In the village of Montezuma, New Mexico there are hot springs to soak the body in, a castle atop a hill for our fantasies, and an international school to fill the minds of young dreamers. The United World College – USA is one of seventeen campuses located across the globe. The school is geared to 16-19 year old students in a hands-on environment. The main campus building is the historic Atchison Hotel, now converted to educational purposes.

At base of the bluff that the castle occupies is a creek and on its far bank are thermal pools. The three pools, now captured in concrete, are open to public use.

On the high plains, or llanos, of northeastern New Mexico the deer and the antelope play. As I drive along paved and gravel roads in this wide-open wilderness, I see the denizens both individually and in small herds. On this day, amid a herd of does and younger bucks there stands a monarch among his kind; a king of the prairie, a pronghorn above the rest. The size of his antlers, the massiveness of his neck and head identify him immediately as the king of this domain.

Last night we had a bit of snow and ice. There was less than an inch of accumulation here at 6800 feet, but the volcanic cones to the northeast and the Sangre de Cristo Mountains north and west of us were blanketed.

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