranes, and a bonus northern harrier who was hunting over the marshlands.
For lunch, we headed into San Antonio to eat at The Buckhorn. The Buckhorn is a regionally famous restaurant known for its green chili cheeseburgers made with fresh New Mexico hatch chilis. So good are the burgers, the owner and head chef once beat Bobby Flay in a Food Network episode of Throwdown.
After lunch, we headed east through the Rio Grande Valley on our way to Alamogordo. Along the way, we passed by the Trinity Site where, in 1945, the world’s first nuclear weapon was detonated. Arriving in Carrizozo we spent a brief amount of time touring the town to see the vintage buildings before heading to the foothills of the Sacramento Mountains. While the desert is lonely now, the area once thrived as mining claims popped up in the hills. What’s left of these settlements are ghost towns.
Ancho, Jacarilla, and White Oaks were places that because of depleting resources once boomed and then ultimately busted. Now all that’s left of the old towns is a smattering of dilapidated buildings that the desert will slowly consume. All told, the town of White Oaks alone saw $20 million in gold mined from the area before the claim dried and the town’s people disappeared.
Day Three
At 5 am we were driving through the desert on our way to White Sands National Monument. The desert at his time of the morning is dark and empty and soon we were parked at the base of an immense sand dune. Climbing to the top of the dune in the dark, the stars were on full display over white gypsum sands. The opportunity was a great way for the participants to delve into night photography and we spent the precious time before sunrise photographing first the stars, then the dunes during the blue hour, and then at the golden rays of sunrise.
White Sands are the remnants of an ancient sea bed, covering more than 275 square miles, and sit at the base of the San Andreas Mountains. The whole area is ringed by mountains caused by a fault rift to create one of the largest endorheic basins in North America named the Tularosa Basin.
After photographing the dunes, we headed back to Bosque del Apache and along the way, photographed pronghorn antelopes grazing alongside the highway. Back at the refuge, we spent some time along the desert gardens where scores of songbirds flit around the native vegetation. After that, we photographed snow geese in flight, mallards feeding, and sandhill cranes feeding alongside the road where the birds were animated and engaging.
As a final bonus on our way back to the headquarters at last light, we found and photographed one of the biggest desert mule deer I’ve ever seen. Soon thereafter, we found yet another pack of javelinas that fed just outside the vehicle while the group shot photos.
Day Four
On day four we were at the refuge before sunrise to witness perhaps one of the most iconic scenes at the refuge – the blastoff. Here, thousands of geese take flight at once and create a cacophony that’s not easily described. You have to witness the sight to understand.
After the geese took off we made our way around to one of the farm fields where the birds would eventually land and we took multiple photographs of the beautiful birds in flight.
ndred individuals.
Just down the road, we found a huge flock of the Merriam’s subspecies of wild turkeys. The turkeys were feeding in one of the farm fields and the flock probably numbered more than one hundred individuals.
With a working lunch at hand, we headed back to the hotel where we did a workshop on Lightroom workflow and image management. Soon thereafter, we loaded up once again and headed to the Kelly Mine – another ghost town on the outskirts of Magdalena, New Mexico. The Kelly Mine is an old lead mine at the base of a mountain above Magdalena. The headframe and smelter stack is all that’s left but it is an astounding testament to the industrialization of the west.
From there we headed out to the Plains of San Augustin to the Very Large Array (VLA) complex. The VLA is a series of 27 radio antennae that, when grouped together, form an immense 15-mile wide radio telescope that can detect non-visible light rays from space. Each dish is more than 60 feet tall and can move independently from each other. The installation is so visibly stunning, chances are you’ve seen the facility on movies like Contact.
Day Five
On the last morning, we headed out one last time to the refuge. With thousands of bird images, we decided to search for mammals this morning and we weren’t disappointed. Just after sunrise, we found a nice mule deer buck showing rut behavior around a group of does. For several minutes he postured and chased the does around while the group photographed the scene.
The mark of a good trip is that when the trip is over, no one wants to leave. I think I speak for the rest of the group when I say that’s how we all felt.
Day One
The first day of a tour is always exciting. This is when the group comes together for the first time to talk about their backgrounds and expectations for the trip. I always love this first meeting.
After a brief chat at the hotel, we headed across town to eat at one of Albuquerque’s top-rated local restaurants – Sadie’s of New Mexico. Sadie’s features a wonderful mix of traditional Mexican food and foods made with the cultural influence of the rich New Mexican tapestry.
