Yesterday our morning forecast was for heavy fog until 9AM. Come on - a joke, right? This is the desert where humidity hovers in the single digits most days. We didn't even head out until 9:30AM and guess what?
Yep, heavy fog!
By the time we stopped to air down the tires, it was beginning to burn off and to become another of the lovely sunny days to which we have become accustomed.
Perfectly beautiful area for wheeling - lots of steep ups and downs and loads of wiggles with more beautiful views around each curve.
My favorite desert plant is the ocotillo - devil's walking stick. Here is a fence built using the "sticks". Often when it rains these dead appearing sticks will sprout.
During dry periods the ocotillo drops it's leaves. After a rain it sprouts new ones. And, often a few days later, it will send out new buds and finally it will bloom. This one has no leaves but has a bud ready to open. The flower is a brilliant vermilion.
An old stage stop depot. Note the adobe walls and the ocotillo fence in the background.
Vic decided we should check out Axle Alley - an extreme trail. We parked and walked. Oh, my!
This is the final obstacle. I can't help wonder who first decided this was driveable.
The camera can never quite capture how steep some of these hills really are - this one is a good case in point.
Coming over the top
We exited through Box Canyon - so colorful.
Today we headed out to the same general area.
Our first stop was at an old mine. From the tailings we would say copper was the ore they were after.
The distinctive jojoba. The leaf tips point up to the sun and the leathery leaves grow perpendicular to the sun.
Typical desert nasty...
The tree is the paloverde and it is entirely green from....
the tiny, tiny leaves and the branches......
to the trunk.
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