One of the most iconic images of the American west is the ghost town, and New Mexico has more than it's fair share of these collections of abandoned buildings and dusty reminders of lives long gone. If you do any research on New Mexico ghost towns, you're bound to find yourself checking out the City of Dust blog (at cityofdust.blogspot.com)--and facebook page, where explorer and author John Mulhouse chronicles his many expeditions to these mostly forgotten sites. I spoke with John by phone recently, and delved into where his love for ghost towns comes from, strange encounters he's had while exploring them, and his upcoming book, Abandoned New Mexico: Ghost Towns, Endangered Architecture and Hidden History, due to be released in June of this year.