New Mexico Adventure – Socorro #NewMexico

I write novels of suspense and romance involving outdoor adventures and Southwestern landscapes. On this blog I sometimes talk about books and sometimes post pictures from New Mexico hikes or Southwestern vacations. Today I'm sharing photos from in and around Socorro. Camie and Erin – and the cat Tiger – from my Southwest Treasure Hunters novels live here, or at least in a fictionalized version of this town. I don't think these photos need much explanation, so here they are.

All right, maybe this one needs a little explanation. Socorro has an annual Festival of the Cranes, and this house does a festival of the crayons. The rest of the time, it's pencils.

Kris Bock writes novels of suspense and romance with outdoor adventures and Southwestern landscapes. Whispers in the Dark features archaeology and intrigue among ancient Southwest ruins. What We Found is a mystery with strong romantic elements about a young woman who finds a murder victim in the woods. In Counterfeits, stolen Rembrandt paintings bring danger to a small New Mexico town.

In The Dead Man’s Treasure, estranged relatives compete to reach a buried treasure by following a series of complex clues. In The Skeleton Canyon Treasure, sparks fly when reader favorites Camie and Tiger help a mysterious man track down his missing uncle.

Read excerpts at www.krisbock.com or visit her Amazon page. Sign up for the Kris Bock newsletter for announcements of new books, sales, and more.

Amazing #NewMexico skies - sunset in the Southwest

I had to share these pictures of a fantastic New Mexico sunset. These were all taken within a period of about five minutes. My phone camera tends to make things a bit too orange. The third photo, with the paint, is more accurate. Impressive regardless, aren't they!

Kris Bock lives in New Mexico, where she enjoys hiking, watching the sunset from her patio, and hanging out with her husband and their ferrets. Her home office looks out on nature, complete with distracting wildlife such as roadrunners and foxes. 

Kris writes novels of suspense and romance with outdoor adventures and Southwestern landscapes. The Mad Monk’s Treasure follows the hunt for a long-lost treasure in the New Mexico desert. Whispers in the Dark features archaeology and intrigue among ancient Southwest ruins. What We Found is a mystery with strong romantic elements about a young woman who finds a murder victim in the woods. In Counterfeits, stolen Rembrandt paintings bring danger to a small New Mexico town.

Read excerpts at www.krisbock.com or visit her Amazon page. Sign up for the Kris Bock newsletter for announcements of new books, sales, and more.

#Hiking #NewMexico - Bursum Springs, Quebradas, part 2

Spring has definitely come to New Mexico, and although it can get very windy, the weather is often fantastic for hiking. These photos are from the Quebradas, a wilderness area near Socorro, New Mexico. Last week I shared photos from the first part of the hike. This is an area near an old mine where you can find azurite and malachite, plus large chunks of barite crystals.

Here the guys are standing on an outcropping that is primarily barite, a mineral that forms large crystals.

Barite isn't particularly rare or valuable, but it can be quite impressive! This sample is as big as a dinner plate.

A mining shaft leads into the rock.

It doesn't go very far. Either it sloped downward and it got filled in with debris, or they finished collecting the malachite from the seam that ran through here. (Note the two figures crouching at the end of the currently accessible shaft.)

In the detritus from the old mine, you can find small, brilliantly colored samples of azurite (blue) and malachite (green), as well as larger chunks that show the color but aren't pure. 

I've lived in New Mexico for almost 17 years and didn't know the mine was here, even though I've hiked nearby. Just one of the many surprises always waiting when you explore the Southwest! Learn more about the Quebradas Backcountry Byway from the BLM or New Mexico tourism.

Kris Bock writes novels of suspense and romance featuring outdoor adventures in Southwestern landscapes. E-books are available from $.99 to $3.99, or free with Kindle Unlimited. Read excerpts at www.krisbock.com or visit her Amazon page. The Southwest Treasure Hunter novels feature feisty heroines and supportive heroes tracking down mysterious treasures in New Mexico and Arizona. Each book stands alone, starting with The Mad Monk’s Treasure. 

Kris’s other titles include Whispers in the Dark, a gothic drama at an archaeology dig in the Four Corners area, What We Found, a murder mystery set in small-town New Mexico, and Counterfeits, a suspense set near Jemez Springs.

#Hiking #NewMexico - Bursum Springs, Quebradas

Spring has definitely come to New Mexico, and although it can get very windy, the weather is often fantastic for hiking. These photos are from the Quebradas, a wilderness area near Socorro, New Mexico. As soon as you park at the edge of the dirt road, you have great views of the surrounding hills and distant mountains.

The level of water in Bursum Springs is low this year. We have in the past climbed up the low cliff behind the pond, but a trail leads around as well.

The hike goes up a dry (most the year) river channel that is sometimes smooth gray rocks and sometimes like this:

At several places you can find exposures of barite, a mineral that forms large crystals.

Here's a close-up of that large rock on the right-hand side of the picture above:

You might also come across historic artifacts, like this wall. Possibly a sheep pen from some nineteenth century shepherd?

This area is good for fossils as well. Some rocks are chock-full of fossil stems from crinoids, a marine animal also known as a sea lily. Other areas have imprints of coral fans. Note the patterned areas in this sample.

One option for this hike leads to an old mining area where you can find debris containing azurite and malachite. More on that next week! Learn more about the Quebradas Backcountry Byway from the BLM or New Mexico tourism.

Kris Bock writes novels of suspense and romance featuring outdoor adventures in Southwestern landscapes. E-books are available from $.99 to $3.99, or free with Kindle Unlimited. Read excerpts at www.krisbock.com or visit her Amazon page. 

The Southwest Treasure Hunter novels feature feisty heroines and supportive heroes tracking down mysterious treasures in New Mexico and Arizona. Each book stands alone, starting with The Mad Monk’s Treasure. Kris's other titles include Whispers in the Dark, a gothic drama at an archaeology dig in the Four Corners area, What We Found, a murder mystery set in small-town New Mexico, and Counterfeits, a suspense set near Jemez Springs.