Linda and Regis travel...
Enjoying the gifts of the day with two dogs
City of Rocks
We went to City of Rocks State Park in New Mexico today. The rocks are remnants from a volcanic eruption that took place 39.5 million years ago. It was very interesting. It is located in the Chihuahuan desert. The place was very interesting and the best part is all the campsites located by the rocks. You can camp here and for only $10 a night. This place is heaven to us.
It was so quiet there, I could hear the ringing in my ears. I have ringing in my ears, but the sounds of the day usually cover it up. The reason I realized it was so quiet today was I could hear the ringing in my ears. The only other sounds were birds, insects buzzing, and the wind.
We went on a short hike through the desert. The trail has benches located along the way with shade covers over them. The benches are a great place to sit and observe and the shade helped Dart. He appears to get heated pretty quickly, so we could use those spots to water him and let him cool down.
When you first look at the desert, it can appear pretty drab. But if you look closely, you will see life everywhere. There are many kinds of plants and right now some are blooming. There are butterflies, moths, and other insects at the blooms. There are birds, rabbits, and lizards easy to see. There is a lot of evidence of other life that are likely hiding in the bright sun. I would love to sit on one of these benches in the early morning or late evening. Perhaps we can arrange that sooner rather than later!
We have seen lots of dirt devils since we got as far west as El Paso. Today did not disappoint. Dirt devils are everywhere (when its not raining).
After we left the park, we headed to Silver City in the mountains and decided to head back to Las Cruces on a scenic drive through the mountains. We left the City of Rocks in heat and by the time we got to Silver City where it started to rain, the temperature began to plummet. As we left Silver City to head back, the storm got worse the temperature plummeted to 39 degrees. We drove through a stretch of rain where large splats of slush landed. I have never seen anything like it.
Dart started getting antsy on our winding drive back through the mountains. I was concerned that he had to “go”. We stopped to let him out and he peed a lot. Since it was raining and he didn’t seem to want to do anything else, I put him back in the car. He got antsy again. I thought he might be having some issues, so we stopped in the rain to let him out. I took him out. He stood in the rain blinking his eyes at me because the water drops were bothering him. It was like he was asking “what are we doing out here in the pouring rain.” A bolt of lightning struck not to far away so I put him back in the car quickly and told him he would have to hold it! We eventually figured out what his problem was. Whenever the road got too curvy, he got up and started pacing. If the road straightened out, he relaxed. Sheesh!
On the way back we saw this small group of mule deer. They were curious and adorable.
Something I love about the west is the ability to see storms in the distance.
Linda and Regis travel... 
That is so amazing that you got that picture of the hummingbird on the nest. I’ve never seen one in person. I love the mule deer.
I’ve seen dirt devils when Robert and I would drive from Arizona to California. They are amazing to see.
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