Our Location: Near Tonopah, Arizona
A difficult time falling asleep but once asleep I slept well and didn't open my peepers until about 5:30 AM. It was the sound of rain and a bit more than a breeze that filled the air for the most part at that time of the morning. Upon opening the door that wonderful wet desert smell was wafting up from all around us. A few puddles and lots of wet foliage were the only evidence of rain though when I stepped outside to see if I could see the sun anywhere or even just hint.
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| They just grow everywhere. |
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| Of course the Jumping Cactus or Teddy Bear Cholla is also very abundant. |
It was around 9 AM or so when the clouds started to break up but only to bunch again letting us play peek a boo with the blue sky. However at some point the clouds did indeed break up, the blue sky and sun shine won out for the rest of the day. A coolish breeze kept us changing from long pants to shorts back to long back to short, etc. Finally we just gave up and once again opened all the windows and the door but stayed inside.
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| I believe these are form of Hedge Hog cactus. They are abundant and spring up anywhere. |
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| They just grow out of the rocks even. |
Michael and crew from yesterday are attracting more rigs. A van pulled in this morning and a small blue Mini Cooper was moving around the area checking things out and dropped by Michael's spot as well. Then they pulled into the spot Michael had vacated beside us but for some reason didn't stay. A few times it roamed back and forth but didn't seem to be settling anywhere.With the Dogsled parked off a bit from the rear of the Igloo I guess they decided they didn't like the spot. A short time later I noticed a big rig coming slowly up the roadway following a little blue Mini Cooper. They have a very long 5'th wheel behind the big rig. Definitely not enough room near us and for some reason didn't park back beside Michael and company but are definitely part of the group. So it seems as if there is a bigger crew than just Michael and his friend in the A frame camper. How many more will be coming, I have no idea.
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| Staghorn Cactus I think. Also very abundant and in various sizes. |
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| This is as far back as the trail went. It just kind of petered out. Doug if you look to the middle right you'll see the 'praying hands', well actually just the tips of the fingers. |
A chat with my dad this afternoon had me learning of the local news. Some rain, some freezing rain and some very thick fog were on the agenda on their weather front today. It was right on the freezing mark when I spoke with him at 6:30 pm ONTARIO time.
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| Quite the holes in the hillsides. The two middle pictures are faces on the mountain side. |
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| Staghorn cactus dot the landscape. |
A lazy day with lots of resting and reading, a bit of house work and a few little putzy things accomplished. Tomorrow we'll be heading into town for a number of things and to reacquaint ourselves with area. Today's photos are from yesterday's hike.
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| Saguaros in all sizes and shapes, living, dying and dead. The picture on the right shows the Igloo off in the distance. |
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| Can you see the many different cacti in this photo? Staghorn, hedgehog, barrel, saguaro and maybe even a teddy bear cholla if we looked hard enough. |
Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed your visit.
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| Splashes of colour, vibrant and tough but delicate too. |
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| Even in dying there is colour here in the desert |
Until next time... take care, be safe,
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| Blooms on a staghorn cactus. |
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| This Teddy Bear Cholla is anything but cuddly and soft. |
Deb
