Croak & Dagger and SouthWest Writers, Albuquerque

The drive between Alamogordo and Albuquerque takes you through the Valley of Fires, an ancient lava flow some two miles wide by twenty miles long. Lots of interesting lava formations. Click on the link for some other great views.
























And then it was on to Albuquerque for a Tuesday evening talk with a combined group of Sisters in Crime (the Croak & Dagger chapter, which has a terrific website) and the SouthWest Writers, two of the liveliest writers' groups I've ever encountered. It was SRO for the evening, which included fine food and great conversation. Many, many thanks to Stephanie, who organized the evening.














From here on out, the tour will begin to wind down. On Wednesday (yesterday) I drove to Woodland Park, CO, just west of Colorado Springs. My route took me past Las Vegas NM. Bill and I have a place in the mountains to the northwest of this town, and I stopped along the road to snap this photo. Our place is at the foot of that hump-backed peak, Cerro Tecolote. It's called Hermit's Peak because once upon a time, a hermit lived there (really). New Mexico writer Michael McGarrity has written an interesting mystery set in the area.













I'm in Woodland Park because my daughter Robin lives here (photos later). This afternoon, the Book Sleuth in Colorado Springs, then Denver and Boulder and home. Am I ready? What do you think??