For dinner, me and other guests ate the stuffed sopaipilla made with spicy shredded chicken and a side of beans and rice. While we waited on our food, the server brought us Sadie’s regionally famous salsa served with fresh chips. When the main entree was delivered, I immediately knew why the server recommended the stuffed sopaipilla.
Served with a side of red sauce, the chicken was tender with a nice blend of spices with an added crunch from the sopaipilla with which the chicken was wrapped. The beans added a salty side dish while the fresh tostadas blended nicely with the Mexican rice.
After dinner and brisk conversation, we return to our lodging for the night to prepare for a long day of photography.
Day Two
Up early, we headed from our hotel in Albuquerque south to the small desert town of San Antonio. Just eight miles south of the small town, the world-famous Bosque Del Apache National Wildlife Refuge sits along the banks of the Rio Grande River. While the Rio Grande River is perhaps best known as the notorious border between Texas and Mexico, running through the New Mexican desert it brings life-giving water to an otherwise arid and inhospitable land.
In the refuge, water is diverted from the river through irrigation ditches that refuge managers use to flood fields for waterfowl and to water corn and triticale crops that are grown to feed the wildlife on the refuge.
We arrived at the refuge right at sunrise. While the crowds were piled up at a pond full of cranes on the highway leading into the refuge, I chose the path less traveled and took the group immediately to the refuge interior where I had scouted some interesting wildlife a day earlier.
It was the right call.
Immediately we saw a band of javelinas and spent fifteen minutes photographing them from just a few yards from the vehicle. Continuing through the refuge we spent the rest of the morning photographing flying geese, cranes, and a bonus northern harrier who was hunting over the marshlands.
For lunch, we headed into San Antonio to eat at The Buckhorn. The Buckhorn is a regionally famous restaurant known for its green chili cheeseburgers made with fresh New Mexico hatch chilis. So good are the burgers, the owner and head chef once beat Bobby Flay in a Food Network episode of Throwdown.
After lunch, we headed east through the Rio Grande Valley on our way to Alamogordo. Along the way, we passed by the Trinity Site where, in 1945, the world’s first nuclear weapon was detonated. Arriving in Carrizozo we spent a brief amount of time touring the town to see the vintage buildings before heading to the foothills of the Sacramento Mountains. While the desert is lonely now, the area once thrived as mining claims popped up in the hills. What’s left of these settlements are ghost towns.
Ancho, Jacarilla, and White Oaks were places that because of depleting resources once boomed and then ultimately busted. Now all that’s left of the old towns is a smattering of dilapidated buildings that the desert will slowly consume. All told, the town of White Oaks alone saw $20 million in gold mined from the area before the claim dried and the town’s people disappeared.
Day Three
At 5 am we were driving through the desert on our way to White Sands National Monument. The desert at his time of the morning is dark and empty and soon we were parked at the base of an immense sand dune. Climbing to the top of the dune in the dark, the stars were on full display over white gypsum sands. The opportunity was a great way for the participants to delve into night photography and we spent the precious time before sunrise photographing first the stars, then the dunes during the blue hour, and then at the golden rays of sunrise.
White Sands are the remnants of an ancient sea bed, covering more than 275 square miles, and sit at the base of the San Andreas Mountains. The whole area is ringed by mountains caused by a fault rift to create one of the largest endorheic basins in North America named the Tularosa Basin.
After photographing the dunes, we headed back to Bosque del Apache and along the way, photographed pronghorn antelopes grazing alongside the highway. Back at the refuge, we spent some time along the desert gardens where scores of songbirds flit around the native vegetation. After that, we photographed snow geese in flight, mallards feeding, and sandhill cranes feeding alongside the road where the birds were animated and engaging.
As a final bonus on our way back to the headquarters at last light, we found and photographed one of the biggest desert mule deer I’ve ever seen. Soon thereafter, we found yet another pack of javelinas that fed just outside the vehicle while the group shot photos.
Day Four
On day four we were at the refuge before sunrise to witness perhaps one of the most iconic scenes at the refuge – the blastoff. Here, thousands of geese take flight at once and create a cacophony that’s not easily described. You have to witness the sight to understand.
