Driving north along the low road to Taos from Santa Fe, there is a point where you crest a hill and discover the amazingly wide vista of the Taos Valley with the Sangre de Cristos mountains to the east and the Rio Grande Gorge to the west. At the peak is a beautiful solitary tree standing high above the sagebrush in front of which is a mailbox, its red color in vivid contrast to the blues and greens of nature. This image has inspired both "A Northern View" and "Red Mailbox".

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