Mirages

One of the neatest things about living on the Great Plains is seeing Mirages.

And, I'm not talking about just heat mirages. Heat mirages are those wet spots you see on the highways during the summer. You know, those spots that look like the road is wet, but they stay just ahead of you, you never get to that wet spot in the road.

We see a lot of Mirages. And we saw a lot of them around Colby. There was one morning, one spring morning I remember distinctly. As we drove south to town, there was another town just a couple of miles off to the west of us. Their Grain Elevator was so clear, and the houses were just sitting there. Except there wasn't a town there. It was a mirage. But it was so clear, that you just thought the town of Levant, which normally was a good 10 miles away looked to be just a mile away.

Sometimes, we'd see Mountains south of Colby. Well, maybe not mountains, but there would be a high level of hills just south of Colby. Beautiful blueish, foggy, misty hills. In reality, there are no hills south of Colby. Well, not for miles and miles.

Down here, most of the mirages we notice revolve around Spearville's Wind Generator farm. It's located North of Spearville. The closest we drive to Spearville is probably 15 miles. And yet, sometimes, those darn Wind Generators move. One day, they'll just be west of Spearville. Other day's, they'll be South of Spearville. Some days, it looks like we're going to drive right by the Wind farm.

It's easier to notice Mirages when they are of man made items, but some of the more beautiful ones are nature. Once, as we were driving to Colby, we followed a long cliff of gypsum hills. Their white ridge was just about a mile away from us. In reality, they were farther north, and much farther west, but that day, they just sat there, a short distance away, glistening in the sunlight. And they look so real.

Mirages. Just another cool thing about living on the Great Plains.