Zooming In on Albuquerque’s North Valley

We’ll start with some pictures …

30 days is not enough to really get to know a place.

I had hoped that by staying close to “home,” confining myself to a small section of Albuquerque’s North Valley, walking along the river, through the bosque, and across the network of acequias and riverside drains that criss-cross these neighborhoods, I’d be able to say something cohesive about a world closely observed—a counterpoint to the expansive view I had of the American West on my drive here.

Not quite. Not yet. It’s too rich. Too deep. Too steeped in history and detail. I was reminded that it took me years to get to know the river valley I live in, so why would I think I had anything to say about this one after just 30 days? We earn our knowledge of the world; we can’t rush it. But still, we can report back along the way.

I’m about to begin my journey back home—as a matter of fact, this post will publish as I’m driving back—but for now, let me share with you a snapshot of what I’ve seen exploring this small patch of the world I’ve called home for a month. I’ll start wide and zoom in slowly …

Albuquerque sits roughly in the middle of the state.

My walks originated at the blue dot in the lower left and were primarily in the blue area.

My buddy Dan Gay helped me figure out the ditches in Los Ranchos.

Looking east across the Rio Grande to the Sandia Mountains, freshly dusted with snow.

Sunset on the Rio Grande.

Cottonwoods in the bosque.

Porcupines climb high in the Siberian Elms and sleep during the day.

The clear ditch, which parallels the river, runs with water year round.

The widest of the acequias drain water back to the river.

Lateral acequias like this one (the Duranes Lateral) run through the neighborhoods and provide water for irrigation from the spring through the fall.

The massive trees drink deeply from the water supply, providing welcome shade in the summer. This is the Pueblo Lateral in Los Ranchos, one of my favorites.

At the direction of the mayordomo, gates like this one are shut, filling the acequia with water and allowing parciantes (those with water rights) to open their turnouts (seen in left and right foreground) and flood their property.

A fancy new turnout …

… and a fading old one.

Walls and fences line most properties in the North Valley.

A Siberian Elm in our yard.