Tuesday, January 31, 2017

Hunting the Snake

Tuesday, January 31, 2017

Seems like I have been gone from home forever, but it has only been five weeks.  This morning, I woke with the sun.  It came up out of the East at 7 a.m. and I was ready to get up.  It is going to be a fabulous day!

My plans for today were to do nothing but lay around and take walks with Yuma.  Just a lazy day.

Coyote Mountain is the mountain descending from the left and behind it are the Santa Rosa Mountains.

1-IMG_2245

Santa Rosa Mountains just outside my door to the north.

1-IMG_2248

The tail end of the Santa Rosa Mountains.  You can see the road off to the right I came down from the badlands on when I arrived yesterday.

1-IMG_2252

For the most part, my day went as planned.  Short walks and rest. 

1-IMG_2251

Then at 2 Yuma and I walked West towards Coyote Mountain.  I had not planned to go far, but before long we were following a trail leading up and along the mountain.  That Yuma can sniff out a trail.

1-IMG_2265

We’re pretty high up on Coyote Mountain looking down on the RVs parked in the desert.  Off in the distance I can see Font’s Point jutting out at the very right of the photo.

1-IMG_2266

As we walked further South toward the lower end, I thought, well while we are this close to the snake, lets go find it.  And that’s what we did.  We ended up walking four miles today.  Not what I planned at all.

Yuma is making sure I don’t get lost way up here.

1-IMG_2268

When I caught up with Yuma and looked over the last ridge and looked down, there it was, a huge snake made of stones crawling along on the valley floor.  It was around 3 in the afternoon, and the sun was hitting the little valley just perfectly.

1-IMG_2270

1-IMG_22711-IMG_22731-IMG_22751-IMG_22761-IMG_22771-IMG_22781-IMG_2282

1-IMG_2284

When it was time to go home, Yuma lit out like he was on fire.  He didn’t care if I got lost or not.  I was on my own.

1-IMG_2288

We headed back towards the RV, but in a more direct route.  We were getting tired.  When we got back, Yuma jumped on the bed and took a nice long siesta.  He was one tired puppy.

End of another beautiful day!

1-IMG_2290

See you later.

18 comments:

  1. Those are some very cool pictures! It's a good thing Yuma is there to take care of you. It seems like you've been gone forever here, too. Glad you're finally having some really nice weather.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks Dolly. Glad for the great weather. Does seem like a long time. May have to come home early this year.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Amazing - no matter how far you hike, Yuma always seems to know the way Home - and also when it's time to call it a day !

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Morning Moonfly. He's the one that wears me out, but he only has to rest when we get home. I've got things to do. I love him anyway. He keeps me young.

      Delete
  4. Love that area, gonna check it out again, we found the big snake last year, enjoy this wonderful; weather now.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is a nice area with lots to do. Hope the weather holds out.

      Delete
  5. That area is on our bucket list. Great photos

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Little out of the way of everything, but a beautiful place to stay for awhile. Lots of interesting stuff to do around here. Will keep you busy.

      Delete
  6. Really great pics, Doug! Just now catching up on your travels. Sounds like you're having a wonderful time. Yay!

    Jesse

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Jesse. Having a good time and the weather has warmed up nicely. Had a chill down for about a week. Hope all is going well with you and Jan.

      Delete
  7. I always enjoy hiking up the Coyote Mountain trail to the Valley of the Great Stone Snake and each year there seems to be a few more other stone creations there. Great exercise for aging legs.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nice destination for a short hike. Just hard enough to get a little exercise, but not kill me.

      Delete
  8. As usual, your pictures are so beautiful! And i love the stone art! I am not surprised one bit that you got carried away on one of your walks and it turned into a hike! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is beautiful here. Nice place, out of the way, but lots to do. Keep those Keats pictures coming.

      Delete
  9. You are taking some amazing pictures, Doug. I love to see our dogs run like that, they know how to stretch their legs. That snake is awesome, we'll have to check it out another year.
    Enjoy!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yuma is just at the age where running is what he does. Luckily, he stops once in awhile so I can catch up. Be sure to keep this place in your plans.

      Delete
  10. Great pictures of the Snake and surrounding area.
    We'll add it to our list for next year.
    Be Safe and Enjoy!

    It's about time.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you. Be sure to keep this destination in mind. Fun place to visit with lots of things to see and do.

      Delete