Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Sunday, September 9, 2012
Trail Master of the Blue Dot
On Friday, started down the Blue Dot Trail, late afternoon. Was dubious - looked like there'd be a thunderstorm. Imagined myself, alone, tripping on rain-slick basalt, bones broken, spending the night, fighting off coyotes and mountain lions. Even dry, the tread surface is unforgiving - full of loose stones that act like roller bearings.
Despite melodramatic misgivings, I made it safely to the bottom of the Blue Dot, and then walked north to a little beach along the Rio Grande.
On the way back, I came around a rock and saw a rattlesnake laying across the trail. It was really quite beautiful with it's cream and brown coloration. Less appealing was how, instead of slithering off like a good snake, it coiled by the side of the trail and incessantly rattled, daring me to pass. OK, now what if was toting a gun? Seems to me the best survival tactic would be for the rattlesnake to have gotten out of Dodge as fast as it could!
Despite melodramatic misgivings, I made it safely to the bottom of the Blue Dot, and then walked north to a little beach along the Rio Grande.
On the way back, I came around a rock and saw a rattlesnake laying across the trail. It was really quite beautiful with it's cream and brown coloration. Less appealing was how, instead of slithering off like a good snake, it coiled by the side of the trail and incessantly rattled, daring me to pass. OK, now what if was toting a gun? Seems to me the best survival tactic would be for the rattlesnake to have gotten out of Dodge as fast as it could!
Most of the rock in White Rock Canyon is basalt but this looks like tuff.
Small bosque
Western diamondback rattlesnake rattling along the Rio!
Buckman Mesa from Blue Dot
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Fall Colors
Walked along FR181/American Spring Road today. As I neared my car, I was struck by the bright color of these apples that someone dumped at the side of the road.
On the theme of fall colors, here's some that aren't. I took this photo in June at a meadow along FR181/American Spring Road. At first I thought it was a firefighter's boot tossed into the tree. When I got closer, I saw that someone had thrown a piece of ugly, orange metal into the tree to use for target practice. That's a mean thing to do to pretty aspen!! Today, I thought I'd try to knock the trash down (without killing myself). First, I found on the ground some long branches and then tried, several times, to push the metal out of the tree but it's hooked so securely over a branch that I couldn't do it.
On the theme of fall colors, here's some that aren't. I took this photo in June at a meadow along FR181/American Spring Road. At first I thought it was a firefighter's boot tossed into the tree. When I got closer, I saw that someone had thrown a piece of ugly, orange metal into the tree to use for target practice. That's a mean thing to do to pretty aspen!! Today, I thought I'd try to knock the trash down (without killing myself). First, I found on the ground some long branches and then tried, several times, to push the metal out of the tree but it's hooked so securely over a branch that I couldn't do it.
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