Grand Times on the Grandview

The Sacramento Mountains near High Rolls, New Mexico

There's still a smattering of snow here in the high country--just enough to make conditions somewhat sloppy.  And Becca sees nothing wrong with traipsing through mud wherever she finds it.  Good thing we bought the Paw Plunger a few years back, a mammoth coffee-cup paw cleaner that has brushes inside.  It makes the task of cleaner her feet a whole lot easier once we're back in the mud room at our cabin.

Headed down the trail

The Tularosa Basin

White Sands at the base of the San Andres Mountains

Just enough of the white stuff to make Snow Dog happy

A trio of intrepid hikers

From High to Higher Desert

It was quite overcast when the Beckster and I started off this morning, but things began to clear as we approached the end of our hike.  We abbreviated the trek somewhat because we were setting off for the Sacramento Mountains just after noon.

A Winter's Day

Who's eating the Prickly Pear Cactus?  Ouch!

Yesterday was the winter solstice, and it was appropriately cold here in the northern Chihuahuan Desert.  It was warmer this morning--about 35 degrees Fahrenheit--but owing to the cloud cover and a persistent wind it felt quite chilly.  Nevertheless, there were a few other outdoor enthusiasts on and about the mountain, though we didn't run into any.  The bite of the Prickly Pear pad (at left) reminds me of the Collared Peccaries (Javelina) we've seen in the Chisos Mountains of Big Bend National Park, who include the cactus as part of their diet--spikes and all.  Yum.

Stoic dog pose

The Franklin Mountains near El Paso, Texas

In the rolling foothills of Tortugas (Tortoise) Mountain

Frigid Trek

Although the temperature was higher this morning than it was at the same time yesterday, the weather felt brutal due to a constant, biting wind.  It was almost too cold to take photographs; so I limited my picture-taking stops to only a few.  Had to shorten the hike, too, because it just wasn't that much fun trekking tortoise-like, my chin tucked down in the raised collar of my vest inside my waterproof anorak.  Funny how Becca never seems too perturbed by the cold.

20 Degrees Fahrenheit

Yesterday's wind was horrendous, and the cold front it ushered in packed quite a punch.  It was extremely cold when Becca and I headed out this morning, aided and abetted by a persistent wind.  Even though the sun shone brightly throughout our trek, things never warmed up significantly, although I think we're slated to slip up to 45 F. today.

God's Dog

A very curious Coyote

We saw Ms. Canis Latrans (Coyote) in the distance and cut across her path to create a close encounter.  She came up over a ridge to get a closeup view of us--of Becca, really.  At a distance of about 25 feet we stood staring at each other.  Ms. Latrans was very patient as I took several photos of her.  After she inspected Becca thoroughly, and deemed her no threat, Ms. Latrans took off up the mountain.  The weather was very bad for our hike, high winds and blowing dust.

She's staring at Becca from about 25 feet away

Time to move on

Pichacho (upper left) barely visible in the blowing dust

Sun leaking through the clouds

Cloudy, dusty day



Miracle near Bishop's Cap



God's dog has nothing on Becca

Red Ribbons and Flags

Red flag trail marker

I wish that the people who had marked the running route for last week's event would return and remove the red flags and ribbons they put out to mark the trail.  I understand that the color red stands out well in the desert, allowing for ease of following, but it also stands out annoyingly well when all the runners are gone. 

Red ribbon tied to Creosote Bush

There's a dog in this photo

What's kicking up dust near Bishop's Cap?

There's the intrepid hiker