To continue day one, we drove north out of Albuquerque and witnessed some of the most amazing geography! There were mesas and buttes and the Sandia Mountains. Majestic and a must see for anybody.
Before our trek into the desert, we did a bit of study on some typical New Mexico desert flora.
Opportunistically spreading after the retreat of the last glaciations, succulents have diversified and spread across the Southwest. As competition for scarce resources such as water intensifies, different strategies for conserving water can be seen in these common desert plants. You can see by the picture, the different kinds of succulents have adapted features for dry climates. From the Century Plant to Barrel Cactus or Prickly Pear and Ocotillo, waxy surfaces, spines, sharp edged leaves, or shorter- rounder bodies all help keep water in the plant and not evaporating or being eaten. Deserts have quite a variety of different plants able to colonize further into the dryer parts of the continent. Just because there isn’t much water doesn’t mean it’s not without abundant variety of life.
Stay tuned for more amazing food, majestic scenery, and interesting maps on our eat, play, map “workation”.