On Wednesday I drove ten miles east of Hatch to the site of an old mine at the base of the mountains. I climbed to the top of the high ridge above the mine with the wind seeming to get stronger with each step. By the time I reached the ridge crest, the air was a river-like torrent moving at close to 50 mph. Going over to the east side of the ridge got me out of the worst of the wind.     I don't recall seeing so many flowering agave before. I think they take ten or twelve years to mature; the plant flowers just once, and then dies. As soon as the pink buds begin to appear on the twelve-foot flower stalk, the agave leaves begin to shrivel and lose color. By the time the fruits have matured, the plant will be brittle and brown.