Where the Heart Is

I drive across the long dry plain of southeastern New Mexico, with the snow-covered 11,000 ft. peak of Sierra Blanca sticking up like a vision of water from another world.

The Mescaleros are prospering with their casino and high-priced inn. There is a big new church overlooking the town. Catholic, of course--no Baptists here. Sierra Blanca is their sacred mountain. You can see why.

This landscape looks so rugged compared to the lush forests and wetlands of the southeast, but it's incredibly fragile. Each ecological niche may only contain a handful of species who have adapted to its harsh dimensions. There is nothing extra here.

I'm home, at least in the larger sense. There is a lava flow at the head of the Tulerosa Basin; there's a lot of volcanic activity in this area. Tomorrow I hope to get up to Ojo Caliente to soak in the mineral springs. I sure do like this life on the road. If only my credit cards would hold out, I could do this forever.