Little Bug Season

Ready from the word "go"

We've got the rain, the heavy air laden with humidity, the overcast skies and an abundance of plant life.  Now all we need are the swarms of gnats and punkies to put the annoyance icing on the cake, so to speak.  Well, no need to wait any longer.  The little bugs were swarming all over out there today, tiny black insects that sounded like a dentist's drill in my ear, miniscule pests that were drowning in the sweat from my brow.  Oh how I love monsoon season in the desert.

A large Tarantula Hawk

The hole the Tarantula Hawk was hanging around

This Tarantula Hawk was nearly 2" long

Need a laxative?  Try Senna

A lush Chihuahuan Desert

Nose welded to the ground

On the road around Tortugas

Devil's Claw (aka "Unicorn Plant" Proboscidea altheaefolia)

Closeup of a Devil's Claw flower

A forest of healthy Ocoillos

Devil's Head (Echinocactus) about to bloom

Velvety Nerisyrenia (Mustard plant)

Heading Downcountry

Clearing skies

It was downright chilly when Dr. K, Becca and I hit the trail this morning.  We did the Grand View again as a prelude to heading down to the lower desert.  Regarding the windy and almost cold conditions I told Dr. K, "Remember this feeling for when we get back to the low country."  But it's not too bad right now here in the Chihuahuan Desert; I think it's only in the mid-80s in the late afternoon.  

Sotol and boulders

Sun spots on the mountain

A rails-to-trails trail

Pausing to check out the vista

Dynamic sky

The benefits of rain

Clouds come and go

Cowboy and Becca do-si-do

A happy Champ

Best buds

Champ has had enough

After the Shower

Looking south from our place

Our morning trek was delayed about half an hour by a morning storm; it made for a spectacular rainbow to the south.  Our hike along the Grand View Trail was under an overcast sky for half the time, but when the sun was out it felt pretty miserable because of the high humidity.  We had a good outing, though, running into absolutely no-one on the trail.  Sorry to sound misanthropic, but I prefer my hikes sans other humans.  (Except for Dr. K, of course.)

Brilliant morning rainbow (they almost never translate well as images)

The rainbow actually appears to dip down on this side of the mountain

This image and the next:  Mountain Rose

Pattern on a boulder

Mountain Mahogany in bloom

Always a willing hiker

Across the high desert to the Sacramento Mountains

The sun made for steamy conditions

Looking down the mountain at White Sands National Monument

Coyote scat (notice the undigested Prickly Pears and seeds)

Part of a Juniper forest

Area of many Sotols

The black gravel is where a section of railroad bed used to lie (now the trail)

Muddy But Nice

Wallflowers

Due to the abundance of rain the Sacramento Mountains have received of late the trails in the high country are mud-laden.   It's annoying for hiking, but the wet dirt provides a medium for animal tracks.  We saw some very interesting ones on our trek today, including, I'm fairly certain, one from a good-sized black bear.  We did a two-hour hike out of Parking Area 3 on the Rim Trail, and we thoroughly enjoyed it despite the muddy conditions.

Skyrocket Gilia

Moseying along the Rim Trail out of Area 3

Mixed marriage

A scary-looking find, but probably the track of a large dog

Long way down

Bushwhacking in heavy foilage

The narrow Rim Trail

Stand of Aspens

The Tularosa Basin

On the lookout for critters

The top track appears to be from a bear

Across from the meadow

The meadow

Trumpet phlox (aka Skyrocket Gilia)

Skyrocket Gilia