The Aerial Horizon

Along the edge of the Llano Estacado in Northwest Texas, lies Palo Duro Canyon. It is a thin spot in the earth where the soul of an old nation became bound by the will of new one. Here the Quahadi Band of Comanche made their last stand before bowing to federal might. The book, “Empire of the Summer Moon” by S.C. Gwynne tells a great story of this once powerful warrior nation and it is well worth the read. For me, understanding a little more of the history informs my interpretation of the landscape and transforms each scar on the plain into an historical marker where I may reflect on the past and the evolution of the landscape beneath me.