"Mile 13"

     This iconic scene reveals the vastness and wide-open spaces of the American Southwest.

     I stood in the road and wondered if the person at the bottom of the hill was feeling the same way about this place as I was. Did they feel the dryness the same way as I did? Did they stare at the blue sky and watch the clouds drift by? Did they wonder how many people walked here before the Europeans arrived?

     I laughed to myself and halfway expected to see a man with a long beard and red hat come running up the hill.