National Park Diary: Cactus Time

The last couple of weeks included finding an amazingly good surprise at the Jose De Leon gravesite. AND it served as a birthday present for one of our LE's who is an aficionado of the product:

The gravesite as I passed it in my vehicle. The bottle caught my attention. . .

A lovely bottle of bourbon! Hoping Matt the ranger from Kentucky(!) would like it I nabbed it and later the Coes research found it was probably a $70 bottle from Australia. Pretty yummy, too! We had to sample it before giving it as a gift, of course. :-)

One is always finding other quaint items around the park:

Boat motor outside the Rio Cache up at PJ

Upon closer inspection one finds that a pitchfork has been attached to protect the prop - very ingenious! This was probably dug out of the river during a clean-up event.

My work partner Walt and I discovered this bike with pet 3rd wheel. Walt (accurately, I think) described the owner as "one taco short of a combo plate"! The guy was riding with his little dog from San Diego to the Keys (yes, the FLORIDA Keys!). He was violating park rules by taking the dog on trails. He sure was a sight! Despite having met and talked to me when I saw him leaving the park 2 days later he had no clue who I was despite my being in the highly identifiable park vehicle. . . oh, well.

I always chuckle when I see the vultures out sunning in the morning.

The cacti have been blooming - as usual a new set of blooms every week! I've been looking for the Chisos Hedgehog Cactus in bloom but somehow have missed it so I have resorted to an internet image:

I sneaked in a picture of a bull snake crossing Glenn Springs road!

Claret Cup Cactus at Pine Canyon Trailhead

Chisos Hedgehog

Last week I invited myself along on an overnight hike up the Strawhouse Canyon. Friends Joan and Dawnella were climbing around to check out caves photographed 2 years ago to check them for signs of prehistoric or modern use. (I think zilch was found!) And the hike was LONG and HOT! It was in the 90's when we hiked and poor Joan and Dawnella hiked way farther than I did. Since I was non-essential I bowed out on the second day and hiked about 10 miles back to my car. Since I was a late-comer to this hike the mules did not carry up my heavy pack, but I look at it as good experience!

Dawnella & Joan hamming it up in the canyon.

Ew! We found 3 body deer body parts along the trail and oddly enough each one was found in a pile of burro poop. Not sure what was going on there and I should ask Raymond about this. . .

Yea! Joseph and the supplies moving up canyon!

Sweet faces :-)

Trees in bloom everywhere!

Buckeye

Rainbow Cactus in Bloom

Desert Sunset

Joan cooking oatmeal for us the next morning. No more photos of Day 2. I hiked 1-2 miles up canyon with the gals, but turned around and headed home instead of missing work to commit myself to a second night out. Get me out of this heat!

The park also did a prescribed burn of cane along the river as part of an experiment funded by the Coca Cola Foundation. There is native and non-native cane growing and the non-native cane negatively affects the river bank. So the cane was being burned off, then allowed to grow to a height of 2-3 feet, then a new herbicide applied to see if it would kill the cane but allow native cane to grow. Time will tell. This was a big event in the life of the park for Americans and Mexicans alike!

Looking from the Boquillas Overlook the area to be burned


Burn in progress

Yesterday I did a little patrol of Route 12 going towards PJ and Route 11 and Dagger Flats. Near the end of the afternoon I (and many others!) were called back to Daniel's Ranch to help carry a lady off the Hot Springs trail by litter. Luckily for all, the LEs rehydrated her and she was able to hike out on her own. Ah, the beginning of the 100 degree weather! Here are some photos of the day along with an internet image of the red racer snakes I saw at Hannold Draw campsite! So cool as they quickly slithered into their burrows!