“The ‘I Am a Rock’ Rock,” declared the estimable Mr. Bryan Stover when he first saw this photo of a rocky turn on Richland Creek. Well, that name violated what can be termed the “Truth or Consequences, New Mexico” rule of naming, so I called it the Yama Rock, and I came to be somewhat fond of the old stone face and looked forward to seeing it on my visits to the area.

Alas, the Yama is stately and exalted no more, having been tumbled downstream and deposited askew by an immoderate torrent of water. A sad commentary, indeed, on the ephemeral nature of existence, and to paraphrase Shelley,