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Sunday, April 29, 2018

Our Favorite National Monument

Amazing what you might find on the trail
Dr. K, Becca and I piled into the Jeep Commander and headed east on Dripping Springs Road until we reached the entrance to the Sierra Vista Trail just west of the Organ Mountains in the national monument, a mere 17 minute drive from our home.  It's so fantastic to have such a great resource nearby.  Although it was a little warmer than it's been the last few mornings, a nice breeze sprang up to keep us cool, and we never felt hot during the trek.  Nevertheless, we made a point of keeping ourselves hydrated, especially Becca, who drank quite a bit of water out of her special water bottle, the one whose screw-on top has a drinking cup built into it, which is filled by squeezing the bottle's sides.  We saw a few mountain bikers enjoying nature out there, and we crossed paths with a woman hiker and her dog.  All in all, though, the national monument was remarkably uncrowded, and we totally enjoyed our 90-minute outing.
Old Man's Beard (Clematis drummondi) growing out

Old Man's Beard

Mystical layers

Ocotillo forest on a slope

To and . . .

. . . fro

Mother and daughter Mule Deer

Becca watching the Mule Deer depart

Morning at Black Mountain

Desert Willows growing alongside the arroyo

Secreting itself

Stegosaurus

Apache Plume

Apache Plume flower

Western Soapberry (Sapindus saponaria) leafing out

On the first plateau

Prickly Pear (Opuntia engelmannii) growing inside an Ocotillo

Into the pollen

Happy bee

1 comment:

Dr. K said...

It was fun to see the mother and daughter mule deer gracefully run through the desert.

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