Hike and a Drive

Today's starting point off the Alamo Peak Road

We hiked another section of the Rim Trail this morning, from Parking area 5 to Atkinson Field.  Our only encounter with other humans was an unfortunate one:  two dirt bikers motoring along the narrow trail.  At least they were respectful of our presence.  After our hike we did a drive we've not done before, from the Sunspot Highway near Cloudcroft down the Karr Canyon Road (FR 63), the first four miles of which is a steeply descending, narrow dirt road that drops nearly 2,000 feet to the village of High Rolls.  It was a lot of fun.

Dr. K doing a little bushwhacking

Large meadow

Getting going on another section of the Rim Trail

A forest of pines and Aspens

Large decaying pine producing a lot of litter

When you hear something you must stare intensely

The Alamo Peak Observatory, used to monitor missiles at White Sands

What looks like a sapling was growing within the bark of the Aspen

I thought this was a type of bee, but it's a Bombyliid Fly (aka "bee fly)

Road through the high forest