It’s 10:40 and after a long day I am just getting around to posting, so it will be short.

The day started off great, with an early morning drive to City of Rocks that was charmed because of the animals out and about that I saw.

The Sinking Tree

I arrived at City of Rocks about 7:45 and spent an hour and a half walking around it.

When I left and came home, I was dragging from my 6AM wake up, so I decided to take a nap (around 11:30), which dragged on into early afternoon.

Being casual as I am, I decided to drive out to the Gila Cliff Dwellings for an afternoon activity, but I failed to look up the length of the drive and the park’s closing time. By the time I arrived at the park around 5, its lot was empty, and I had missed ruins access by an hour. I chided myself good for 10 minutes, having just driven the 45 miles to the park in about 2 and a half hours.

I did find the trail to the hot springs there, and followed it about 3/4 the way there, and then the sky rumbled and raindrops began to fall, and I gave up.

The day was kind of like that.

I was glad I drove to the Cliff Dwellings for the amazing views of the Gila Wilderness, but I burned half a day on an experience I didn’t get to have, and I am too tired to drive that road again tomorrow.

I did see so many animals today. Deer, twice crossing the road in front of me. A band of javelinas- known as a “peccary of javelinas”, which I learned because I realized I had no idea what you call a group of them- was circled around something in the Cliff Dwelling Park area by the road, and they scattered as I approached their gang ritual, about 5 running across the road in front of me. I had to break quickly, and I grabbed my camera to try and get a pic, but there was also a car behind me which made me feel I couldn’t dawdle and get the picture. Two sets of wild turkeys by the road. Birds, squirrels, chipmunks, and people. That part of the day was good.

I stopped and parked my truck by the road and walked out on a high bluff and stood for maybe thirty minutes taking pictures. That was the productive part of the day.

(My Best of Show)

When I got back to the hotel at 9:45, I was happy to take a hot bath and make a few sandwiches with lunch meat I brought along.

One of those days.