Here, in case you couldn't see the short video of horses at a desert watering hole.
I uploaded it to blogger, but it was inaccessible; then I uploaded to YouTube but I didn't tell it when to make it "public" so it was inaccessible... hopefully this will work
Took a little excursion to a section of BLM (Bureau of Land Management) land here in New Mexico that hubby Ranger Leon has to patrol periodically. CLICK TO ENLARGE PHOTOS:
While much of his job is not "glamorous" (picking up trash like the shrapnel from TVs, microwaves, bottles, that shooters used for target practice, human waste, tires, etc. or hauling gravel for a nature trail), he does enjoy his outdoor "office" which is a far cry from his cubicle at headquarters in town.
You can see the Tacoma (white truck) off in the distance. Click to enlarge.
A friend of ours drove us all out in his Tacoma for a day of seeing the countryside.
One interesting feature which I did not get a picture of was the
watering holes dug by feral horses in the sand. Here in a dry,
rain-starved desert, the "wild" horses can find water and dig several
feet down until they can drink. Leon has seen horses on their knees,
reaching into the watering holes for a drink.
EDIT: from Leon's files - horses drinking at their watering hole. (Video may be "unavailable" on your device. You can see it on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yk7B9QEZ91M
The highlight of the trip was hiking around in a petrified forest: a geologic feature that, I would say, most New Mexicans don't even know about.
Lots of petrified tree fragments but also some very large specimens. Pretty fascinating.
This photo does not do justice to the subject which is a large, probably 10-foot long, petrified tree, just below the juniper, about centered in the photo.
We would have hiked further but I've had a bad left knee for several weeks and physical therapy is ongoing, so I didn't want to push it to the limit.
Below: Suque, our friend's dog, checking out the log from a prehistoric forest.
Several large "logs" are scattered over a fairly wide area of this wilderness site.
P.S. One of the reasons I don't blog much anymore is due to how cumbersome blogger has become. I have such difficulty moving photos and had to upload all the photos a second time because several disappeared when I attempted to rearrange them. Trying to get commentary to line up neatly between photos is aggravating.
Also, our internet can be slow at times.
The other, more significant reason I don't blog much is that I have nothing of interest to share...or at least nothing I'd want to bother you all with. Our life is pretty hum-drum and you've seen my vegetable garden, my flower garden, my pizza, bread and pasta creations, a few of our travels...but the quotidian is no longer good fodder for this blog.
Besides, my "audience" has dwindled to a handful of loyal viewers. I appreciate your visits and apologize for not being more prolific.
My hubby, Park Ranger Leon is assigned to Kasha-Katuwe/Tent Rocks National Monument near where we live, just a few miles down the road. In most seasons hundreds of visitors to Tent Rocks can hike the narrow trail up to the mesa. Because it is a terminal trail, people must come back the way they went up, sometimes passing others in the very narrow canyon.
The Monument has been closed since mid-March, because of the COVID pandemic, not only because of the close quarters on the trail but because visitors must go through a part of Cochiti Pueblo land to get there and the Pueblos have all been closed to non-residents as a precaution against COVID.
Because his work station has been closed, Leon has been reassigned to more remote areas under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management. These are wilderness areas set aside as wilderness study areas or for hiking, biking, hunting, camping and shooting. Leon patrols the trails, does trail maintenance, removes trash (he can't believe the amount of garbage people dump in these remote locations) repairs/replaces signage, repairs barbed wire fences, and generally does a lot of traveling on dirt roads.
So Leon wanted me to see one of the area where he's been patrolling and yesterday took me to "the office" where he works. Here are a few photos of the views from his window.
Cabezon on the left
Hike to the Guadalupe Ruins, an outlying Chaco culture structure.
View from the Ruins
Benni inspecting the stonework
Kiva
A piece of Chacoan pottery
Along one of the roads...on the way to an old Stagecoach way-station.
Another view of Cabezon
Cool rock formations are common in New Mexico
The people who build this old Stagecoach structure were not quite as precise or adept with stonework as the Anasazi/Chacoan peoples whose structures lasted thousands of years longer. This structure is caving in in several places.
Took a walk down in the Bosque along the Rio Grande this afternoon. What a perfectly glorious day.
