Fields of yellow~Mellow Yellow Monday~043012

I drove up through Garner Valley on Saturday.  It was a gorgeous morning and I really wanted to get out and see some scenery.  And, to my delight, the meadows were awash with yellow wildflowers!  They were everywhere!  I drove out one road next to a huge meadow and just sat and stared and listened to the meadowlarks!  These are some of the scenes I saw for Mellow Yellow Monday.  To visit MYM, please go to:   http://mellowyellowmonday.blogspot.com/

Beauty in mud~Sunday Stills Challenge~042912

See?  Mud CAN be beautiful, especially when there are fresh tracks in it, like these dog tracks..  Our local mountains had TONS of rain Wednesday evening, so I was anxious to drive up there yesterday (and see my horses).  On the way home, I took one of my favorite side roads up in Pinyon because I know it always is muddy after a rain storm and I found these undisturbed tracks.  There were no human tracks around them, but people do walk their dogs up there. Maybe coyote tracks?  Definitely canine... They were the only tracks in the mud.  I may return there today for another look.  Sunday Stills Challenge for April 29, 2012.  To visit SSC, please go to:  http://sundaystills.wordpress.com/

Bighorn sheep and a close call!

Well, a bighorn sheep was hit and killed up on the highway this week.  Some elderly gentleman was driving up the mountain and SPLAT! ran into a bighorn sheep and struck it and mortally wounded it.  Somebody wrote in to the local newspaper and stated that he'd seen the sheep hanging around the area for about a week.  Hmmm...that doesn't sound good (or healthy...)  The driver apparently wasn't cited.  And, I nearly was hit by an oncoming truck and horse trailer while I was trying to drive by a bicyclist on a curve today.  That road is BARELY wide enough for two cars, let alone bicyclists.  Frankly, I believe that bicyclists should be BANNED from the road.  Period.  There just isn't anywhere to go when you have to TRY to go around one and there is oncoming traffic!!!  I sped up to pass him, then, to my horror, the truck and trailer were slightly over their lane and we nearly hit.  I slammed on my brakes and avoided a collision (the LAST thing I want to do is to hit either an animal or a horse trailer!)...I blew my horn at the bicyclist and continued on, shaken but in one piece.

Fence post and clouds~Friday's Fences~042712

When I drove up the mountain highway Monday afternoon to get to the feed store before it closed, these clouds were spilling over the mountain.  I stopped along the way and snapped a couple of photos which happened to be right by a fence.  I like the mood of the top one, with the clouds spilling down the mountain. They were moving quickly because a low front was moving in.  We actually got rain down in the desert last night and this morning!  Strange weather, indeed!  Friday's Fences for April 27, 2012.  To visit Friday's Fences, please go to:    http://lifeaccordingtojanandjer.blogspot.com/

Animal tracks~Nature Notes~042612

Last weekend I stopped and parked at the end of the street where we had our 5 acres 35 years ago up in Garner Valley.  I've always continued to drive by the lot.  For years (many years...) it sat empty.  It was only a few years ago that somebody finally built a house up in the rocks on the lot.  My husband and I used to take our VW camper and our German Shepherd and drive up there from the desert and camp out on the weekends.  We took our little propane stove and had a blast.  This was BK (before kids).  I was pregnant with our daughter and we still continued to camp up there.  However, once she was born and our son was on his way, we could no longer make the $99 a month payment on it, so we sold it...sigh...I still enjoy driving by it, however, and at the end of the street there's a locked gate.  But it is also a trail to an old, abandoned mine further up on the mountain, which I've never hiked to before.  Last Sunday, however, I did hike back along the wash which runs down from the mountains.  I used to walk in that wash 35 years ago and saw bobcat footprints and even a bobcat.  My first owl flew over my head silently in that wash, too.  I had never hiked back 1/4 mile to where I was on Sunday and I was surprised to see a cabin back there, nestled among the trees.  I was so busy looking at all the interesting footprints in the sand that I nearly walked right up to the cabin!  I believe it is on private property, so I didn't intrude.  I did see all these neat footprints in the wash.  I think one set is a raccoon.  I don't know what the small ones next to my foot are...can anybody identify them for me?  I'd like to return again to this spot...maybe this next weekend?  Nature Notes for April 26, 2012.  To visit Nature Notes, please go to:    http://ramblingwoods.com/

Preparing for summer~Our World Today~042412

When I drove up the mountain highway to check on my horses yesterday, I was surprised to see all these water bottles neatly placed on one of the turnouts.  There is a trail here which a lot of people use (I've never been on it, however).  I occasionally see a couple of water bottles there for hikers, but never this many.  It made me stop and think that with our recent high temperatures (it was 105 degrees down in the desert yesterday) that summer is nearly upon us!  ACK!  Here it is, the last week of April and people are placing water bottles already.  Believe me, there are times when somebody would welcome a bottle of water, like one of these!  However, today was only 92 degrees!  I took a quick run up the mountain road to stop at the feed store and buy bags of pellets for the horses because a storm front is moving in.  As I drove to the summit of the highway, clouds were spilling over the tops of the mountains and the Anza valley was totally shrouded with clouds.  And, it was sprinkling.  Er, uh...I think Thursday's storm is already here!  So, we've gone from 90 and 100+ degree days to cold, wet weather up in the mountains and a storm rolling in!  Ahhhh....spring!  Our World Tuesday for April 24, 2012. Oh, and if you are wondering, yes, I have left full water bottles here, also.  This seems to be a major trail which I believe leads down into Carrizo Canyon, a parallel canyon to Deep Canyon, but it runs along the western edge of Palm Desert.  To visit OWT, please go to:   http://ourworldtuesdaymeme.blogspot.com/

The enchanted forest

I've been trying to locate a trail which leads up to an old miner's cabin up in Garner Valley.  Apparently it begins on the road where we had our property 35 years ago!  I've driven to the end of the road several times, but this morning I actually had the energy to go explore it.  So, off I went with my camera, my hat, and my water!  It is at the top of a large wash and I was able to see many animal footprints along the sand there.  Also, a large hawk (I think it was a red-tailed hawk) took off from one of the trees next to the cabin, but I couldn't adjust my lens speed quickly enough to get a decent photo of him...darn!  It snowed up there last weekend and the ground was moist and wet and smelled...WONDERFUL!  I discovered a rock-lined trail which led up to a cabin (which I never knew existed).  It didn't look like anybody was home, but I steered clear of it.  I hiked back about 1/2 mile from the road.  I'll return another time for a better look.  After all, it was my second hike of the morning.  Here are a couple of photos of the trail and cabin.