Today we are travelling from West Texas to Tularosa New
Mexico near White Sands. I am leaving West Texas with an appreciation for the
area I did not expect to have. When we decided to go, the vision in my mind was
fabricated from the old westerns and modern movies like The Rookie and Friday
Night Lights. With a few rare exceptions I thought the entire place would be
flat, barren and dusty. As far as Junction and Alpine went I could not have
been more wrong.
Yesterday we had another picture-perfect day to ride the
bikes and head up to Ft. Davis State Park. At 6300 feet elevation. I learned
two things while there. I learned that my love of birding and riding my
motorcycle do not mesh well in the same day.
It was too cold in the morning to ride into the mountains. By the time
we got there around Noon, the birds were starting to settle in for the
afternoon. The clothing for the two activities doesn’t really work either. I
did spend some time in a very nice bird blind that had several feeders and
water falls and was treated to my first sighting of a Pine Siskin and a Lark
Bunting. I was hoping to see a Green Tailed Towhee, but it wasn’t meant to be.
There were several species that would have been new to me if I had arrived
earlier in the morning, I may have seen them. My bike didn’t mind the altitude
and ran fine. My body wasn’t a fan. I adjust to higher altitudes a little
slowly so my initial assent up a trail was cut short by my lightheadedness as
my body struggled in the thinner air. Instead of fighting it, we got back on
the bikes and spent the afternoon riding the unbelievably scenic roads through
the park. I looked at the Skyline Drive
switchbacks from below and wondered if I had the skill to ride it. I took a
deep breath and led the way up. Out of my comfort zone once again I honed my
riding skills a bit more and learned some things about riding on steep grades.
It wasn’t as scary as I thought it would be and we basked in the stunning views
at the top.
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| Pine Siskin on a feeder at the bird blind |
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| Rose's Claret Cup Cactus in bloom |
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| Skyline Dr. road assent from below |
The other thing I learned is, I really want to go back! Next time we will pull the rig up to one of
the nice camping sites and stay for at least a week, so I can really do some
serious birding and have a couple of days to adjust to the altitude, so I can
hike the miles of trails in the park. The Observatory was closed so that gives
me another reason to go back.
Riding the bike up into the mountains that morning was a
profound experience. The morning light lit up the mountain face, the air was warm,
and I was there on my motorcycle alone with my music, drinking up the scenery
around me. It was one of the moments, some would describe as feeling close to
God. I would describe it as feeling very connected to the natural world that
enveloped me. All my senses were heightened, yet I was more relaxed riding
those mountain pass roads than I have felt in an awfully long time.
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| The Haystacks from the South at Marfa 4400 Ft. Elevation |
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| The Haystacks from the North Ft. Davis top of Skyline Drive 6300 Ft. Elev. |
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| At the top of the park |
This morning the drive between Marfa and El Paso was the
flat dry west Texas I imagined last week. As I drove the motorhome, I was
continually surprised at the beauty of the mountain ranges that surrounded the
flat lands. I am excited to be headed to New Mexico. I have wanted to go there
since I was a kid. My only disappointment will be that the Georgia O’Keefe (one
of my favorite artists) museum complex continues to stay closed due to ‘you
know what’. I’ll have to stop in Santa Fe another time. For now, we head to
Tularosa for three days of immersion in all that southern New Mexico has to
offer.
Until Next Time...
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