We are new to living on the high plains. Every day we are reminded that we are on the plains because we are surrounded in all directions by fairly flat land; but there is nothing to remind us about just how high we are. My brain has learned, after years of living in New England, that if you are on flat land you are probably near the sea, and if you are high up you are probably surrounded by hilly terrain. However, here in Clovis we are actually at an elevation of 4266 feet above sea level, but there are just no visual cues for me about our altitude.
At least not until we took the road to Tucumcari, in search of our mountains. As we drove along the country roads, marveling at the sky and the wonderful colors of the fields, we kept an eye out on the horizon for some nice high mountains. When we passed the town of Ragland, we were confronted with one of those signs that warn trucks of a steep grade ahead. We barely had time to wonder where the grade might be when our vehicle nosed down the way a car will suddenly do in San Francisco when it heads down another steep street.
And there were our mountains, below us! There was an abrupt change of landform, soil, vegetation, and of the way we saw our world. From our flat farm and ranch land plains, we headed down to a red-soiled, canyon-cut, rolling valley dotted with creosote bushes. We saw what looked like small black volcanoes at a distance, and beautiful mesas all around with layers of red and cream-colored soil.
And there were our mountains, below us! There was an abrupt change of landform, soil, vegetation, and of the way we saw our world. From our flat farm and ranch land plains, we headed down to a red-soiled, canyon-cut, rolling valley dotted with creosote bushes. We saw what looked like small black volcanoes at a distance, and beautiful mesas all around with layers of red and cream-colored soil. 
No comments:
Post a Comment