Just like countless people before us, we cursed the remoteness. The flatness. The dryness. The fragrant smells...
One day we strolled the main street of Clovis, hunting for small-town photo opportunities. Amanda and I were determined to find a picturesque scene in contrast to the typical 7th Street burned-out, shot-out, brokedown house from the '50s. Surely there was something good in this town!
Walking over the red bricks, I spotted a piece of literature eloquently transposed on a storefront window: "Clovis Sux"
Beautiful! Even the locals don't like it here, I thought.
Looks can be deceiving, however.
The beauty of this town isn't its well-maintained roads, its numerous breweries, or its botanical gardens. The jewel of Clovis is its people.
Every neighbor we've had was a born 'n raised Clovis resident, and if it wasn't an offer to become honorary family members, it was a Thanksgiving turkey on our doorstep.
"Need us to watch your house while you're out of town? We'll check on the place every hour, water your plants, and if someone tries to break in we'll kill 'em dead."
Sigh. Maybe we can bring them with? I guess Clovis wouldn't be Clovis if we snatched up these wonderful folks.
It was a blessing in disguise, living in Clovis. Like a cattle prod it forced us to get out and explore the region. Rock climbing, snowboarding, caving, oh my! I can't even begin to list all the adventures we've experienced here. A picture is worth a thousand words, so I'll let them do the talking.
Monster Trucks @ Curry County Events Center
Rodeo @ Curry County Events Center
Fun in the Snow @ Ned Houk Park
Blue Hole @ Santa Rosa, NM
Perch Lake @ Santa Rosa, NM
Balloon Fiesta @ Albuquerque, NM
Hiking @ Ruidoso, NM
Carlsbad Caverns National Park, NM
Hiking @ South Colony Lake, CO
Snowboarding @ Sipapu, NM
Hiking @ Capitan, NM
Rock Climbing @ El Rito, NM
Rock Climbing @ Diablo Canyon, NM
Great Sand Dunes National Park, CO
White water rafting @ Royal Gorge, CO
Cross-country Kayaking @ Lake Powell, AZ/UT
Canyon de Chelly National Monument, AZ
Monument Valley, UT
Zion National Park, UT
Rock climbing/camping @ St. George, UT
Hiking @ Grand Canyon National Park, AZ
Fall colors @ Los Alamos, NM
Blanca Peak, 4th highest of the Rocky Mountains @ 14,345ft
“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived”
--Henry David Thoreau
Amazing photos Kaiao! Some I've seen but most I haven't. It has been quite the journey here for the past 5 years. I'm glad you were able to do so much with it. It takes an adventurous person like you to make the best of it. I feel like you've done everything so there is nothing left on your bucket list but to sail the Atlantic Ocean. :)
ReplyDeleteWow . . . these photos blew me away. You guys have built some great memories. :)
ReplyDeleteThis isn't the Clovis I know and love. ..I like your version :)
ReplyDelete