| The high plains are generally bereft of trees-the Denver area gets only about 14" of rain annually, most places west of the 100th meridian(the OK-TX panhandle border) get less than 20"-so the trees tend to grow where there is underground water, which is more prevalent than youd think. The giveaway to the presence of this water is cottonwood trees, whose roots grow down to access it. They also make for a good photo prop, as we see with the eastbound oil train near Agate |