Along the Turquoise Trail
I was in Albuquerque New Mexico and needed to drive to Santa Fe. I had heard about the scenic "Turquiose Trail"; the off-the-beaten-track road. Prior to my trip, I had read about a little ghost town called Cerrillos. Sure enough, off the Turquiose Trail, a long dusty, dirt road lead me to this little town. It was high noon; a hot afternoon, and no one was around. The was a little general store with the lights out, but someone was inside to sell me water. The light was what Sam Abell would call "hard ball light"; that bright washed-out light with harsh shadows and no detail in the sky. About 1:30 pm, I spotted this cowboy riding his horse, but the light was so awful. I asked him where he'd be around 6 pm and he explained a slow, relaxed drawl, that he was taking his horse out for a ride and he would be back at the salon around 6 pm. I told him I'd see him then. Afterall, with that turquoise ring, blue work shirt, and cowboy hat, who could resist the chance to photograph him? So I waited for 4-1/2 hours. Sure enough he came plodding up to the salon around 6 pm. The sun was now throwing off that delicious golden light. The wood of the salon and the tan color of his skin were almost identical. It was worth waiting for him -- the cowboy in the ghost town on the Turquoise Trail. Cerrillos, New Mexico. July 1993.