Socorro, New Mexico, established in 1598, sits along the Rio Grande in southern New Mexico at an elevation of 4600 feet.
To the north and south the Rio Grande rift valley runs for hundreds of miles total length, but one of the most wonderful places along the Rio Grande is the Bosque del Apache (Woods of the Apache), which is a National Wildlife Refuge and supports a variety of birds, reptiles and mammals and is considered a premier birding location.
This rift valley is the result of continental rifting, which some scholars believe is responsible for ongoing seismic and volcanic activity, which continues to this day. As a matter of a fact, the area in which I live is by far the most seismically active area in the state. Perhaps one day the ocean will one day cover my home again (it did intermittently during the Cretaceous period..)
To the west of Socorro sits "M" mountain, also known as Socorro peak, which is now owned by the New Mexico School of Mining and Technology (New Mexico Tech), and is used by EMRTC or the Energetic Materials Research and Testing Center, who develop and test explosives and their effects.
As a result of this I've grown quite used to the sound of car bombs, as the range is only 5 miles from my home. The range is also used as a test range for other military testing, and I often watch at night as tank rounds trace through the sky and explode in flight, then wait for the double boom 20-25 seconds later (one for the firing, one for the explosion)..
Further to the west is Water Canyon and Baldy Peak (just over 10,000 feet, and quite beautiful), where the Langmuir Laboratory for Atmospheric Research is located. Further to the west, past the town of Magdelena you find the Plains of San Augustin, where the VLA (Very Large Array) can be found, which of course has been the subject of many photographs and has been featured in several movies.
To the East, on this particular day, was a double rainbow. I was at the gas station, getting a tank of gasoline, and I noticed the double rainbow over the Cabradas, which is an area of highly tilted and eroded sedimentary structures.
So I quickly finished filling the Suburban and took off quickly looking for a good vantage point for a shot. I went along the interstate for a short distance before realizing that the rainbow was fading fast, and that the overlook provided by a close-by hill would be my best option. The issue was that the hill was on the opposite side of the interstate.. Well, I say problem, it wasn't really a problem, per se, but I did have to make a rather concise turn across the median.. So I quickly parked the vehicle, and ran up the hill, and crawled through a barbed wire fence, only to discover that the view on top of this particular hill was less than pristine.. So.... Time for a nice sprint though the creosote bushes... I ran as fast as I could to get to the end of the closest hill (mind you, there are cactus here, so I'm constantly carefully scanning ahead for my next step), and snapped several pictures, then made my way to the farthest point at a dead run (I had to cross an arroyo (dry creek) between the two), but by the time I was in the position I desired, the rainbow had faded so far it was fair well hopeless.
I can certainly tell you that I am very glad I shot this picture when I did rather than going for the perfect shot, as if I had tried to make it to my goal I would have missed this shot.
Hence the title was inspired because there was no pot of gold at the end of my journey, and indeed I managed to get quite a treasure by just taking the opportunity that I had, when it was available. Indeed, that was of course the inspiration, but the title is really more meant to imply that we need to appreciate that what we have, and not spend our energy desiring the impossible or imaginary.
So, getting back to the Suburban I noticed a strong smell of gasoline, and noted that the door to the fuel filler was ajar, and the cap was missing... It would seem that in my haste to capture this picture, I had left my cap on the bumper, and had failed even to shut the filler door..
I proceeded to retrace my path, and happily did manage to locate the fuel cap, which was situated on the on-ramp to Interstate 25...
So, continuing on our journey east, past these beautiful rainbows, is the Journada del Muerto, home of White Sands Missile Range, which is the home of the Trinity Site, the location of the first nuclear explosion. This too has become a fascinating part of my life, as I get to see quite a bit of unusual military hardware passing through the area, and there are always plenty of excellent aircraft about.
Near the missile range, there are a few mines I love to visit, and there are some very cool old ruins in the area, due to proximity to the missile range it's not unusual to at least get a close view of some aircraft, and occasionally you'll get a really great fast low pass from a fighter jet or two - damned impressive when they're cutting and burning.
So, that's the story of this shot and it's surroundings as seen though my eyes. Hope you've enjoyed the story, and I hope you enjoy the shot.
Nice that you actually got the third rainbow there too on the inside. I've never seen a rainbow quite so strong, so it does feel a bit overdone, but it's a heck of a job!
Sorry if you have already gotten this link from other commenters, but your photo reminded me of this youtube vid:
//www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQSNhk5ICTI
I hadn't seen a rainbow in years when I saw a double rainbow the other day. And both rainbows were end-to-end, which is unusual. Then, the next day, I saw another one. I guess they come in pairs. The first day, I wished I would have had my camera with me, because they're gone in a short time. Very nice capture.
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