Rim Trail Trek

Just starting off on Rim Trail 105 this morning

We decided to drive to Sunspot and hike the Rim Trail which starts near the Apache Point turnoff; the last time we did it Frio was with us.

The trail was a bit muddy in places, but well worth the effort to avoid those spots as best we could.  The weather was beautiful, cool with a slight breeze.  We saw nobody else during out outing.

On the way back we stopped at Family Dollar in Cloudcroft to buy six gallons of water, apple juice and two bottles of iced teas.

All butterflies are feasting on Blue Vervain

No ID yet

 

This & next 2:  Nausica Fritillary?

Heading through a somewhat muddy area

Some kind of cone flower

Tree root with tree attached

Dr. K and Willow

Geranium with friends

Rim Trail

Bugged by bugs

Remnant of winter

The Rim Trail

Sign, sign, everywhere a sign

Daisy

This & next 6:  more fritillaries on Blue Vervain

Not a fritillary

Clouded Sulphur

Smoke Trek

Haynes Canyon with wildfire smoke from PNW and Canada

The wildfire smoke was somewhat thick when Dr. K, Willow and I set off on a hike in the forest behind our cabin this morning; each of us human critters had low-grade headaches from the pollution.  We don't know if Willow had one as well.

We had a somewhat strenuous aerobic trek up the mountain and down.  The most interesting things we observed during our outing were two butterflies neither of us had seen before:  a Great Purple Hairstreak and a Marine Blue.

After we got back to the cabin I got dressed in my work clothes and set about using the Kobalt electric lawnmower to take care of the grass and weeds on our property.  Now--3:35 p.m.--I'm feeling rather pooped.

Early morning moon

Sacramento Mountains

 

Davis Mountain Mock Vervain

Damianita (Chrysactinia mexicana)

Lower 40

No idea what this is

This & next:  Great Purple Hairstreak (Atlides halesus)

This & next:  Marine Blue (Leptotes marina)

Willow, explorer of mountain forests

This & next:  Indian Paintbrush

Not Threadleaf Groundsel

Taking a break

Last 2:  Stemless Four-Nerve Daisy (I think)

Grand View--Not

Early morning moon

A man and woman were just starting down the Bridal Veil Falls Trail when we rolled into the Grand View Trail parking lot.  The lot was empty, but two vehicles were parked along Fresno Canyon Road.

We soon learned during our hike that at least three residents (man and two dogs) from one vehicle were sitting inside the New Mexico Rails-to-Trails midway ramada.  Because the trail is so narrow there we decided to turn back and explore an area off trail that we've trekked through before.

It was a good move because we got to see places we've not seen in a long while and we were able to avoid any human/canine encounters when we headed back to our CR-V in the parking lot.

Not haze, but smoke from western Canada wildfires

Canadian wildfire smoke clouds the Grand View

 

Cliff hedgehog

This & next:  views from the trail

This & next:  cliff hedgehog

Willow on the long grass run

Don't see grass like this in the low desert

One of the few places up here where ocotillos grow

Heading back

Apache Plume

Lots of wildfire smoke

Cliff ledge with cacti

Dr. K with Willow