Terlingua, Texas
December 26, 2019
Today was a hiking day along the Rio Grande on the Santa Elena Trail. How did I pick this trail? TripAdvisor. Apparently a lot of their people read the same review.
It was disconcerting for me hiking along the river (which is probably three feet deep and 30 feet wide at this point) as I thought about the tens, hundreds of thousands of people who have risked their lives - and the many who have lost their lives - trying to get into the United States across this river. Not here though. As you will see, Mexico already has a wall here. 🤪
I see all this empty space. We have all read the stories about the horrible conditions in Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras. Why can’t our elected officials come up with a solution to the migrant issue? It’s a humanitarian issue. Building a wall doesn’t solve the issue facing these folks. Isn’t there something different we can do to help these folks? I’m leaving it hanging here about all this empty space. There’s a reason it’s empty. Perhaps one day they will discover cobalt in this area.
I am not sugesting that the Central American migrant issue is solely for the United States to solve. We can't be responsible for solving all the humanitarian issues in the world. But can't we be a catalyst for change, for giving the migrants a chance at a better life if that is what they are looking for?
As I carried my camera and my iPhone along the Santa Elana trail, I wondered how many photos are taken in Big Bend everyday. 10,000? 20,000? And how many photos that I took today are the same exact photos as a hundred other people. It’s hard to “see” a different angle than others see. I still try and hopefully every now and then I succeed. 😁
One thing I know - if the light isn’t right, I’m just wasting my time. Flat light means lifeless photos. Photos into the sun - must be a novice. It’s 3 pm, and I’m camped out at a place for sunset in three hours, hoping that Nature will be nice and give me some unfiltered sunlight at the end of the day....
