A First: An Archer

And then I said, "Take your munchie stick and put it where the sun don't shine."

It was cooler this morning out in the desert so the Heelers and I decided to extend our hike.  We did a little more bushwhacking than originally planned, but we saw some gorgeous sights in the process.

On the way back, as we hiked down the long dirt road, we noticed what, at first, looked like a black dog in the middle of the road.  As we approached I could see it was a black box; and beyond the box I saw the lifted rear door of a large white SUV.  Not long after that we spotted a man standing in the road looking our way.

As we passed the box--white on the side with a prominent target--I said to the man, loudly, "What's this?"  He said, "Target for bow and arrow."  He then told me that he placed the target there so he could spot anyone coming for hundreds of yards.  I felt reassured that he was being cautious about target practice.  When I asked what kind of bow he had, he went to his vehicle and extracted a black bow that had all the bells and whistles on it:  cams, scope-like sight, multiple strings, etcetera.  He told me it was brand new.  It was a far cry from the long bow I used as a Boy Scout.  When I mentioned that I used to target practice with the old device, he said many people were going back to long bows because the technologically advanced new bows were simply too accurate.

Both Willow and Frio were well behaved as I stood talking to the man, though Frio had to let out a few customary barks in order to keep the universe aligned properly.  As the Heelers and I made our way to the waiting CR-V we could hear arrows thudding into the cardboard box target. 

Ocotillos and Organs

Whitethorn Acacia and Organs

Prickly Pear with yellow blossoms

This and the next:  same Soaptree Yucca from opposite sides

Petrified pie

Two Soaptree Yuccas in bloom

This and the next:  same Soaptree Yucca with twin flower stalks

This and the next:  same Prickly Pear with tangerine-colored blossoms

This and the next 2:  Prickly Pear with peach-colored flowers

This and the next:  same Prickly Pear with yellow flower

This and the next 2:  pair of Heelers

This and the next 2:  same Soaptree Yucca

We bushwhacked in order to reach this spot

Last 3:  couldn't decide which image I liked best.