Light-en Bluff

Last Sunday I stood at the easterly entrance of Twin Rocks Cafe and watched as the sun expanded its influence over this small river valley. At the old Jones farm an east-west line of mist hung like a curtain over the field. As the sun's rays touched the frosty clouds, the fog glistened like a shimmering veil. The scene reminded me how traditional Navajo people believe there are portals to mystical, parallel worlds where sparkling, all knowing beings exist in peace and tranquility; a Navajo Shangri-La as it where. Watching this ethereal scene unfold made me wonder whether experiences like this are the origin of such legends.


Bluff Sunrise

Reaching into my jacket pocket and pulling out my iPod, I set the earphones and scrolled through my play list, landing on an a capella version of Amazing Grace by LeAnn Rimes. As she lent her distinctly powerful and emotionally charged voice to Newton's timeless lyrics, I watched the sunrise enhance, then evaporate the veil; ultimately consigning it to the heavens. With thoughts of mystery and magic in my head, and LeAnn's song ringing in my ears, a considerable chill ran up and down my spine.

This time of year, the morning light on the red rock landscape is awe-inspiring. At dawn, the tufted grass on the upper benches glows golden with rosy red undertones rising from the bumpy hillocks of blow sand. Stunted and gnarled vestiges of sage and Navajo tea add a dark purple, shadowy effect to the singular scene. Looking off to the wide expanses of the four sacred directions, there are shifting degrees of light and shadow. Statuesque silhouettes manifest monuments, mesas, canyons and clefts in soft, watercolor detail.

Dropping into town through the gateway rift of Cow Canyon, I see jumbles of fallen, rough, nature hewn rock of earthy red and sunburnt white. A ragged line of bowed and buckled cottonwood trees crowned in gold escort me into our quaint little pioneer settlement. The contorted roadway discharges into a wide river valley braced on the northern and southern boundaries by towering bastions of mineral stained red rock. A semi-verdant hayfield carpets the valley on the left. To the right begins the town of Bluff herself, its cluttered groupings of varied and unique home sites spread sporadically about town. The only similarity of these dwellings and outbuildings being that they rest closely clustered under cottonwood trees that have, somehow, writhed up out of the less than fruitful earth. These much appreciated topiaries offer shade in summer, color in the fall and dramatic, skeletal effects in winter.

The town of Bluff has always been an inspiration to me on many levels. Here I realize a calm peaceful niche where old dogs and no longer young men can sit back, relax, commemorate and resuscitate, and the youth can truly live. To be born unto this place, to be labeled a Bluffoon, is considered by many to be a high honor. There are those who claim membership through association, ancestral connectivity or simply adoption. We accept all positive minded beings with open arms. The more uncommonly singular the better! The unique atmosphere and attraction of this fair hamlet is based on a cosmic connectivity and magnetic energy from iron rich rock enhanced by Bluff's good citizens.

To come and stay one must be attracted to the earth; Gaia dwells here. We embrace the dynamically crystalline night sky, uninfluenced by light or man made structures. We are moved by echo, transfixed by visions of the great expanse and absorbed by silence. Traditional Navajo people promote the Beauty Way or Pollen Path, which translate into focusing on the light and evading the darkness. They seek the way of enlightenment and so do we. Whether you find your destiny through the natural world, the world of science or somewhere in between does not matter, so long as you discover your truth and your proper place in the world. Our search has left us here.

With Warm Regards,
Barry, Steve and the Team.

Copyright 2009 Twin Rocks Trading Post