Stream of Consciousness

.
This will be a strange entry, so be warned.

I always seem to have fleeting thoughts when I'm driving.

Today, we only came from Albuquerque to Socorro, so instead of towing, Terry drove the Suzuki and I drove the rig.

As I said, when driving, it seems that random thoughts fly in and out of my mind at such a rate, I can never remember them. All I can say is, at the time, I think "I should write about this on the blog".

Well, maybe that's not such a good idea, but we'll see.

Because today as I was piloting the rig, I realized my iPhone has a voice recorder! Discovering this, I decided to take advantage of it and recorded these all important erratic raves.

Ready? Here goes . . .

__________________

The sky today is a strange cottony, very pale blue, I wish I could describe it better.

__________________

These mountains have a slight wispy effect, with layer upon layer of color, just slightly shifting as they move off into the horizon.

I just finished a book that discussed fractals and the part they play in nature. How wonderful to read something and have my eyes opened to a part of nature I can immediately recognize.

__________________

Wow, I just realized that the tops of these mountains are actually clouds, how gorgeous.

__________________

This weather pattern makes the mountains off in the distance appear like the paintings of my old friend John Nelson. I remember when I first saw his paintings, they seemed to depict a strange alien landscape. Now that I've spent time here in New Mexico, I realize I just hadn't been exposed to this glorious landscape.

I haven't thought of John in years. I knew him in the early 70s, a fine artist. I hate to admit I don't even know what we've done with the paintings we had . . .

__________________

It seems that every part of this state I visit immediately becomes my favorite.

__________________

I look at this landscape and wonder what it must have been like for the original inhabitants. This is the heart of the Rio Grande River Valley, lush and green at certain times of the year, not so much now.

__________________

The open-ness makes my heart swell, I do love this country.

__________________

I am following the exact trail of the original El Camino Real. It travels all the way from Mexico City up to Santa Fe and was used for hundreds (maybe thousands) of years.

__________________

I wonder what the Spaniards must have made of it when they first came through?

__________________

We seem to be the only ones on the road today. When we are alone in country like this, I am reminded of the hundreds of science fiction stories I read in my youth. I have to wonder, what would happen if a spaceship just appeared in the sky?

Do any of us really know how we would react?

__________________

Or what if a time portal opened and suddenly, a huge creature (an alien? a dinosaur?) just appeared in front of me?

__________________

Off to my left is the first of many wildlife preserves that dot this area. I can see hundreds, perhaps thousands of Canadian snow geese crowding the water. What a beautiful sight. In just a minute, Terry calls me and asks if I saw them. Apparently they took of en mass just as he drove by.

These birds are a wonder.

__________________

As I'm coming closer to Socorro, I see a sign advertising ElfegoBaca. I LOVE that name. I also love the name Anastasia Beaverhausen, but that's a whole other story.

I first became aware of Elfego Baca when Robert Loggia, who I greatly admire, starred in a Disney series celebrating the life of this legendary lawyer/lawman.

That was back in the early 1960s.

Who would have known that, years ago, as a child, I would be drawn to this western character, then one day end up spending time in his old stomping grounds (in later life, he was the mayor of Socorro)?
__________________

I like the idea that what goes around comes around.

__________________

And that's the end of my mindless ramblings.

__________________

We should be back to our regularly scheduled programming in my next post.