April Ending

Today is the last day of April. It's a special day because it is Carol's birthday. While we were out today we found a spot with a decent Verizon signal, so I got to call her (on Ken's phone) to wish her a happy birthday.

Our adventure today was a trip to visit Dar al Islam. The USACE brochure on Abiquiu Lake lists some nearby sightseeing, and this Muslim Mosque is mentioned. The website for Dar al Islam calls it an Islamic Education Center.

 Imagine looking across the lush Rio Chama River valley towards a juniper studded mesa site framed by surrounding layers of arid hills and arroyos. Off in the distance are snowcapped mountains lingering among scattered clouds across an azure sky. You see the cream-colored, domed roof line of the Dar al Islam mosque and madressa float above and merge into the landscape. Designed by world-renowned Egyptian architect, Hassan Fathy, the mosque and school are only part of the well-equipped site which includes a lecture hall, residential units and offices.

 Today the only person around was in the office. He pointed out the mosque and suggested that we would need to remove our shoes. When we asked if he had any handouts or brochures, he suggested we consult daralislam.org. So much for eduction. We walked over to the mosque, which is attached to the larger education center.

Inside we found a simple space. At the entrance were ceremonial ablution stations for worshippers to cleanse themselves before prayer.

After we walked around the campus, we drove to the Plaza Blanca. It's on private property owned by the Dar al Islam, but visitors are permitted to hike and photograph the area. The "Plaza Blanca" or "White Place" was a subject of several of Georgia O'Keeffe's paintings. It's easy to see why an artist would be drawn to the place.

It's awe inspiring. We hiked into a box canyon, following a (mostly) dry streambed. Then we hiked around the base of the Plaza Blanca formation. It was difficult to decide which direction to look, as the vista in all directions was spectacular.

Back up at the parking lot, we spread a ground cloth in lieu of a picnic table and had our lunch, looking down into the fairy landscape below.

After lunch we wound our way back to the campground, stopping at Bodes Store in Abiquiu to get some diesel and some produce.

Our evening walk around the campground brought us the sight of these blazing flowers, lit by the evening sun. We've seen several types of white wildflowers and some interesting yellow ones that grow in clumps, but this is the first fiery orange red we've seen. They're called Indian paintbrushes, but are very different from the fall wildflower we called by that name when I was a kid.