R is for Rio Grande Gorge

If you follow the Rio Grande southward, it changes dramatically. The Rio Grand Gorge is near Taos and has carved a path through rock that's hundreds of feet deep.  The Gorge Bridge is nearly 600 feet above the river.  But we folks are thirsty in the Southwest. We dam up the river at Elephant Butte and Caballo Lake, we drain it off, and we drink it up. The river depends heavily on Rocky Mountain snowmelt, so when the snows don't come, the water flow is greatly lessened. By the time you reach my home city of Las Cruces over 200 miles to the south, the water can be completely gone. You can walk across a dry river bank without wetting the soles of your shoes.