Rim Trail Section 3

Getting started on the Rim Trail, Section 3

We had a great hike on the Rim Trail, Section 3 this morning.  We kicked up some deer and an elk that Dr. K got a glimpse of.  Just as we were getting ready to do some bushwhacking to see if we could spot the elk two runners came up on us--a woman and a man--and we chatted with them briefly before they turned around for their return run.  We never did see the elk.  What we did see on the way back in was a group of mountain bikers--twelve in all--who were headed out on a "packing" ride.  Some of the men seemed really to be struggling from the effort.

When we finished our hike we drove back to Cloudcroft to pick up a few things at the new Family Dollar store, then drove over to the Western Bar package store to buy some beer.  The whole village was crowded with people, some at a fiesta, others at an art show, and still others just shopping at the stores along Burro Street.  The weather couldn't have been more perfect for outdoor activities on a mid-June day.

Oops--missed the left turn

Rocky Mountain Iris not quite unfurled

Aspens

Spanish Moss hanging from a Ponderosa Pine

Blazing ahead

Columbine

Scouting the trail ahead

Mountain Gartersnake

Someone is spying on us

A young Mule Deer buck (notice the new antlers)

Bearcorn

We went down there in search of an elk Dr. K spotted (never saw it)

View of the distant White Sands

Aspens, clouds, blue sky

Through a stand of Aspens

The trail leads through here

View from the edge of the Rim Trail

Looking down toward High Rolls in the Sacramento Mountains

On the way back

More Bearcorn

Mountain greenery

More greenery

Dandelion balls