A Grand View 2

Chipmunk

Dr. K and I did our traditional hike on the Grand View Trail this morning, and we had a pleasant encounter on the way back; we rounded a corner and were greeted by two well-groomed, white Standard Poodles who were very friendly.  The dogs were followed closely by two humans--a man and woman--who, presumably, the canines owned.

After our trek we returned to the cabin to pack and head down the mountain.  Our descent was halted a few miles down Highway 82 by a serious accident; first responders had the road blocked in both directions.  We waited a while before turning around, deciding to use Fresnal Canyon Road to get down to the desert.  It took us a while because we got slightly lost.  We filled up the CR-V in Alamogordo and made a decision to stop for lunch at the McDonald's in town.

Afterward we made the long trek back across the desert to Las Cruces, where the high temperature was to be 86F--14 degrees hotter than it would be in the High Rolls/Mountain Park area of the Sacramento Mountains.

Vista from the Grand View

This and the next:  Townsend's Solitaire

Yellow flower

Rails-to-Trails ramada on the Grand View

This and the next 2:  Smooth Spreading Four O'Clock

Hedgehog Cactus on cliff edge

Infrared tree

Wallflowers

Indian Paintbrush

This and the next:  flower growing in boulder crack

Don't know what this is yet

Heading back on the Grand View Trail