What does it mean to be “at large”? One hears it most often with respect to a criminal or a suspect. If they are “at large” it means they are free in spite of efforts to the contrary and nobody is exactly sure where they are. Except for the criminal aspects, that pretty much applies to this Idiot excursion. The Idiots are not so much making a journey from point A to point B as drifting from place to place… less like a fully rigged catamaran and more like a dory with one oar.
They like to get to the source of the phrases they use. They expected some involved history for “at large”, but the best they can sort it out is that it really hinges on the word “large.” In Latin, the root largus means "abundant… copious…" basically, “a lot”. It evolved to mean “to have lots of stuff” – meaning having more than one needs. So the term is associated both with having things and with having freedom - if you have enough stuff, you are free of constraints.
The Idiots have enough stuff. Actually, living in a 21 foot RV reminds them of how much more-than-enough stuff they have in their everyday lives. They definitely enter into a “less-is-more” mentality… a few clothes… a few pots and pans… simple meals of cheese, apple, and crackers… local products like cider, pinon nuts, pistachios, and burritos… time for naps… a big night is drinks and a video on the laptop…
The Idiots are at large – and they are living large!
A pretty good role model for living at large…
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The Idiots’ RV should have a bumper sticker warning “This vehicle brakes for brown signs”.
As they approached Interstate 17 after two days of wandering through central New Mexico, the sign read “Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge” with an arrow pointing south on a narrow, poorly-paved road.
With apologies to Bobby Kennedy… some travelers ask “Why?”… the Idiots tend to ask “Why not?!”
Broad fallow fields, abundant water, and a mild climate make central New Mexico a key area for migrating birds. Some stay, others pass through to Mexico and Central America.
As noted in a previous episode, migrating geese inspire the Idiots. If birds are smart enough to get out of Minnesota as the weather turns arctic and tries to eradicate all warm-blooded creatures in its grasp, should not humans take note and likewise head south?
Of course, many do. So many retirees head south for the winter that a term was coined – Snowbirds. The Idiots were amused some years ago when they heard that some folks in the Rio Grande Valley decided that “Snowbird” was derogatory and, in a poorly-considered spasm of political correctness attempted to replace the term with “Winter Texans.” The Idiots have never understood why Snowbird might be considered derogatory – in fact, they rather like the comparison.
(Now – if you want a derogatory term for the flocks of elderly folks who head to southern climes for the winter, try “Q-Tips” – white hair on top, white tennis shoes on the bottom… not a moniker one is likely to wear with pride…)
Bosque del Apache NWR provides a haven for hundreds of thousands of birds. The Idiots are not “birders” – they don’t keep lists of verified sightings and seek out the rare and unusual – but they certainly enjoyed a couple hours slowly traveling the many miles of gravel looping through the refuge. The natural setting and the fall colors of the Cottonwoods are sufficient reason to linger…
Where there are birds, there will be predators. Most of them are reclusive… the Idiots did not spot any bobcats or mountain lions or foxes – all of whom reside in the reserve and thin the flocks. One well-fed coyote made a brief appearance but proved to be camera shy. One resident that, like the Idiots, enjoys a lazy afternoon soaking up the winter sun, did allow a photo op.
The refuge is huge… and not all the birds present themselves near the road for easy viewing. A large flock of Snow Geese occupied one of the lakes.
Canadian Geese can be pests… in Minnesota they can infest parks and neighborhoods, producing immeasurable amounts of goose poo and stopping traffic as they occupy roadways. But in this natural setting – they certainly look “right.”
In November, the stars of the show at Bosque del Apache are the returning Sandhill Cranes. They occupy the flats by the thousands. Their conversations are a cacophony. Every day huge flocks depart in both directions, up and down the valley, returning to rest in the refuge at night.
The Idiots spent the night at a campground a few miles south near the town of Truth or Consequences. (The town changed its name many years ago to try to get a publicity boost from the radio and TV quiz show of the same name… it didn’t get the network to bring the show to town, but the name stuck.
A campground host described the daily flight of the Sandhills… how they head due south over the campground each morning in perfect chevron flights. In late afternoon, though… she said it is like they all stopped off at a bar on the way home. They come back in singles and small groups, weaving back and forth across the valley.
The Idiots would like to visit that bar!
So a brief BSD – “Brown Sign Detour” – turned into hours lingering, absorbing scenes that have repeated for millennia. Watching this moment in the eternal natural pageant, the Idiots felt delightfully irrelevant…
And for the poetry lovers... the lyrics of Joni Mitchell's "Urge For Going'" If it sounds familiar, it's because it is perhaps Idiot He's favorite song of all time... and He posts it every year here in the fall... kind of fits here due to the reference to geese...
I awoke today and found
the frost perched on the town
It hovered in a frozen sky
then it gobbled summer down
When the sun turns traitor cold
and all the trees are shivering in a naked row
I get the urge for going
But I never seem to go
I get the urge for going
When the meadow grass is turning brown
Summertime is falling down
winter's closing in
I had me a man in summertime
With had summer-colored skin
And not another girl in town
My darling's heart could win
But when the leaves fell on the ground
Bully winds pushed them face down in the snow
He got the urge for going
And I had to let him go
He got the urge for going
When the meadow grass was turning brown
Summertime was falling down
winter closing in
Now the warriors of winter
Gave a cold triumphant shout
And all that stays is dying
And all that lives is gettin' out
See the geese in chevron flight
Flapping and racing on before the snow
They got the urge for going
And they got the wings to go
They get the urge for going
When the meadow grass is turning brown
Summertime is falling down
winter's closing in
So I'll ply the fire with kindling
Pull the blankets up to my chin
I'll lock the vagrant winter out
I'll bolt my wanderings in
I'd like to call back summertime
Have her stay for just another month or so
But she's got the urge for going
So I guess she'll have to go
She gets the urge for going
When the meadow grass is turning brown
All her empire's falling down
Winter's closing in.
And I get the urge for going
When the meadow grass is turning brown
And summertime is falling down.
....but all the other pics are just gorgeous! I'm so happy that you and your DW can make these wonderful trips together (and take us along with you through your narratives). 
