Monday, January 18
The sunsets at our camp near Why, Arizona, are magnificent, as you saw in the previous post. Sunrises, on the other hand, aren’t a big feature at our camp as they are blocked by mountains and nearby vegetation.
This is a camp where I watch the sunrise by looking west.
Sometimes the sky at the western horizon will glow pink and coral for a few minutes. Today the sun has a hard time breaking through a cover of clouds. That’s what makes the above photo smoky.
Shortly after breakfast, the crew and I set out for a walk on the lane.
The wind was gusty last night. I woke around midnight to the sound of the antenna pole bopping the side of the Best Little Trailer. Bridget and Reggie trot along on our walk and I’m especially vigilant for any pieces of cholla that the wind may have blown in our path.
While looking at the ground I discover animal tracks!
I’m puzzled by these tracks. There are six tracks like you see in the photo at left where the animal traveled across soft sand. What puzzles me is that the tracks are in a perfect line, one behind the other, spaced about three feet apart.
How does a four-legged animal do that? I don’t know of any one-legged or two-legged hoofed animals roaming the desert!
The choices for hooved animals in southern Arizona are mule deer, pronghorn antelope, bighorn sheep, and javelina. I guess it’s one of the first three. Javelina tend to trot in groups with short steps.
Unfortunately I don’t have anything with me to place beside the track to give you a reference for the size. As I crouch to take the photo, I estimate each track to be two to three inches from front to back.
I enjoy stuff like this.
Warning! Graphic Material Ahead! Poo!
And for some of you, maybe too much information.
The crew and I continue on our way down the lane. Reggie finds something of interest — scat! BIG scat! And FRESH!
When we first arrived at our campsite I noticed in our driveway a pile of dried scat typical of a coyote (seeds and hair in evidence).
It, too, was large.
I suppose it could be from a large dog, but I really doubt that. You may recall, if you’ve read much of this blog, that this is the camp where I spotted a coyote chomping on an apple core near the BLT. (I think it’s also the camp where I saw a family of javelina.)
“Okay, Reggie. That’s enough of that. Let’s keep going. C’mon, Bridge.”
It doesn’t look like we’ll have much sunshine today with these clouds . . . .
“Ooh, there goes a rabbit!”
Reggie strains at the leash, standing on his back legs, as the cottontail disappears among the cholla and creosote. In fact, the rabbit came OUT of a cholla right next to us. I guess rabbits have the kind of fur that protects them?
To return to camp, rather than running the cholla gauntlet, we cut across to a wash, avoiding cholla as we go. (Cholla generally don’t grow in or next to washes.)
Come, do the wash with us!
Bridget and Reggie step along happily on the coarse sand. As usual whenever we head toward home, Bridget takes the lead. Now we’re walking toward the sun, meaning objects are backlit for the camera lens to deal with.
Washes are roadways for wildlife.
The indentations you see in the sand in these photos were made by animals. The tracks aren’t distinct enough to identify due to the depth and “softness” of the sand. Again, more scat. I’ll spare you the poo pics.
I’m pretty sure this is javelina scat. It’s still moist. (I know, too much information.) Apparently several javelina run through this wash.
If you’d like to learn more about javelina (or peccary), click this link for arizona-leisure.com for details, photos, and a video.
If I may digress from our morning walk in the wash . . . .
Fast forward to the afternoon. Isn’t it fun how we can manipulate time here? Anyway . . .
The Bridge, Reggie, and I are outside. It’s still overcast and our outdoor room is in shade. I want to sit in the patch of sun by the saguaro and hummingbird feeder, located in the center of the circular driveway of our campsite. I move my chair, the crew’s quilt pallet, a doggie bed, toys, and water dish to the driveway, setting up a place for us about six feet from the hummingbird feeder.
Well, you can guess what happens.
I’m sitting in the camp chair reading my Paperwhite, Bridget is at my feet, and Reggie is wandering around. Suddenly a hummer appears, flies around my chair two times, and then hovers about three feet from my face, looking me over! Next he zips over to the feeder and helps himself to several sips.
For about twenty minutes, the hummingbird buzzes around us and the feeder as if he’s part of the family. Delightful! I take photos but they aren’t good. The background is the creosote bush which camouflages our new, little friend.
Okay, we’re back in the wash.
“That’s enough sniffing, Reggie. We need to catch up with our leader.”
Bridget loves to show the way home.
She rarely looks back at us. Deep in her own thoughts, I guess, or simply enjoying each moment.
Reggie hesitates at the sight of a tall saguaro ahead.
Whereas Bridget immediately recognizes strange objects as being inanimate and harmless, Reggie requires more time. He stands very still watching the saguaro and then resumes following Bridget. I don’t remember her ever being hesitant like that, even when she first visited a desert environment.
Oh, I want to tell you about a book I finished recently!
I love this book. One reason I love it is the formal Brit dialogue of early 20th century. Instead of saying, “Want something to drink?” it’s “You will permit me, Mr. Borden, to offer you some refreshments?” I’m well into the book when I read “I should like to go down to Manderleys” and realize I read this when I was a teenager!
The book is The Wicked Marquis
Presently it’s only 99 cents for the kindle edition. Or you can go hog wild — no, make that javelina-wild — and download The Complete Works of E. Phillips Oppenheim (53 in all)
I warn you it takes perseverance to get into his stories, especially if you’re used to the faster pace (and snappy and sometimes crude dialogue) of contemporary fiction.
Meanwhile, back in the wash . . .
We’re almost at camp and we’re almost at the end of this post. It’s been fun taking you on our walk on this overcast day.
We need to find a place to cut back to the lane that goes to our campsite.
I trust Bridget will find a way for us.
Sure enough, she does!
Well, the wash is done and we’re home again!
“You will permit me, dear crew, to offer you some refreshments?”
rvsue
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