Sometimes messages are loud and clear and easy to read. We especially try to do this with warnings.
Getting to McCarthy is not always easy.
Sometimes they need a little interpretation.
Residents of the Wrangells really like their guns.But are generally kind, loving people.
Sometimes we read messages from the past, but can no longer understand them.
These petroglyphs are nearly a thousand years old.What does this mean?
Sometimes what might seem like a message is just a coincidence.
Truth in advertising?
But sometimes we think a clear message is just a coincidence.
Melting permafrost due to climate change is trouble for Alaska roads.
Nature sends us lots of messages. Some are easy to read.
A Kangaroo Rat came by here last night.Termination dust (snow) means it’s time for snowbirds to fly.
This message I read loud and clear every autumn.
Leaves are falling all around It’s time I was on my way
Sometimes Nature’s messages need a little interpretation. For instance, when an animal turns its back to you like this, they’re saying, “I’m pretending you’re not there. Now go away and leave me alone!”
Leave me alone!
Or when the fireweed reaches the top of its stem, it means summer is over.
Summer is ending!
We ignore some of nature’s messages at our own peril.
Be bear aware!
Here’s another one we are ignoring at our own peril. Global climate change is real. Sea levels are rising. I awoke one day last month to find that the sea had invaded the yard and the ocean was throwing logs onto the lawn. The homeowners say this has never happened before, but I’m willing to bet it won’t be long before it happens again. Mother Nature is sending us clear messages. You might even call them warnings. We need to pay attention.
Sea levels are rising.
Thanks to Wind Kisses for this week’s Lens-Artists Photo Challenge, Messages.
It’s a long way between towns in the desert, and sometimes the road seems endless and lonely. I love those far lonely drives, so I wouldn’t call it monotonous, but I do have to admit that there are big stretches where nothing especially stands out.
It seems that when there is a lack of natural landmarks, people feel compelled to fill in the blanks. Occasionally strange, off-the-wall objects spark up the view in those empty miles. I decided to write about a few of them for this week’s Lens-Artists Photo Challenge: Interesting Objects.Â
They’re listening. Is anybody out there?
Highway 60 in New Mexico is one of those highways. Towns are 20, 30, 40 miles apart. And when you do reach a town, don’t blink or you’ll miss it. But there are a few things out there that can shake you out of your highway trance.
One is the Very Large Array, a couple of miles east of Datil. It’s a radio telescope facility. Astronomers use radio waves to capture light in other spectrums and waves besides visible light, giving them a much more complete picture of what’s out there in the Universe than we could see if we just used visual information. The landscape is littered with humongous dish antennas, set out in a long, long line as far as you can see on either side of the highway.
Rural Outdoor Art
A little farther west I came upon this interesting collection of windmills. There were a couple of mannequins included in the display, I guess to give a sense of scale.
Catron County is popular with hunters. In the town of Quemado, I found a Christmas tree made out of deer antlers.
Merry Christmas?
When I drove through Arizona this year, it felt more like the Wild West than it ever had before. I’ve driven through the state many times, but never before have I seen so many signs and storefronts offering guns for sale. I live in Alaska, a state where most households own firearms, so I understand folks exercising their right to bear arms, but this year in Arizona it was over the top. It seemed a bit hysterical. I believe those folks are convinced Armageddon is coming. Or they want to help bring it on. In Wikieup, I guess maybe guns are not enough. They’ve got rockets!
Arizona likes its weapons.
One of the loneliest stretches of highway out there is California Highway 62, between Joshua Tree and the Arizona border. Suddenly, in the loneliest bleakest part of the road, you come to a few burnt-out foundations and crumbling walls surrounded by a broken-down barbwire fence. The fenceposts are decorated with sneakers, thousands of them. They’re mostly sneakers, but there are a few other shoes and gloves included in this bizarre display. Why did this site become the West’s athletic shoe graveyard? I have no idea.
Another rural art installation. This one is anonymous and interactive, kind of like graffitti.
These are only a few of the many strange and interesting objects to be found along those lonely desert highways. Maybe you have a favorite that I haven’t mentioned. Share it with us in the comments.
Thank you, Patti, for hosting this week’s photo challenge.
