And we’re not in Oklahoma. Nor are we in Texas. Don’t get me wrong. Our campsite last night was wonderful. We had coyote howling at night and the stars were amazing. But to be honest, Kansas was boring as hell to drive through. With the exception of the Flint Hills area, Kansas was a drag. So was the Oklahoma panhandle, and so was the upper-west area of the Texas “crown” (no offense to native Texans). Given that, we were not expecting much from New Mexico.
We were wrong.
The scenery changed as soon as we hit the NM border. Flat, grassy plains as far as the eye could see gave way almost immediately to contour. The land slowly started to rise and fall. Neither of us expected New Mexico to be as beautiful as it is!
We saw rolling hills give way to grass and Juniper covered plateaus, mountains still capped in snow provided the backdrop. Plateaus lead back into mesas, with rocks seeming to cover the color spectrum. There were shallow valleys carved from wandering streams and cliffs falling on dry creek beds. The flat, desolate nothingness of the last two days abruptly ended.
And yet, amidst all this splendor, there were…junkyards. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many. All throughout our New Mexico drive, the highways were surrounded by plots of land covered in the rusting hulks of long forgotten automobiles. It was surreal. Amazing landscapes juxtaposed with discarded transportation. Sad.
And here we find ourselves tonight, overlooking the lava fields of the El Malpais National Monument. Mount Taylor sits high in the background, still sprinkled with snow. Juniper and sage as far as we can see. The planets and stars just beginning to start their journey across the night sky. A glass of wine in our hands.
This is exactly why we chose this life and this journey.
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