Cottonwood Cathedral
April 4, 2015
Cottonwood gallery near Gothenburg, Nebraska
When my flight from Seattle was descending into Denver International Airport my first thought was, “Where are the trees?” You could see how the early homesteaders must have cherished the sight of trees — most often cottonwoods lining river and stream banks — as they travelled across the plains of Nebraska and Colorado because the landscape is so empty of trees.
Colorado landscape with cottonwoods
When I spotted this magnificent gallery of cottonwood trees arching over a road near Gothenburg, Nebraska along I-80, I couldn’t resist the urge to stop for photographs. The over-arching branches created a vault like the interior of a cathedral. Awesome!
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April 4, 2015 at 6:07 am
Beautiful, indeed. The third from last is my favorite, because it also seems to show the human presence most clearly, in the tracks in the road.
April 4, 2015 at 7:57 am
Gwynn is an Island right on the Chesapeake. The first time for me was 1966 and there was a majestic cottonwood standing not even 200 feet from the shore. The tree is no longer. I do miss it, even though it was solitary. There is a much shorter live oak which hangs on and is the shape of the winds coming off the Bay. Hummingbirds even built a nest in the live oak.
April 4, 2015 at 8:05 am
YES! The sight of these trees—There is nothing more seductive
April 4, 2015 at 9:10 am
So beautiful!! Glad you could see this and be able to share it.
April 5, 2015 at 7:30 pm
Fond memories… It was truly Cathedralesque, and you captured it beautifully….
April 6, 2015 at 8:46 am
Thanks, Cynthia. We were so lucky to chance seeing this. Many memorable experiences on our days together.