Stories from the desert

Texture and life
Somewhere in Nevada
November 2018
This photo originally shared on Instagram

A fascinating story plays out in the sand and stone far below my airplane window, with small communities fighting to survive amid some of the most challenging topography on the planet.

There's a certain poetry to the sheer breadth of the scene. Desert formations seemingly clawed out of the Earth's crust, built and evolved over millions of years with sheer contempt for life or continuity.

And in the middle of them all, farmer's fields, neighborhoods, homes, all carved out of the seemingly hostile landscape over a miniscule few decades, defiant for simply being there.

They call this flyover country, a place to be ignored as we move from here to there, populated by people whose opinions seem to matter less than those who inhabit the coasts. Of course, "they" weren't elected by anyone to decide which parts of the planet matter more than any others.

And while I may be miles above the heads of invisible folks just going about their lives in a place they call home, I quickly come to appreciate just how much of their story I can tell from the topography, and how much I wish I could spend some time at ground level and learn a little more.

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