Landform shot on a flight from San Diego to Chicago
A friend and I were recently chatting about how – in the hurly-burly rush of our daily lives – we miss the beauty around us. Before the conversation was out of my mind, I came across these images I took some years ago while traveling to San Diego on business. Yes, these are random shots of the American West, various sites and places unknown, but I began to wonder how many others noticed the same thing? Did anyone else notice the change from desert, to mountains to plains? I don’t know, but I hope I wasn’t the only one.
Much of what I flew over that trip was “fly-over country” not something particularity interesting or much to take note of as some people think. I challenge this idea. While the scenes passing beneath me 30,000 feet below are forbidding in some ways, potentially boring to others, they were regions where Native Americans lived and thrived while also being obstacles that our fore bearers conquered in making this country. These lands offered opportunity and freedom. Pioneers hoping for more opportunity and better lives for their children crossed these regions – sometime conquering them, sometimes losing all they had and sometimes even giving their lives. These lands helped shape who we are as Americans but I fear many people have forgotten that fact.
You may look at the image above ro of those in the gallery and think that the views are interesting, but it’s just rock, forest, and rivers. Noting interesting – they will be there in 10 year, 100 years probably even 1000 years. But they will never again look as I’ve captured them here. Whether it is the change of the seasons, the angle of the sun, even the flight path of the aircraft makes all the difference. What I’ve captured won’t be captured again – at least not in my lifetime. And I want to share this once in a lifetime opportunity with you to enjoy the images and see the beauty that I saw.
I want you to be open to taking that short amount of time in you crazy busy days to notice the beauty that’s all around us to see.
1 comment
Absolutely stunningly beautiful! And absolutely nothing boring about any of it. Stretch the imagination and it can be the surface of the moon or Mars. It’s amazing that it is part of the Earth and our part of the earth to boot.