Moments in Dirt and Ink

El Malpais National Conservation Area Click for map. I find myself rushing north and passing areas that look like they really ought to be explored, but it's already a bit hot out here. Still, I can do some quick sightseeing for a particularly fun feature along the way. The stop has bathrooms, picnic tables, interpretive signs along a paved path, and very little shade. Oh, and the cholla are in bloom. It's been a while since I was trying to get through the dense stands of teddy bear cholla of the Gila Bend Mountains, for instance, so I can stand to see cholla again, especially in bloom. The ones here aren't plastered with flowers like some, but there's still a pretty bloom or two. Meanwhile, high up in the rocks, is the whole point of it all: a massive natural arch. La Ventana Arch as it appears from near the parking lot. It is visible from the road, so can get a lot of viewers. One cholla flower out on this plant, but there's two more getting rea...