Well, that was interesting!

2017 is coming to an end and the recent trip to New Mexico was another one of the highlights.  The White Sands have been written about in a number of motorcycle and automotive journals that I've read over the years, and certainly the plethora of social media posts make it even more intriguing.  One of the richer stories in my memory though is Edward Abbey's account of his maternal grandfather's fight against the U. S. Government as the military began to create a presence in and around the this region to develop the missile delivery systems that we are now so familiar with.

Fire from the Mountain is not a difficult read, in fact I read it in one sitting while curled up in a chair at the Michener Library in Greeley on a January afternoon.  But, the picture that Edward's paints of arroyos and scrub, sandstone and creosote, and ranchero life, and of an old vaquero fighting for the only life he has known, one coming into hard conflict with a military-industrial mindset, left an impression that has never shaken.  So, this trip, was really just another pilgrimage for me.  It was another way to connect with the 20-something Matt whose wanderlust never has been extinguished, and who is so grateful to have children and friends and family to share these pilgrimages with.

A year ago I was beginning to think of my West Coast trip, the "Grand Adventure."  Now, I'm working on time lapse images and movies, and will probably stay close to Colorado in 2018. I have one wedding to attend, one gallery exhibit, a lot of Wyoming to explore, and a motorcycle that didn't get nearly enough miles put on it in 2017.  

As always, thank you for joining me on this adventure.