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Thursday, August 13, 2015

A Duo on the Grand View

Chamisa
Dr. K twisted her ankle on our long hike yesterday, and it swelled slightly.  She iced it on and off the rest of the day, but because it hurt this morning she decided it was best not to come along on the hike.  Becca and I did a 90-minute trek on the Grand View, and I found some interesting things to photograph, especially the Turkey Vultures who were feasting on carrion across from the Grand View trailhead.  Many flew off as we approached at the end of our hike, but a few stayed anchored to trees, some even watching us curiously.  Were they waiting to see if one or both of us would keel over?
Some of the critters that inhabit this area

View from the Grand View

Mesas above the Tularosa Basin

Shadows along the trail

Chihuahuan Flax

Indian Paintbrush

Chihuahuan Flax

Heading through the cut

Rails-to-Trails ramada at the halfway point

Beyond the mountains White Sands National Monument

Many shady spots along the trail

Sotols growing just off the trail

This and following:  Apache Plume flower



Mesquite beans (good for making flour)

Allthorn

Sand Verbena

Black Swallowtail

Black Swallowtail

Unsettling to be eyed by this scavemger

Stealth:  Raven or Crow?

Turkey Vultures perched near a carcass

Turkey Vultures are very large raptors

This one looks as if it's wearing an overly-large bird suit


At the trailhead

Two of our neighbor's horses

Pastoral scene in High Rolls, New Mexico

4 comments:

Dr. K said...

I'm glad those turkey vultures left you and Becca alone. Nice butterfly photos, Packrat.

packrat said...

Thanks, Dr. K. Wish you had been there.

:)

Scott said...

Packrat: I assume the post is entitled "Duo" because it should have been "Trio." Kali stepped off a curb the first night we were on vacation last year and her ankle blew up like a balloon. (You can imagine what kind of mood I was in after that, let alone what Kali was shaving to endure [from her ankle and from me).) We were sure it was broken, but it wasn't--just badly sprained, thank goodness. I hope Dr. K gets better fast.

I did my bicycle ride yesterday and am glad I "played hookey." I rode the paved bicycle trail in the city park paralleling my creek downstream of my preserve. Total distance: 17.5 miles. You might think, "Of course he's glad he played hookey." But, actually, sometimes that ride depresses me. The park is overused and abused, and the city doesn't have the money to repair the wear and tear. Bridge abutments over the creek are full of graffiti, and the woods are full of invasive plants. Sometimes, I come home feeling worse than I did before I went out. But, for whatever reason, I had a good time yesterday. It was warm, but not too hot, it was sunny, and there weren't many people on the trail (weekday afternoon), so I had a good ride.

packrat said...

Thanks for the kind words for Dr. K, Scott.

I'm glad you had a good ride, and a pretty long one at that. I must say that your description of the park did sound somewhat depressing, but it is what it is, right?

When I was teaching at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, Arizona I commuted to school (17-mile round-trip) for quite a while before almost getting hit by a school bus one day and, another day, nearly running over a rattlesnake. I went back to driving our old Toyota Corona after that.:)

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