Potrillo/Two Track

The two track wanders through a plain of low-lying scrub. Occasionally the high pitch sound of ocotillo on paint causes us to slow. Volcanic rock lies scattered in the iron tinted soil partially surrounded by tufts of yellowing grass. Light travels uninterrupted on its path toward the ground.

To both the east and west there are mountains, yet at a distance that could only be guessed at. In the north dark mounds with flat tops break the horizon but impose no presence here. Here on the floor each creosote bush is allocated space and each space gives way to another.

The vehicle comes to a halt amidst it all and we step out on the ground. No place to make camp offers anything that others do not. The southern horizon runs on, extending indefinitely without feature towards Mexico.

Portillo Mountain Wilderness, New Mexico - January 14, 2023