A Ride (No Hike)

Mr. Frio riding shotgun

We decided to take a day off from our normal hiking routine, opting instead to walk the Heelers up and down the arroyo alongside our house.  That plan went awry when we spotted a huge Javelina crossing our property and descending into the wash.  It didn't seem in a particular hurry to vacate the arroyo so we proceeded cautiously eastward until reaching the boundary with our back fence.  All of the javelinas I've encountered at our place have bounded away at full speed, but Dr. K and I were a bit cautious because of the dogs.  We want no tussles between Heelers and peccaries.

So I decided to take Frio on a ride instead; I would have taken Willow as well, but she's not as enthusiastic about riding in the Jeep as Mr. Frio is.  We headed out University Avenue to gauge the progress of the roadwork there and continued past Tortugas Mountain.  We drove by the western boundary sign for Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument, continued past the entrance to the Sierra Vista Trail and campground and headed a short way up the road into Dripping Springs Natural Area.  Since I hadn't brought my camera with me I used my Samsung S10+ phone to snap a few photos.

It was quite smoky out near the mountains, a result of the fires burning in Arizona.  Someone told me yesterday that the conflagration burning in the Catalina Mountains near Tucson is already the 5th largest in the state's history.

This and the next 2:  scenes from the smoky Organ Mountains

This and the next:  Mr. Frio publicity pic

All except the last:  Smoky Organs near Dripping Springs

Mr. Frio about to commandeer the Commander