This is the view facing due west from the upstairs window of our home in the Ventana del Sol Subdivision at 7,000 feet in Cedar Crest, NM, nestled in a valley between two of several ridges that run parallel to the main mountain.  The backdrop for this panorama is the gentle eastern slope of the southern spine of the Sandia Mountains.  The sun is just emerging from the shadow of the ridge behind our house.  To the far left is the historic community of Cañoncito, and three miles beyond, the incorporated Village of Tijeras.  To the right of our flag pole is a  pyramid shapedoutcropping, then the outline of narrow Cañoncito Canyon with a creek that is fed by Cole Spring, where Bobcats, Black Bears and Mountain Lions coexist.  South Sandia Peak, partially obscured by clouds, the highest point on the southern part of the mountain, rises to 9,782 feet. Moving to the right, the sun is just touching the roof of Elaine's Bed and Breakfast, the first structure on the first ridge. Directly in front, on the floor of our valley runs a dry arroyo where Coyotes prowl, bordered by dedicated open space, part of the 55 acres of common ground in the Subdivision. The partially cleared snow-covered area along the top of the ridge due west is the Armijo Fuel Break, a controlled burn completed in 2002.  The burn is a few hundred yards inside the boundary of the Cibola National Forest and the Sandia Mountain Wilderness which include most of the mountain.  The brightly golden sunlit peak to the north is Tecolote Peak (8,835'), situated dramatically above Tejano Canyon, which NM 536 traverses on the way to Sandia Crest.  For a view from the opposite ridge, CLICK HERE