Ingredients for a Bad Outing

Starting off down LDR-A

This morning we had all the ingredients for a bad outing:  Basset Hound and guardian paralleling us down LDR-A as we descended the LDR-A arroyo, the dog barking directly at us.  A jackrabbit encounter shortly after we bushwhacked straight east to avoid bumping into the dog and human, the jackrabbit taunting the Heelers by standing to look at us, flipping the paw before taking off.  A second jackrabbit encounter when we were in the Middle Branch Arroyo, this hare bounding through the desert, its antennae ears high enough for Frio and Willow to watch its departure for a long while.

The best part of the trek?  Both Heelers were fairly well behaved when I commanded them not to be distracted by the braying Basset nor lunge after the critters fleeing into the desert.  To make matters even better, both Willow and Frio did not bark at dogs being walked in our neighborhood as we drove home after the hike.

This & next:  inside LDR-A arroyo

Picacho

Rolling desert hills and mountain

This & next:  in the new arroyo

Soaptree Yucca

Barrel Cactus

Frio and Willow during the second jackrabbit encounter

Claret Cup Hedgehog Cactus

This & next 5:  blooming Faxon Yucca

White-lined Sphinx Moth