On this day it was soooo windy. Wind that rips the car door out of your hand and chokes you when you open your mouth to speak. Wind that makes your eyes crusty. You know... New Mexico wind.
     Santo Nino Cemetery in Carnuel, is located off I-40 (Route 66) in the canyon that separates Albuquerque from the east mountains. It includes 259 grave sites, some dating back to the 1800's. I don't believe this cemetery is still in use but it is certainly still watched over by the local residents of Carnuel.
     Should you decide to visit Santo Nino Cemetery, arrive quietly, tread lightly, take your photos (and nothing else) and head on down the hill to get some pizza.
     As a matter of practicality, do spirits get blown around by the wind?

Click here to view my other posts about cemeteries.

     The Ojito Wilderness in New Mexico is an 11,000 acre site located north of Bernalillo, around the vicinity of San Ysidro. It is a BLM owned public open space full of desert jewels such as petrified wood, rare plant species, dry river beds, ancient petroglyphs, hoodoos and a generally alien landscape. 
     Some things to be aware of when visiting Ojito is that it is closed to motorized vehicles. I don't recall there being any proper parking lots and it is in no way ADA accessible. There are no bathrooms, water fountains, tour guides or snack bars. What there is is wind and lots of it. If you come here, be prepared to pack in anything you might need and carry it all out too. The desert doesn't want baby wipes and beer bottles so, as always, leave only footprints and take only photographs.

These photos were shot on September 15, 2019

      This abandoned house is on NM 55 is just a few miles south of Mountainair. If you make it all the way to Gran Quivira, you passed it about 20 minutes ago. Every room in this house, including the back hallway, is packed with overturned furniture. The desk and chair pictured below are about the only things sitting right side up. The other rooms of the house were very dark and piled high with all kinds of crazy stuff. One room had about seven mattresses in it. Here in the main room, there are what appears to be diner booths that are tossed about willy-nilly like the tornado version of Joanna Gaines arranged the furniture. 
     If you come here, wear boots and don't touch anything. Hantavirus is real, y'all.

     I visited Fierro, New Mexico in the fall of 2006. These images went missing for about ten years and then I found them again.
     "Fierro" means "iron" in Spanish and the town of Fierro is located a few miles north east of Silver City.  Fierro was founded in 1841 by a German immigrant. It was a mining town that went belly up during the great depression.
​     Those who were not killed in mining accidents moved away when the economy tanked, creating a ghost town and leaving behind a church with a lonely caretaker.

These photos were shot on September 15, 2019  
​     Best I can figure, this abandoned school house is considered to be in the town of Center Point, but there is no town; just this school and the spot where a shack was across the street. Claunch is nearby, but it's not in Claunch and it's certainly not in Mountainair. The school was apparently operational in the 1940's but, from the looks of it, probably abandoned shortly thereafter. And here it sits, watching the tourists drive by on their way to Gran Quivira.