About Our Background Photo

Published by Gary Cascio on

I’d like to give you a little background on our background image, if you will pardon the pun.

While not exactly an image that fits our parameters for being “located in, or adjacent to, designated New Mexico MainStreet and Arts & Cultural Districts ”  in picking a background image for the website I was concerned about finding a single image from amongst the hundreds on this website that would adequately (and without seeming to play favorites,) promote our MainStreet and A&CD programs. I really couldn’t find one that seemed to work well, so, I chose a little eye candy for your enjoyment instead. I decided on this photo because I wanted to show off an extremely scenic part of the state that almost no one had ever seen. (On second thought…it does fit our “Off The Road” aspect very well though.)

I took this photo in the Sawtooth Mountains of New Mexico. Yes, we really do have a mountain range named the “Sawtooths”. You can find them just northeast of Pie Town, New Mexico. Perhaps not as famous as the Sawtooths in Idaho, I think they are pretty darn scenic and a heck of a lot closer to visit. The Sawtooths lie within the Cibola National Forest. I suspect, except for the occasional hunter, not many people camp here because there is no lake or streams or creeks.

Although in a remote area of New Mexico, it is worth the trip. If you are coming from the east on US Highway 60 you turn off onto Forest Road 6A about 9 miles east of Pie Town. But actually, your best bet is to first go into Pie Town, get some pie (I recommend the Green Chile Piñon Apple Pie) and then head back out to FR 6A. Go north on FR 6A, driving past Monument Rock until you get to a turn off to the east at around 4.3 miles. As you drive along this dirt road The Castle (or Tower) will be begin to come into prominence on your left.

You’ll want to attempt this trip only if you plan on camping out…it’s too long of a day trip to really make it worth your while. As for what type of vehicle, at best you’ll want a high clearance vehicle…four wheel drive is not required unless you are there during rain or snow.

There are some great camping areas right below the ridge that I climbed to take this photo. A word of warning about the ridge…do not attempt to climb this ridge! I strongly discourage climbing it as it is very steep and treacherous. And if you do climb it regardless of my warning, don’t climb it alone. I volunteer in search and rescue and don’t want to come haul you off the ridge if you hurt yourself.

But if you do somehow find yourself on top of the ridge, you will quickly decide the view was worth the hassle.

One last note of explanation. I call this “The Tower”. I have been calling it that for years. However, a few years ago, I was giving a talk to the Catron County Search and Rescue team. I mentioned “The Tower”. While everyone on the team lives in this area, no one had (at that time) seen the Tower from this vantage point and so it did not stand out as a unique geological feature in their minds. They also did not have a name for it. We talked about it for a few minutes and then one of them jokingly suggested calling it “Cash’s Castle”. “Cash” is my nickname and while it was done in jest, one member in particular (Chuckles, you know who you are) constantly refers to it as “Cash’s Castle”. So…sometimes in my photos you might see me refer to it as “The Tower” or “The Castle”.

Coordinates:

  • Monument Rock: LAT 34.31124 x LONG 107.98621
  • The Tower: LAT 34.32099  x LONG 107.97551
  • The Ridge LAT 34.31673 x LONG 107.97405

(All coordinates shown as Decimal Degrees)

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Gary Cascio

Gary Cascio is the owner of Late Nite Grafix, Inc. Gary has been in graphic design and advertising since his first job in 1978 at Miller & Associates, an ad agency in Shreveport, Louisiana. (The printers were still pouring hot metal type back in those medieval days of advertising.) After working as an art director there, he moved on to Carter Advertising. While at CartAdCo, as it was lovingly called, Late Nite Grafix came into creation. It occurred one morning at 2am, after finishing an illustration for a chamber of commerce publication. Gary's boss at CartAdCo did not allow his employees to freelance, so Gary signed his illustration, "Late Nite Grafix". With the stroke of a very sleepy ink pen, Late Nite Grafix was formed. In 1989, Gary, his wife Reneé and their two year old son, Dylan, moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico. There, Gary worked at Vaughn Weeden Creative, one of the largest and most respected design firms in the Southwest. Determining his heart was really 50 miles north of Albuquerque, Gary formed an advertising agency with three other partners in Santa Fe. Quickly discovering that four heads was not always better than one, Gary took a job as creative director at a company that specialized in the publication of computer-related books and magazines. But Late Nite Grafix was always around, one way or another, and in 1992, Gary established Late Nite Grafix, Inc. as a source of unconventional creativity for Santa Fe and the Southwest. His work has been featured in such publications as Communications Arts, HOW magazine, Print magazine and Print's Best Logos and Symbols. He has also won numerous awards and citations of excellence from the NAAN 100 Best, Printing Industry Association of the South and the American Advertising Federation (AAF). Among his awards have been Best Illustration, Best Photography and Best of Show. Whenever he can, Gary likes to float down rivers in the Southwest and to photograph rock art.

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