Dennis took first shift driving this morning and we had the most amazing drive. We ate breakfast at our casita and packed up to leave by 8:30 am (mountain time). We drove out of Taos headed toward Angel Fire on state highway 64. We had spent three days in Taos, in the center of the historic district. We visited museums and galleries and shops, but we did not see much of the area where the real Taosenas lived.
We drove along mountain roads and saw some houses -- some large, some small, some extravagant. We drove through mountain passes following the Santa Fe Trail and wondered how people did this before we had roads. The mountains were beautiful. We were surrounded by forests of pine trees. We drove on curvy roads with sharp turns that climbed up and plunged down. The sun was shining and the temperatures were in the low 50s. As we drove the houses became fewer and farther between. I looked down the hillside and saw just the red steel roof of a small house tucked into the hillside beneath a stand of huge pines -- I couldn't even see the driveway to it. This was a peaceful, beautiful isolation. And then I wondered what it was like in the winter.
After we had been driving for 60 minutes or so, we were approaching Eagles Nest and were up at 9000 feet above sea level. We rounded a curve and I looked out through the trees and said, "Look, it looks like a lake is nearby." I had seen the thick mist that signifies water and had seen what looked like a lake clouded with rising mist. I was totally fooled! As we descended into the valley, we realized that the familiar "mist maidens" we see on our lake on some mornings, were larger and more plentiful in mountain valleys. We saw the mist rising from the valley floor and completely blocking the sun! We drove from sun into fog and then drove along the valley floor and saw the fog dissipate completely. It was beautiful and awe inspiring.
I have to admit that I preferred the sunny forest glades with small cabins in the mountains. After we were beyond Eagles Nest, we drove through New Mexico's flatlands approaching the Oklahoma border. This land was all ranch land. We saw lots of cattle but not much farm land. Then we passed into Oklahoma and saw farm land stretching away on both sides of the road.
I saw corn fields and was not surprised, but I also saw fields of a plant I did not recognize. So, 21st century Americans that we are, I asked Dennis to look it up on his phone. (It was the second shift, so I was driving at this point.) I suggested amaranth and quinoa. He looked it up and said that the plants looked like amaranth - kind of. When he drove next, I looked them up and thought that the plants looked more like quinoa. If they were quinoa, we are growing a huge bunch of quinoa in this country!
As we drove, I remarked on the great geological change between the New Mexico countryside and the Oklahoma/Kansas countryside. We drove for hours and miles with farmland stretching as far as the eye could see. I told Dennis that I felt like I was driving into an Andrew Wyeth painting.
As we approached our destination of Dodge City, the landscape gave way to cattle feed lots. I know that my vegetarian friends would be distressed to see how many cattle are fed this way. I was wondering how ground beef can cost so much when there are so many cattle available. Surely there is not a shortage in the U.S. Dodge City has lots of history associated with it. We saw sculptures of a longhorn bull and of Wyatt Earp as we drove down Wyatt Earp Blvd into town.
We were blessed with folks who wanted to give us a nice hotel room and we settled in with no problem. The manager even gave me directions for the shortest route to the highway for our morning drive. I love the hospitality we received here.
In all of our travel today we were again reminded of the plenty of land and food that we have in the U.S. I mentioned that a nation plagued with over population, like Pakistan or India, could live here with room to spare. We have so much that we are immune to it. I love my country, but I love the planet, too, and hope that we can all be part of the solution. The bounty and beauty of this nation is almost overwhelming. The hospitality of those around us is always heartening. I know we can do more to make the whole planet a better place. I love traveling and learning and hope that it makes me a better, more proactive citizen.
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