The Trash-Filled Turquoise Trail

Michelle Worley here, L&LNM blogging today about the beautiful Turquoise Trail, as I've done before, but this time I'm taking a look at the dark side -- the litter.

I wasn't aware that there was so much trash along the side of the highway until my son, Daniel, and his companion, Mariah, decided to collect cans to make a little extra money.

They rode their bikes up the Trail from Cedar Crest to the Lazy Lizard bar, which is next to a gas station/convenience store. They figured there would probably be some cans around there. They were right.

I think it was the guide at the OASIS walk I went on last week who told us about how someone put little flags everywhere a dog had done its business out in the area we were walking. There were so many bright flags that it looked like a field of flowers.

If we did the same with every piece of litter, every can, we saw on a strip of the Turquoise Trail, would it look like a field of flowers? I'm not going to go so far as to find out but I suspect it might.

Let's look at the bright side. Here is a way to clean up our state a little and earn some cash. Mariah and Danny will take the cans they collect to Earth Day Recycling in Abq.

I could see elementary schools doing this to earn money for school activities and learn something at the same time.

Mariah and Danny plan to continue up the Trail, collecting cans. They want to donate the money they get to L&LNM and make this a project to see how much money could be raised this way.  I will be blogging about it as they go.

Right now, I'm watching leaves fall like rain from the tree across the street. In New Mexico, fall is fleeting! Enjoy it before it's gone.