Leaving the metropolis of El Paso, and heading generally northward,
I entered the Land of Enchantment. Even after five years living in New Mexico
some twenty years ago, I still thought it mystical, with a kind of otherworldly
oldness. 
Country roads led me along the Rio Grande valley, no longer a
border with Mexico, and lush with irrigated farms and pecan orchards. Imagine this sign in Southern California and
you get a sense of how different life is among tractors, smells of cut hay,
turned dirt, and cow manure. 
In the little Spanish town of San Miguel, the Catholic Church
with its parish hall surpasses the store and the café in popularity. The little villages along here all have a
Mexican feel to them.
Heading north on Highway 28 to Las Cruces, I rode
through a long tunnel of pecan trees as they meet and touch branches at the
road’s center. Stahmanns Pecans, http://www.stahmannpecan.com/ is a huge
orchard with a shelling plant and a store that appears to be closed. Employee houses set among the trees, but most
of the operation seems to have seen better days.
I came to Las Cruces on Easter evening, and will rest here
today before riding deeper into the Land of Enchantment.
Good morning - this is Gary who tired signed as Hary in the last blog.
ReplyDeleteLove pecans, if you could carry a few bags west.
at any rate will do a pecan tanka and maybe the sign
I'm guessing Deming next
Have a good day
the real Gary
Pecans are a bit hard to lug home, considering their weight; Maybe I'll bring just one. Not Deming, no, heading north to Hatch, the chili capital.
DeleteI am getting homesick for New Mexico reading this now... if ever a state had a proper descriptive subtitle "Land of Enchantment" is right for this one. It has a very special feeling to it, and when I originally traveled cross country NY to CA ...(years ago) ... back and forth several times... NOT on a bike but piled into a tiny VW bug with two children a husband and stacks of toys and books....New Mexico was the place we fell in love with... and moved to for a year and even though it was hard weather wise and economically it glows like a pink jewel in my mind. And in fact was a big influence on my work of all kinds forever after....I predict you will write your best tanka here... Love your ongoing story as it unfolds and I look forward to your enchanting discoveries...
ReplyDeleteYes, I am enchanted again as I was then. “Pink jewel” reminds me of the late afternoon sun sneaking between the pinion and juniper trees and painting the sand pink.
DeleteIt's always good to see blue sky and white clouds.
ReplyDeleteNew Mexico skies have been all blue and white so far, Keiko, even in Las Cruces, a fairly large town.
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