Somewhere in the West
Continuing my month long series of posts with images made in New Mexico with the Great Divide as my focus or jumping off point. After visiting Thoreau, New Mexico, I drove north and then to the northeast through a portion of the Navajo Nation.
I spent some time traveling directly upon the Great Divide in this period, going through Borrego Pass, and then along Indian Service Route 483. The general landscape can be seen in the first image.
Just prior to getting to Highway 509, I crossed over the Escalante-Western Railway (ESWR). The sole purpose of this railroad was to transport coal from the El Segundo Mine to a power plant down near I-40. You can read about the line here. I believe another customer, the Lee Ranch Mine, had been serviced by the line as well but had shut down prior to El Segundo—which was decommissioned in a move toward renewable energy a few years ago.
Two images by Richard Koenig; taken April 6th 2026.