What a sight to see!

We're torn between covering miles and taking in sights.  Couldn't pass up the Grand Canyon...
We arrived in time to catch the sun's rays setting on the canyon.





...and then tucked in for a shivery night.
Goodnight moon.

Temperatures fell below freezing and we wished we had spent a little extra and plugged in our heater!

In the morning we took a little hike down into the canyon to a favorite point--'Oooh, Ahhh Point'  it's called.  Most of the other hikers were headed for the bottom of the canyon, an overnight venture.  We were just in it for the views and a little exercise after so much sitting...



This little squirrel almost appears to be afraid of heights ( :

If you look closely you can see the trail zagging back and forth down the canyon wall...

This tower was the last sight to see.  It was built in the 30's as an overlook of the canyon.  You can climb to the top up a spiral staircase.  I love peeking out all the little windows.  Today it was thronged with so many visitors speaking so many languages that the tower of Babel seems a fitting name ...


And always, at every sightseeing spot, there are curios and souvenirs to buy... These sheep caught my eye.  They're a product of the Navajo nation.  I'll let the picture be my souvenir...

And that was a sampling of the  sights we saw this day. I'll quit with this one--a plaque mounted on a studio wall overlooking the canyon. And I add an 'AMEN'.

--Linda

27oo miles and counting...

We bid farewell to my beloved Catalina mountains on Tuesday morning.  Texas here we come!
But first the cool boulder land of the Dragoon Mountains south of Tucson...


What a nice thing rest stops are-- a place reserved for emptying bladders and filling stomachs and taking pictures!   The early pioneers never had it this good...


Joshua trees are in abundance  in New Mexico!

Ahh the great moment for Rachel... We cross the Texas border!


Just beside the highway passing through El Paso is Mexico...

We reached our destination for the day (Hueco Tanks State Historic Site,  east of El Paso) only to be turned back.  Too late to camp.  Sigh.

So while we regrouped we snacked in the car listening to the yip of coyotes across the plain...

Then we headed on into the night, arriving by night at another Park just in time to claim the one remaining campspot.  Up in the Guadalupe Mountains the night sky was brilliant.  We did some stargazing before tucking in for the night.


Morning light revealed our location more fully...

Yucca.

We got up and at 'em early-- heading for Carlsbad Caverns...

Don't Fence Me In

The wildflowers are subtle here and you have to look close but they are all the more radiant for the wilderness that surrounds them...





This one's camouflaged!




Twins!

"The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the Word of the Lord remains forever, and this word is the good news that was preached to you." I Peter 1:24-25
Hope you had a wonderful Easter!!

Morning Vigil

There is nothing like morning in the desert.  The air is fresh and cool with a hint of a breeze caressing... I went out this morning early to capture this last morning in the desert before we leave Catalina (a bedroom community of Tucson).

These new  housing developments have an enormous amount of rockwork defining the hillsides and preventing erosion.   I sat just above a wash area to listen and watch the morning...


To be still and remember...
the cooing of doves, quail partners calling to each other, the flutter of little wings,  songbirds rejoicing in the morning...
A wee yellow tit came to investigate this dark spectacled trespasser (me).  He flitted from branch to branch coming ever closer and then on around behind my back twittering to himself all the while.  Who is this? What is she doing here? 
Then along came Mr.  Roadrunner on his morning circuit.  He kept a watchful eye on me as he did his rounds in search of breakfast.  What a treat to have him pass so near!


After he had passed I quietly tucked my camera in its spot at my side without looking... and next thing I knew it was tumbling down the rock wall, bounce, bounce, bounce till it came to rest in the roadrunner's trail. Ouch!
And that's when I took my descent to amble about in the wash (and try out my camera to see if it would still function!).  Here's what I saw...


 
before turning my steps back to our host's house...


The desert wilds have been invaded by people since we moved away.  This entire community is new. (You can just see our car and Boler parked at our host's house).
But the wildflowers have found their nooks despite it all.

Don't fence me in!

A Desert Hike--the Canyon Loop Trail

 
The Catalina State Park is one of our favorite local parks.  First thing this morning before the day heated up we girls went with a few friends for a hike...

We had a funny experience as we set out... We came upon a man with a double set of hiking sticks coming toward us with a warning that just around the corner was a bear, or a bull... a big black thing right there around the bend.  And he wasn't sure which but he was turning back and  going to find another trail...
Now, this happens to be my favorite trail in the park and I didn't fancy turning back just as we were getting going.  Besides, I was curious--what was around the corner?  I've never seen a bear in this area, never heard of such a thing even.  I had to see.  Wishing Louie were here just in case... I took my friend's walking stick in hand and took a few steps, and then suggested we all go see.  We did.  And just around the bend here's what we found-- our Arizona 'bear' ( :

This land doubles as grazing ground for cattle.  Here was in fact a bull, but one not much interested in our passing by.
We continued on and had a leisurely stroll along this creek bed.  The water here will dry up in another month and be a dry bed till the monsoons come at summer's end.  So finding water here is always a treat.



Along the trail we nearly trampled on this little guy.  He's a 'horny toad' that keeps the ant population under control--quite harmless despite his fierce appearance.   You can pick them up if you can catch them.  This one skittered off in the midst of our photo shoot.



And so went our lovely hike...very different than the ones I've posted thus far, but oh so bright and sunny and full of memories of times past.  Thanks for  coming along!
"...He opened the rock and water gushed out;  it flowed through the desert like a river."  Ps.105:41
"I will make with them a covenant of peace and banish wild beasts from the land so that they may dwell securely in the wilderness and sleep in the woods." Ez.34:25