I think every state has its own unique beauty and value and I must admit that maybe I have never given New Mexico a fair shot. I was born in San Diego and remember paradise as endless days spent at the ocean side. My young memories were brief as the family was moved to Minnesota. Memory recall finds me in the deepness of the snow and the frozen lakes used for ice skating. I always asked myself why my parents would bring me to such an awful place such as New Mexico.
My grandparents thought we were moving out of the country and questioned if the town Albuquerque had trees and grass or anything green. Walking to school the wind blown sand would burn my bare legs and make my teeth grit. Where is all the enchantment in this I asked myself often?
In the early 80’s I moved to Colorado and found that entire region to be incredibly dynamic, nothing like New Mexico’s dry and dusty landscapes. A mystical quality I had found and then there were the Rocky Mountains! There are no words that can adequately describe this place. I cannot describe how the sun moves across the horizon in different seasons or the amazing reflections the sunlight casts upon the snow. I cannot adequately describe how the senses are alerted to the wonderment of the country in Colorado. I will miss this place but new adventures in distant lands lie ahead and I am determined to make the best of it.
The trick to all of this is to not judge or compare. The land and the people in New Mexico are all distinct from one another. One place is not better or worse than the next, it is just different. And different is good.
So I find myself once again seeking the Enchantment in New Mexico.
There is an abundance of natural features to explore both in history and in the beauty of the deserts of New Mexico. Combining nature and culture in a seamless display could keep me intrigued for months if I allow it to. Where else can you find thousand-year-old remains set upon a backdrop of beautiful desert? Or, 500 dinosaur footsteps that are full of wonderment or the rich lava spills that warm the heart from ancient times.
I would like to walk with the wilder side of this beautiful desert state, majestic beauty sprawling with grace in abundance the dry and sandy landscapes.
And when we’re ready for a respite you afford us a haven most scenery, a score of wildlife, a cool retreat from the intense summer heat, a mountain wilderness where mountain peaks line gorgeous wooded lands that sprawl for miles. Interesting I think, a diversity of flora and fauna, male and female, ying and yang all that stand in stark juxtaposition to a New Mexico desert landscape.
I am the desert rose and you are the rain shadow, embrace me.
