I made this photo during my first trip to New Mexico back in 1990. El Malpais National Monument is near the town of Grants. Back then I was using a 4x5 field camera with black and white film. More recently, I scanned the negative and did some digital editing on the image.

El Malpais translates to “the badlands” in Spanish. It is named for the ancient lava flows that spread out below these sandstone bluffs. From atop the bluffs, I remember the wondrous feeling of being able to see for miles and to watch rainstorms way off in the distance.