Thread by @BeerPedaler

The road to the Big Bend is long, no matter where you begin, but it shouldn't matter because it leads to one of the most magical places I've ever lived, and believe me you should see it no matter how far you have to drive /1

You have to drive through a lot of oil patch to get here, a land ravaged by the endless pursuit, but the skies eventually open up and the roads get so long you can't see the end and it takes forever to get to whatever you're looking at, every time /2

There is drama at every glance, especially right now during the summer rains which are a daily dance between clouds and light, most afternoons dropping either 50, 500, or every rain drop in the sky. The fury is mesmerizing, gentle is not something the desert does well or often /3

The ever looming landscape disappears behind the curtains, only to reveal its familiar faces once again, one feature at a time, like a reverse strip tease /4

Some of these features are so stark that they always stand out in the horizon no matter where you go for what seems like hundreds of miles. Known by the most recent names humans have bestowed upon them, they must laugh because they are rocks, which don't need names /5

The ruins of what once was still stand, a testament to the tales of the slow death the desert giveth that everyone around these parts can and will tell you /6

Every plant is pokey and many have additional poison tips just to make sure, and practically any of them can grow straight out of a tiny crack in solid rock /7

But when the rains come, they awaken from the slumber of however long the last dry spell lasted with bigger spikes and spines and bold colors, perfectly complementary to the palate of the sky behind them /8

And then there are the rainbows aplenty, which I never seem to tire of trying to capture. I have yet to witness a full double arc across the entire sky, but I'm looking, and I always carry 📸 /9

Then there are these things that require much more time to take in, which is one of my favorite things about being here, taking time to take things in. I highly recommend it. Come see me and I will tell you what I know /10

If you can't find me, I'll probably be looking at the clouds, or the moon, or the scorpion I caught. Buenas noches a todos, hope to see you 🔜

/fin 🦂

@threadreaderapp please unroll