Sandia Mountains Closed 7/8/2013

The drive into Albuquerque, New Mexico is absolutely beautiful. In the horizon, the Sandia Mountains appear seemingly out of nowhere and just captivate you while you're driving. My destination was the Sandia Crest, which has an elevation of more than 10,000 feet, but when I got to the base of the mountain, Chandley Jackson and Todd Decker of the Sandia Ranger District told me the mountain was closed due to a high fire danger, and that it had actually been blocked off since May because of a severe drought. So sad. :-( But I took a picture with Chandley and Todd because they were such nice people, and I told them I'd just have to come back another time. BTW sandia means watermelon in Spanish and is a popular reference to the reddish color of the mountains at sunset.