After the geese took off we made our way around to one of the farm fields where the birds would eventually land and we took multiple photographs of the beautiful birds in flight.
ndred individuals.
Just down the road, we found a huge flock of the Merriam’s subspecies of wild turkeys. The turkeys were feeding in one of the farm fields and the flock probably numbered more than one hundred individuals.
With a working lunch at hand, we headed back to the hotel where we did a workshop on Lightroom workflow and image management. Soon thereafter, we loaded up once again and headed to the Kelly Mine – another ghost town on the outskirts of Magdalena, New Mexico. The Kelly Mine is an old lead mine at the base of a mountain above Magdalena. The headframe and smelter stack is all that’s left but it is an astounding testament to the industrialization of the west.
From there we headed out to the Plains of San Augustin to the Very Large Array (VLA) complex. The VLA is a series of 27 radio antennae that, when grouped together, form an immense 15-mile wide radio telescope that can detect non-visible light rays from space. Each dish is more than 60 feet tall and can move independently from each other. The installation is so visibly stunning, chances are you’ve seen the facility on movies like Contact.
Day Five
On the last morning, we headed out one last time to the refuge. With thousands of bird images, we decided to search for mammals this morning and we weren’t disappointed. Just after sunrise, we found a nice mule deer buck showing rut behavior around a group of does. For several minutes he postured and chased the does around while the group photographed the scene.
The mark of a good trip is that when the trip is over, no one wants to leave. I think I speak for the rest of the group when I say that’s how we all felt.
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AUTHOR
Raised in rural Texas, Russell is the product of a modest, blue-collar upbringing, a stalwart work ethic, and a family who put no bounds on his imagination and creativity. When Russell was a junior in high school, he wrote a research paper for his end-of-year English project. The research paper (which he still has today), titled simply Wildlife Photography, earned him an "A" for the project. Still, more importantly, the mini-tome served as a manifesto of sorts that would define his life's work.
When he was 19, he had his first photographs and article published in a magazine. When he was 20, he earned his first magazine cover. By his own admission, the work now appears marginal and sophomoric. It was the spark, however, that ignited the fire to keep him going and perfect his creative craft.
Upon leaving a career in teaching, Russell continued his life's work by capturing the people and places outside of city limits in innovative and authentic ways. In the ensuing years, he continued to build on his experience and churn out content for clients through magazine pieces, advertising campaigns, television projects, and numerous books. In addition, he also worked with a small West Texas town to help them develop a marketing strategy and put together development deals that would bring jobs and prosperity to that little corner of rural Texas.
Russell came to Backcountry Journeys in the fall of 2017 as a guest. He met owners Russ and Crystal Nordstrand as they were the leaders for the Katmai Bears trip. A few months later, Russ asked Russell if he wanted to guide trips. Since then, Russell has led nearly 500 guests on adventures worldwide.
Russell says he feels like he's come full circle by combining his love of photography with his teaching ability.
In the media, Russell's been called a rural renaissance man, recognized as one of the top photographers in Texas, and praised by editors, art directors, and audiences alike for his ability to connect people and places through his written, spoken, and photographic stories. He's had nearly a million words published, authored six books, has had thousands of images grace the pages of magazines and advertisements all over the world (including about 600 magazine covers), is an in-demand speaker, has photographed some of the most prominent people in our country, and is the owner of two businesses. Still, he insists that his most significant accomplishments fall under the heading of father, husband, brother, son, and friend.
When he's not in the field teaching or doing projects for one of his clients, Russell is found on his beloved Hackberry Farm driving his tractor and doing tasks that benefit the land and her denizens therein. He now lives a mile from the small stock farm on which he was raised. Black dirt and creek water are a powerful poultice.
His parents are still proud of him
You can see Russell’s work and portfolio on his webpage at www.russellgraves.com
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BACKCOUNTRY JOURNEYS
"Backcountry Journeys offers guests the unique opportunity to explore our natural world from behind their own lens. We run a selection of hand-crafted Photo Tours, Workshops & Safaris connecting passionate people to exceptional experiences. Locations include Yosemite, Alaska, Yellowstone, Glacier National Park, Hawaii, Utah as well as Botswana & Costa Rica."
All Images & Content are property of Backcountry Journeys Photography Tours, Workshops & Safaris LLC - Copyright 2024
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Download our Trip Catalog for detailed information on our many destinations for photography tours, workshops, and safaris.