The wind! Oy vey! Although it's been sunny and in the upper 50s, low 60s, the wind has been blowing non-stop. Twenty miles per hour, with gusts up to 40 MPH. I don't want to complain because I realize how fortunate we are to be on this trip, but enough already!
We did get in a little hiking this morning around Rockhound State Park, taking Thunder Egg Trail to Jasper Trail, before the winds really started whipping again. We have definitely moved into the land of prickly pear cactus, along with lots of creosote bush and other plants I cannot identify. I saw a few flowers, which I had to photograph for my dear sister to see.
Some rugged, hardy flowers that I knew my sister, Anne, would enjoy seeing.
Prickly pear are the dominant cactus around the Florida Mountains, bordering Rockhound State Park.
Mary and the pups check out Jasper Trail. If you squint, you can see Twyla is sporting her new protective booties on her front paws.
After running an errand in town, Glen hung out in the car on his computer and I read in the tent, both of us wanting to get out of the wind!
We took a shorter walk late this afternoon and while getting battered by gusts of wind, we decided it was a good night to sleep in the shelter of the car, rather than the wind-whipped tent. We shifted gear and now are hanging out like sardines in the back of our Kia Niro - probably never meant for two people and two dogs to sleep in.
Tomorrow we head to Safford, AZ and Roper Lake State Park, a place we've never been.
Good night from Rockhound State Park.
I never did learn the names of all the flowers in the high plateau of NM - but I recognize California poppy, Escholzia californica, and some version of evening primrose. Lovely to see them in bloom!
Ah yes, the wind - springtime in the desert. And the mountains, where I'm from. 🙄
Many thanks for the glorious photos of the flowers 💛
Love the Prickly Pear Cactus Valentine. Be sure to send that pic to someone who may have a love/hate relationship with you 😉
The analogy to sardines is apt, since we're not only crammed together, but there is also an aromatic component as well. Maybe anchovies would be a more precise comparison, considering the Dog breath.