In the Land of Enchantment

Leaving Guymon bright and early on a cloudless but chilly morning I made a bit of a detour to the west. I wanted to hook up with the scenic route. This meant an extra hour through the Oklahoma Panhandle to the town of Boise City. It gave me an unobstructed view of the High Plains. And what could possibly obstruct the panhandelian view? Nothing. The term 'flat as a pancake' came to mind as I cruised through the treeless, grassy plain. What land is not reserved for cattle grazing (and the cultivation of whatever it is the steer eat) is scrubland. I reveled in the joy of being in an environment so utterly different from any other I've seen. Dorothy, we definitely ain't in Missouri anymore! At the point where Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico meet I entered the "Land of Enchantment" which is the official epithet of the State of New Mexico. I think it is well chosen. This secondary road I was on was actually the Santa Fe trail, the route that brought settlers and traders from Missouri to central New Mexico. The roadside markers revealed fascinating bits about the surroundings. For example, just after crossing the state line into NM there is one lonely hill rising up from the flatness. This was known as Rabbit Ear Hill to the travelers on this route. It was a sign that they had only 200 more bone-crushing miles to travel in their wagons to Santa Fe. The first town in NM, Clayton, already had a different feel to it. There was evidence of Southwest culture: the adobe earth-colored buildings, the color turquoise and the emblematic New Mexican cross. Hills and mesas became more abundant and then, in the distance, I saw a mass of looming white. Could it be? Yes! The Rockies! What a thrill to finally see the high mountains, especially now with their recent adornment of snow. I reached the I 25 and headed south. This must be one of the most beautiful stretches of Interstate in the country as it skirts the eastern edge of the Rockies from Cheyenne, Wyoming to Las Cruces near the Mexican border. The pic is of a butte at a town called Wagon Mound. This is the pic I might have taken myself IF I had remembered to recharge the battery of my digital camera. Aaaargh!! I am grateful to whomever provided the pic.