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Rec'd on 🤠 favourite thing(s) about the american southwest
The rugged determination (and the sunsets)
The southwest is my home and I didn’t learn to fully appreciate its unique beauty and culture for what it is until I left.
The wide open skies and horizons that seem to go on forever and the sunsets that come with that are breathtaking. The sparseness of the landscape is soothing to the spirit; the lack of humidity is wonderful for the lungs. The rock formations are insane. If you’re the kind of person who loves sunlight you’re in luck. And few things are better than the smell and splendor of desert rain.
Some areas like where I grew up can be incredibly isolated geographically and culturally from other parts of the US, where the nearest large (American) city is three to eight hours‘ driving distance away, surrounded with nothing but empty desert.
I would say the southwest starts in Marfa, Texas (highly recommend) and extends into SoCal, with the furthest north parts being in lower Utah and Colorado. New Mexico and El Paso have some of the best Mexican food in the country. The national and state parks are gorgeous. I don’t claim Arizona, especially since it’s become infested with Californians. Every city I have visited in Arizona has been the worst place I’ve ever been.
The environment and climate are hostile to human plant and animal life in a lot of ways (including urban planning in most major cities in the area) and the people can be suspicious of strangers and outsiders, brusque and unfriendly. The legacy of centuries of colonization, occupation, gunslinging outlaws, and war casts an inescapably dark feeling over the land. I admire the southwest because it’s an area where everything and everyone must fight to exist; it fosters resilience and self sufficiency like nothing else.
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@taterhole
Sep 20, 2024
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@harmanzworldd
Beautifully written! I like how you had this world-building element of this real and actual space, starting from the body (lungs, views) to the historic and cultural linguistics of the space (urban planning, unfriendliness). Super captivating! would love to visit
Sep 22, 2024
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@taterhole
harmanzworlddddd thank you!!! I would recommend Silver City, Deming, or Madrid to name a few favorites. Or El Paso if you’ve never been to a border town—very unique place
Sep 22, 2024
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@sillygirltypebeat
Yesss 🥲
Sep 21, 2024
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@verygoodvalentina
This incredibly eloquent– I've never been to most of these places, but you painted a beautifully clear picture of the feeling of being there. And honestly, sometimes the emotions attached to locations do a more thorough job of illustrating what it's like than anything else. Thank you for this!
Sep 20, 2024
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@taterhole
verygoodvalentina thank you I’m glad you enjoyed 🥹❤️
Sep 20, 2024
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