So, in yesterday’s post about the trees turning here in Beautiful La Hacienda Trailer Park I said “
But for those of us who savor the mere existence of a tree…or trees, plural… in the middle of the vast sea of grass and scrub that is The High Plains of New Mexico, the color is a wondrous thing.”
Those of you who’ve spent anytime at all in this part of the world understand that comment.
Even if you’ve never been on The High Plains of New Mexico but have been elsewhere on the Great Plains…say in North Dakota, Nebraska, or Iowa, etc., you get it.
But just in case you haven’t been in these places, here are a couple of views of the landscape I took during yesterday’s ride around the local countryside.
You’ll note there ain’t many trees.
If and when one sees trees off in the distance in this part of the country it’s an indication of a homestead or farm, past or present. And there are many more than a few “past” homesteads in this part of the world… places where the buildings have long since vanished and only the trees remain. And then there are the sadder ones…the places where the buildings are in a state of serious disrepair, varying from “recently inhabited” to “completely falling down.”
Lord only knows the stories those places could tell if they had a voice. I wonder about ‘em, and sometimes I stop and poke around inside. I found some real treasures in abandoned places up in North Dakota, but those sort of places in this part of the world have been pretty well picked over. It’s a function of population, I suppose. As in: there are many, many more people here than in North Dakota.
Taken on NM 330… south of Floyd, north of Elida.
If and when one sees trees off in the distance in this part of the country it’s an indication of a homestead or farm, past or present. And there are many more than a few “past” homesteads in this part of the world… places where the buildings have long since vanished and only the trees remain. And then there are the sadder ones…the places where the buildings are in a state of serious disrepair, varying from “recently inhabited” to “completely falling down.” 
I love the roads to Nowhere, NM. From Brady to Springer or Clayton to Springer are some of my favorite roads where you can drive for miles and never pass another car coming or going. The only bad thing, is that you have to slow down when you do meet another car because of the narrowness of the highways.
ReplyDeleteI love the windmill photo, blue bike and blue sky.
New Mexico in some parts has some great landscape. I am with Lou, I love the windmill photo.
ReplyDeleteRight on with the landscape being similar to the Midwest. Omaha has a fair amount of trees since we're in the river bluffs, but you get out west and the only trees are, as you say, where there is or used to be a homestead.
ReplyDeleteDang, pictures remind me that it's pheasant hunting season and I still have yet to get out.
Lou sez: ...you have to slow down when you do meet another car because of the narrowness of the highways.
ReplyDeleteYou do? Really? ;-)
And thanks for the positive comments on the photo, Lou and Shelly.
Mike: Yeah, it gets to be a pretty boring drive about 100 miles west of Omaha! On I-80, anyway. But on the two-laners? Not so much! I love those lil small towns...
Oh yeah, the small towns and back roads are my favorite part of hunting. Ames is small enough and far enough away from Des Moines that it's only a 10 minute drive to get out in the middle of nowhere on a gravel road, which is a nice activity for relaxation.
ReplyDeleteOut here in my neck of the woods, I see. At night I can see the traffic (HA!) on 330. Well, headlights two miles in the distance anyway. You were probably pretty close to my ranch again.
ReplyDelete