Dirt Road

Taking the dirt road

instead of the new highway

we cross paths with crows. 

When we first moved to Blanca Flats, I thought I'd never be able to deal with the three miles of rutted dirt that lead from Highway 160 to our house. I didn't know then that the roads are graded at least a couple of times a month by huge, dinosaur-like machines, making the washboard effect slightly less jarring. I also hadn't learned to appreciate the fact that the wind carves those ruts in the roads the way it leaves ripples on the surface of water. 

Highway 160 -- broad and freshly paved -- is relatively new. At one time, the primary route from the town of Blanca to Alamosa was a dirt road called Estrella. Estrella still exists, winding all the way to Alamosa (by far the largest city in the Valley, with a population of around 9,000). Estrella is still somewhat of a thoroughfare for locals who don't feel like dealing with the super-sized RVs or out-of-state drivers who are just passing through. 

I love driving around on the dirt roads now, admiring the self-built hybrid homes and trailer compounds. I love the road signs out stuck in the middle of nowhere, like some rural existentialist's idea of a joke. I love driving fast and sending up a long tail of dust when the road's just been graded. And I love the way the crows insist on sailing in front of my car at a stately pace, their black wings scissoring the air.