A beautiful, windy day out in the Quebradas

Saturday, Feb. 14, Valentine’s Day, was a beautiful day to be outside here in Socorro County. On Friday, a Pacific storm system brought rain to most areas and some fresh snow to the Magdalena Mountains. An overcast Friday afternoon led to breaking clouds Saturday morning and soft sunrise colors. 

I went out to the Quebradas on Valentine’s Day to get photos of La Jornada de las Quebradas 53K run. The race started at 7 a.m., so I was out there before sunrise. Watching the colors change and the first light hitting the peaks to the west was incredible, and seeing the snow on the mountains was a treat. But the small hilltop where the race starts and finishes was brisk in the steady wind that morning, and as the day warmed up the wind steadily increased.

For a day that was supposed to get up into the low 60s in Socorro, it never felt that warm where I was at. Except maybe in my car, moving from one location to another, with the wind completely blocked out. Outside, waiting for the runners to pass, I kept my layers on and stayed in motion much of the time to keep the blood flowing. I stood beside the little junipers for a bit of a wind break at times.

Yet I was frequently distracted from the chilly wind throughout the day by the amazing lighting created by the fast-moving clouds. I really wanted to set my camera down and leave it running on interval timer to create timelapses of the landscapes with those clouds. I didn’t, because I also wanted to be sure not to miss the runners passing by. Instead, I took numerous landscape shots trying to capture fleeting moments when the lighting transformed familiar views into new, temporary works of art. The stills didn’t capture the dynamic beauty quite like timelapses would have, but several turned out quite nice.

The wind wasn’t brutal everywhere out there though. The high points and ridges afford the best views, but suffer from the highest winds. Some lower points in the valleys and canyons of the Quebradas were much better protected from the winds. 

There are plenty of places out in the Quebradas, or elsewhere in the county such as Box Canyon or the Magdalenas, that can offer a break from the wind on days like that. Depending on wind direction, various spots can be almost completely wind-free. We are just beginning the usual spring windy season in New Mexico, so there will be many more gusty days to come. I don’t give up on being outside in the spring, I just adapt and tolerate it.

I only put in eight miles on the day, far behind the nearly 33 miles the competitors finished the day with, but the 12 pounds of camera equipment would not have been pleasant to haul around for longer distances. After seeing the final runners come in at the finish line (the last ones this year finished up in a little over eight hours), I went off on an additional exploration of my own. I looked at some cool rocks and then got home in time to unload at sunset time. 

A day spent outdoors from sunrise to sunset is always a win for me, wind or no wind.