The constant drone of the airplane engine's spinning propeller lulls me into thoughtfulness. I get lost in the beauty of the morning sun's glow. My day started at 5:30 a.m., as I departed from the Clovis airport in my single-engine Cessna.

At 9,500 feet, I pass over the rimrock between Grady and San Jon. I think about how quickly the country changes from dryland farms to broken rangeland covered with piñon juniper, cedar and shrub oak. Deer and antelope live with their predators-fox, coyote and bobcat.

The rising sun reflects like a mirror on the surface of Ute Lake. The artificial dam at Logan holds back waters that sprawl up the Ute Creek and the Canadian River.

The prairie is begining its natural reproductive process with plants putting forth colorful flowers. This is the purpose for my flight. I'm following rain paths looking for the growth that comes with summer rain. My job is absolutely the best, for it allows me to gather from Mother Nature's abundance and then spread her seed on the scars left by highway, mine and pipeline construction activities.

At 180 knots, Nara Visa, Sedan and Arnistad pass by quickly. I wonder whether these small communities will meet the same fate of so many long-gone villages that only remain in the skeletons of school houses and dry good stores.

Te twin peaks of Rabbit Ears Mountain mark the arrival of my craft at Clayton, a thriving agricultural community in the corner of New Mexico.

I bank left, looking toward the Western skies. Lower now, I pass over rolling volcanic plains rich with nutrients made evident by bright green vegetation. The land is still marked with settlers' tracks-now known as the Santa Fe Trail.

I pass over the old communities of Sophia, Farley, Chico, Wagon Mound and Fort Union and complete my four-hour trek flying over Conchas Lake, Ragland and Forrest.

I feel proud as I think of the accomplishments of the eastern New Mexico people-people proud and strong in history and culture. As I set up for my final approach to the Clovis airport, the thought crosses my mind: eastern New Mexico, what a cool place to live.