snippets, 9-13-2017

For future reference: Texas bucket list hikes (The Daytripper).

streambed morning glories

vi-ii-xiii-ii

baby burrs

blurgh

field notes, v-xix-xiii

san gabriel w pan, v-v-xiii

We came across an unleashed Akita today. The owner called out, "He's friendly," but I pulled Pan off the trail and waited for him to secure his dog. As they passed us, the owner said, "You should let him off the leash. It's more fun." A thousand reasons why I shouldn't went through my head, the first one being that Pan probably wouldn't have had much fun blundering into a dog three times his size, and also, skunks, wild pigs, prickly pears and the park rule requiring pets to be leashed. I nodded and mumbled, "Have a nice day." Or something.

Twenty minutes later, four bicyclists overtook us, and another approached from the opposite direction. He stopped and said, "There's a huge rattlesnake on the path about a half-mile ahead. Those other cyclists will probably scare it off." I thanked him for the heads-up and thought, well, dang, I won't get that picture, but it also felt like vindication, you know, another good reason to keep the boy on the leash.

Later, we did see a snake, a very large garter or racer, who took a running leap off the embankment as I composed the last shot above. No worries.

colorado bend state park

Our 28th anniversary adventure. We hiked part of the Spicewood Springs trail in the morning and the Gorman Falls trail in the afternoon. One trail on a cool weekday morning with one dog would have been fine; two trails on a hot spring Saturday with both dogs was tough.

easter morning at the river

spiderwort and poppy

b&w buds

trailside agarita

babo!

Pan laughed at this.

mountain laurel

redbuds

These guys aren't showing as dramatically as they have in years past - it's been a dry winter, and they've gotten wind-whipped several times since they started to bloom a couple weeks ago. They're often our first real sign of spring, but this year everything else is already blooming right alongside them. (We barely had our ashes' leaves raked up before they started sprouting new buds.) Saw some bluebonnet rosettes along the trail near Champion Park yesterday, but they're still hugging the ground - we need more rain!

field notes, iii-ii-xiii

4.35 miles to Champion Park with Pan in the morning, and 4.35 to the community center with Ondine in the afternoon.

puddle