Seven hundred years ago, in a canyon west of what is now Albuquerque, a Native American chiseled the image of a star onto a boulder.

Today, eighty miles south of this same canyon, an astronomer points an array of radio telescopes toward stars in distant galaxies.

Whether artist or astronomer, conquistador or cowboy, Puebloan or physicist, New Mexico often seems the crossroads where time and space intersect.

Sedona’s red-rock monoliths punctuate the blue horizon in fanciful, rounded shapes, imitating the forms for which they are named: Mother and Child Rock, Twin Nuns, Three Golden Chiefs, Eagle Head Rock, Rabbit Ears, Coffee Pot Rock, Cathedral Rock, Steamboat Rock, Mittens, and Cow Pies.

They glow orange in the rising and setting sun, radiating warmth and peace. They pull at your attention. And maybe at your soul.

Texans are feisty about protecting their freedoms—and equally spirited about celebrating them.

In the city of Austin, freedom of expression is often celebrated through music.

The city bills itself as the Live Music Capital of the World. The Austin Chronicle lists 250 venues offering live performances on any given night of the week. The city’s intimate association with music is a long-standing love affair.