Overlook Nook
Up high on Mount Franklin overlooking the scenic Coronado area and the Rio Grande Valley.
I'm not sure how many miles one can see when looking out over the vast valley lands of the Texas, New Mexico and Old Mexico region, but it's a good piece. When I became a fledgling traveler getting accustomed to not being able to see so far was notable. When I was on the last day of my bicycle trip coming from Sierra Blanca and down around to Fort Hancock, the line of sight to the horizon was a great distance. I kept waiting for Mount Franklin to come into view. Finally it was popped over the dunes seeming a tiny hill. Each hour of pedalling thereafter made the mountain grow. My destination brought me still maybe some 12-15 miles shy of the base of that mountain to the east. For all my formative life, that mountain was my land mark in which to gauge my bearing. So at the close of the 600 mile journey that mountain was important, sort of like part of the picture of "coming back home". Little did I know at the time, that I would actually climb to the top of that mountain within a few days. Nobody knows how many times I thought about making that climb over the past 30 years. When Marcy spoke of hiking one day, I was up for it, but had no idea that she was thinking of Mount Franklin. I was just ready for a hike, that's all I knew that morning. So, when we headed out to Trans Mountain Road and parked at the trail entrance, the reality of climbing the mountain became clear to me. Just one more bonus in the 20 day period. Actually, I like to think of that 20 days as a huge event with many significant events packed inside of it, all of which deserve to be described separately. Even though it has been more than a month since I started the trip to El Paso, I am just now getting it digested.
I'm not sure how many miles one can see when looking out over the vast valley lands of the Texas, New Mexico and Old Mexico region, but it's a good piece. When I became a fledgling traveler getting accustomed to not being able to see so far was notable. When I was on the last day of my bicycle trip coming from Sierra Blanca and down around to Fort Hancock, the line of sight to the horizon was a great distance. I kept waiting for Mount Franklin to come into view. Finally it was popped over the dunes seeming a tiny hill. Each hour of pedalling thereafter made the mountain grow. My destination brought me still maybe some 12-15 miles shy of the base of that mountain to the east. For all my formative life, that mountain was my land mark in which to gauge my bearing. So at the close of the 600 mile journey that mountain was important, sort of like part of the picture of "coming back home". Little did I know at the time, that I would actually climb to the top of that mountain within a few days. Nobody knows how many times I thought about making that climb over the past 30 years. When Marcy spoke of hiking one day, I was up for it, but had no idea that she was thinking of Mount Franklin. I was just ready for a hike, that's all I knew that morning. So, when we headed out to Trans Mountain Road and parked at the trail entrance, the reality of climbing the mountain became clear to me. Just one more bonus in the 20 day period. Actually, I like to think of that 20 days as a huge event with many significant events packed inside of it, all of which deserve to be described separately. Even though it has been more than a month since I started the trip to El Paso, I am just now getting it digested.
Comments