Bisti Wilderness Area (4/8 & 4/9/2016)

In previous visits to Bisti, one or two cars in the parking area was pretty much it.  The people in those cars might never be seen all day.  This time was much different.  When I arrived on a Thursday, there were already eight vehicles in the south lot, and another three in the north lot.  Several were RVs, such as trailers or truck campers, people like me who wanted to get the full experience of staying there.  By Saturday, more than twenty vehicles came and went during the day.  Obviously, word has spread (on the internet) about the wonders of this area.

It was nice having an opportunity to meet so many people of similar interests.  Several were professional photographers, such as Alex Tracy who tent-camped there for five days despite some cool temps at night.  Alex does a lot of night photography, so he spent several cold nights in the hoodoos, but got some amazing photos.  He and I also teamed up for a couple daytime hikes. 

I also enjoyed meeting Martin and Karina (from Germany), Bill and Kate (from Vermont), Patricia and Mike (new full-time RVers) and Tina (another new full-timer), not to mention quite a few whose names I failed to get.  Several were from other countries, including Germany, Canada and Sweden.  Many of them mentioned having seen internet photos of Bisti and decided to see it for themselves.

The overcast that greeted me on arrival turned into rain the following day, off and on the entire day and well into the night.  There was plenty of wind to go along with it.  I stayed indoors most of the day, except when a rainbow appeared in the afternoon and I ran out into the muck and mire to get some photographs of it.

By late morning the next day, the new drainage system had done its job, so Alex and I took a hike to the "Wings" section, enjoying a beautiful day.  Along the way, we passed lots of interesting formations and went through some rugged terrain.

It was difficult to tell exactly when we reached the "Wings" or when we left it.  Here are a few photos that are representative of that entire area.