Carlsbad, NM

It’s been a couple of weeks since I posted my usual collection of travel photos. My wife, Lynn, and I traveled back to Fargo, ND and have been busy getting back to normal in the North Country. My last post featured a gallery of images taken in the Carlsbad Caverns. That underground cathedral to Mother Nature is truly one of our national treasures.

The park is not just the caverns, and a couple of scenic drives meander through for those who have seen the caverns and are looking for something else to do. Unfortunately in 2011, a fire destroyed much of the growth in the park and very nearly reached the Visitor Center. A casual observer driving through the park today on their way to the caverns might just miss the fact that there ever was a fire. Looking at the scenery, though, there seems to be a lot of barren trees, obviously dead, but not necessarily obvious as to the reason why. Looking more closely, the cause of their demise becomes obvious, a prickly pear cactus melted, a yucca plant with blackened leaves.

The drive for new life on our planet is strong and new growth is everywhere. The old trees are either gone or have died in place, but the other plant life is beginning to heal the scars left by the fire. I submit for your consideration, a collection of images that features new life thriving among the lifeless remains of a conflagration.

For more information on the details of the fire, click here.

John Steiner