Day 20
Sat 14th July Texas/ New Mexico
We slept in an interesting area where the canyons of the Canadian River form inlets in the new lake which bring bring river plants and wildlife as an oasis in the prairie. Cacti and soft plants. Roadrunners here and ants and light, landscape and scent with a strong feeling of Aegina.
Looking for a Walmart to change the oil but they are few out here. Reluctant to do it ourselves. Drove to Texline on the border of Texas and New Mexico. Long roads with few stopping places except where the occasional farm road crosses the one railroad track.
Unbroken high plains with few cows until we pass a feeding farm where hundreds of cattle stand pressed together in their own dung and eat. Resolve not to eat that meat again.
Into New Mexico plains give way to occasional high mountains and one volcano then we can see the Rockies. Getting high enough now to constrict Lisa’s breathing and give her a headache.
Climb at 20 mph in lowest gear into astonishing vistas at Raton Pass which straddles the New Mexico/ Colorado border and at the very top get marshalled into an RV park with a horde of others, each with an amazing view. Lisa ill with altitude sickness. I walked across the border into Colorado and saw an amazingly large view the other way. Soft hues but highly detailed in close-up. Bear and mountain lion country outside so extra garbage care. Wifi so take four hours to set up this all up on the internet. Pictures take forever to upload.
We travelled from Bumf Texas Lake Meredith to Raton New Mexico. New Mexico gorgeous. Stepfording through 212 miles - can see what Georgia O liked. About 100 miles north of Taos - hard to see and feel very weird. Suppose its the height - over 7500 feet - keep smiling maybe he sees double too.