Despite the fact that I live with chronic insomnia and fight depression often, today I was in an exceptionally good mood. I made banana-blueberry muffins this morning and to hell with insomnia, I had a cappuccino to go with one for my coffee break.
The most excitement we've had during the pandemic occurred this past Wednesday.
Our dog Benni went out the garage door on Wednesday morning around 6:00am when Leon pulled out to go to work.
He just never does that so when I smelled a skunk I announced to Benni who is usually sleeping in the bedroom at that hour, "Benni, don't go outside there's a skunk."
I got no response and went through the house, bedroom, guest room, kitchen, garage and back deck looking for Benni. Then I opened the front door and there he was, standing there.
So I let Benni in. The skunk smell was still lingering so I went outside. It was strong. I came in and it seemed like it was stronger in the living room…and the bedroom...
To make a long story longer...it FINALLY dawned on me that Benni got skunked. Amazing what living in denial can do.
Well everything came to halt while I got the peroxide, baking soda and dish soap to treat the problem. It did some good but Benni was moping around all day feeling defeated.
I told him that that was a lesson he was supposed to learn as a young dog, not now in his senior years.
Three, four, five days later the odor lingers slightly on his head and neck but is gone for the most part.
Photos: Down in the Bosque near the Rio Grande in Pena Blanca (near Cochiti) this afternoon. Cottonwood trees. Benni went in the water and the skunk smell seemed to get worse. Oh well.
The Maple leaves were at 4th of July Canyon State Park in Cibiloa National Forest, NM.
Went with the hubby and the dog, Benni, today to a BLM wilderness area called Bluewater Creek, near Grants, New Mexico. The hike along the river was a little over three and a half miles out and back.
The creek gets its name from Bluewater Lake which is upriver. I’ve never been there so I can’t vouch for whether the lake is blue, but the creek is not blue by any stretch.
Brown water creek would be more accurate. Much like every other river and stream I’ve seen in New Mexico, except maybe Sitting Bull Falls down near Carlsbad which is in an earlier post.
The waters, both lakes and streams, in New Mexico are mostly murky, silty, brown; but hey, water in the desert is a gift.
These waters are fast flowing and make pleasant babbling sounds here and there or louder rushing water sounds as they spill over rocks and ledges.
The trail crosses the stream at three points (maybe a fourth but the trail kind of gets lost at that point) and the engineers did not do a great job of placing nice flat rocks to walk on...so plan to have wet shoes if you cross the stream. Bring water, lunch, a walking stick, phone, camera.
The stream runs through a canyon with high rock cliffs on both sides in
some areas. The contrast between the rocky cliffs, the desert plants, and
the more lush vegetation and varied plant specimens along the river is
very striking.
I was especially fascinated by the wide variety of vegetation and the fact that many of the plants are not seen very often in New Mexico. Some remind me of plants native to my New England woods.
The area along the river is a micro climate and micro botanical garden.
I am not a botanist but I will take a stab at naming a few of the plants we saw. There are dense stands of small willow trees, almost bamboo-like along the river. Along with the ubiquitous Junipers, some Piñon, a few species of Oak, wild Iris, Prickly Pear, Cholla, Maidenhair Fern, Dandelions, wild Verbena, etc.
Here are a few photos: (If I have mislabeled any or if you have a better description, please leave a comment and I will make corrections).
Click on photo to enlarge:
Wild Roses (A Smaller Version of Cape Cod Rose)
Benni Fetching a Stick - Willow Along the Stream
Indian Paint Brush?
Cliffs
Wild Geranium
More Wild Geranium
I really want to know what kind of Juniper or Cedar or (?) has these yellow flowers
Unknown - These flowers are on a tree, similar to a Juniper
(Readers suggested Mexican Cliffrose or Mesquite)
Sad How People Can Ruin a Beautiful Spot - This came down off a cliff
Some Variety of Maple
Pin Oak?
Another Variety of Oak
Virginia Creeper
Claret Cup Cactus - Certainly not too rare in New Mexico
I think this is Horsetail
Wild Geranium
A Display of Cholla Cactus
One of Three Crossings - Plan to get your shoes wet
