Flora and Fauna

Turtle on the trail

Osprey screeching at us on the trail

With all the rain we've been getting there has been an abundance of flowers blooming and animals roaming around. On one of our rides we noted this amazing elk antler. Because it was so big and bulky we couldn't take it back via horse so I decided to hike out a couple days later and pick it up. Alas, someone else had somehow beat me to it. The tin miners descendants were having their annual vacation up in the mountains so I assume one of them snagged it. Next time I'll have to hide it better.

Awesome 5x5

However, the hike was worth it for many other reasons. When I was driving out to the trailhead I saw more javelina! I had seen some once before running away from us so it was nice to get a bit closer. Although up close they are pretty ugly :)

Javelina

I also got to see some gorgeous butterflies landing on the thistle that's starting to bloom. On the road to the Pottery Mesa I got to see mule deer one week and elk another week.

Mule deer

 I'm still getting up to speed on the names of all these flowers but every trail ride I feel like there's something new and different blooming so it keeps me on my toes!

Swallowtail

Rocky Mountain Bee Plant

Monarch

Thistle

Rainy Days

Monsoon season has finally hit and we've been getting some afternoon rains. Earlier in the summer there typically wasn't a cloud in the sky but now the clouds have been stunning. Back in New York, its very easy to see weather moving in but here you just never know what direction the storms and rain come from. Sometimes it will be rumbly and you can only see puffy white clouds. Other times it will thunder and lightning intensely then stop and begin raining and once the rain stops the thunder and lightning comes back. You just never know what you're going to get! Luckily, it hasn't really rained on the guests.

One afternoon we were up on the Pottery Mesa and some storms came along with the rain so we headed back to the truck. However our trip was not for naught as we got to observe the neighbors free range horses and mules. They were having a blast in the rain. One even had a stick in its mouth and was running around hitting the others with it. We watched them for over a half hour just laughing at their antics. One of the mules wanted nothing to do with the palomino but he just kept egging him on. It was a completely unexpected but it made our day.

Las Cruces, La Paloma, and Elephant Butte

Caravaning to Las Cruces

Over our last break Meris and Seth headed to Las Cruces while I hung out at the ranch with Meris' parents. We had an expedition every night to try to spot some elk but alas we did not see any. While in Las Cruces Meris and Seth bought a new trailer for hay. Therefore, on Friday Meris and I headed back to Las Cruces to turn in the old trailer, get the truck tuned up, and pick up the new trailer. We also got to go to lunch with Meris' parents who were in Las Cruces for the day. I got a delicious piece of  lemon pie from the Village Inn. We made a quick stop to get some horseshoe nails and the supply store had a variety of animals outside. It was funny to see camels, goats, and ostriches all thrown together. 

Camel and bison

 Meris and I had caravaned to T or C so I could spend the night there and hit the hot springs. I stayed at La Paloma and it was amazing! It was so quiet and peaceful. 

One of the baths at La Paloma

Sunset at La Paloma

They have unlimited soaking for overnight guests which I took advantage of even though the pools were over 110 degrees. It was just so dang peaceful I couldn't resist. Along with the relaxing, I was finally able to upload a bunch of my pictures to Facebook and Skype with my family for a few minutes until it froze. It was nice to see everyone's faces and to see Felix running around. I took one last soak at La Paloma and then headed in for my massage. It was a perfect way to spend a day away from the ranch and relieve my muscles. 

Rio Grande

Dam

I decided to head over to Elephant Butte State Park since I had never been to that side of T or C. I drove up to the dam to see the "elephant" then down to the Rio Grande on the other side of the dam.

The elephant

 Then I drove over to the main entrance to the beach. Apparently out  here the protocol is to drive your vehicle right to the edge of the water and set up a tent/canopy/shelter. I was nervous about driving in the sand and almost got stuck once so I decided to stick to the hard packed sand and walk down to the beach. 

The beach

The water was clear and warm and shallow. Of course as soon as I got out of the water I was roasting on the hot sand.  I debated setting up my tent since I had it in the back of the Mazda but I didn't want to lug it down. I decided to just grab my little black umbrella from my car and huddle under that. It did the job of keeping the sun off but I ended up spending most of the day in the water. The beach was busy but not crowded. I was amazed at how huge the lake was and how extensive the beaches were. It was a great way to spend the afternoon. After I had thoroughly roasted, I grabbed an ice cold slush puppy to cool down, filled up with gas, and headed out for the drive home.

Beautiful views

Lots of sand and water!

Above Taylor Creek Canyon

While we had another break from guests I was able to hit the trail again, this time to hike the other side of Taylor Creek Canyon. The forecast called for rain so I struck out at 8:30 to beat the rain (and heat). I hiked down into Akes Meadow, skipped over Taylor Creek and started making my way up the other side. I mostly stuck to the rim of the canyon to get the good views. It was higher than the other side of the Canyon that I had hiked so it was neat to look down from my even higher perch.
Because I was hiking so early the light wasn't that great for taking pictures but it was amazing to see
I could see all the way over to Wall Lake and back up Hoyt Canyon. I didn't see any critters (besides the cows in the canyon) No flowers either besides a prickly pear. I picked my way down the face of the canyon wall to get back to the bottom. I made my way back to the ranch before lunch with plenty of time to beat the rain that came in the later afternoon.