Springtime in the Rockies. The sun is high, the winter was wet and the early blossoms of our desert plants shine golden in the first sunlight to hit the high mesa of the Placitas open space. It was close to freezing, but once the sun was up its warmth soaked into the rocks and landscape.

Every Sunday morning (before dawn) I head out to the foothills of the Sandias to walk Finn and Sophie our, dogs. I like climbing to this ridge just as the sun rises to light it up.

Placitas Open Space in bloom

Trail to the spiral

Someone has taken the time to build a rock spiral at the end of this trail on this escarpment overlooking the rocky desert terrain to the west.