A Sunday Morning Hike

There's something wonderful about beginning your hike into the wild right outside your front door. 

On Sunday, we first hike up a hill or two, something I can still do but not without some shortness of breath. Then we reach flat land, soft earth of sand and crushed sandstone under our boots and paws. Junipers are the only trees here, most of them fairly healthy looking in spite of the drought; unfortunately, everything else looks dead. 

Cloudy skies and cool temperatures make it a nice day for me. Best of all, hubby hikes with us,  managing really well, enjoying himself, and holding my hand on the steep downhills. 

We used to hike all the time when the weather was cool. Before he got so tired, before he was diagnosed with cancer. We used to go for long hikes past a quarry, past old ruins of stone houses or shacks, and on to an abandoned old beer truck, just sitting there in a field. That was a couple of years ago now. 

Faith is six months old today. So what do you think: Will she stay a fairly small dog, or grow some more? She has grown on the length, but not much taller, or so it seems to me. Her head is small, her eyes are beady, but she keeps an eye on you at all times. 

Taking pictures, I lag behind and as soon as she feels I'm too far behind, there she comes, running at full speed, circling me, sort of herding me forward. Large or small, Faith is a good dog, probably the easiest dog we've ever had. 

Hiking With Samson

I took Samson for a hike yesterday. We walked up a path under these fabulous rocks.

Don't they look like they belong in an old Western movie? 

With a little imagination, one can see a mountain lion looking down ready to pounce. Just kidding, right now I'm more concerned with this black bear that seems to have taken a liking to our land. 

Then I heard on the news last night that a mountain lion has been killing pets in the Bakersfield suburbs. But by then I was back home, safe in front of the TV.

It's terrible to think of what animals are going through, living under these horribly dry conditions. Of course they are coming down from higher elevations, looking for food and water. 

We're at the top of a steep hill here, looking down on our house. D. G. asked about fire clearance in the winter, as you can see there's just dirt around the house. Usually, we clear 100 feet in May, then it rains and snows in the winter, grass and weeds grow, and we clear it again the following spring. No grass has grown since 2011, the last year we had some real rain. The road you see toward the left is the one we walk to the mailboxes. 

Most of the Rabbit Brush up here is dead or dying, so is the mesquite, and the low growing brush. The junipers seem to be doing OK for the most part.

I called my husband from that hill, overlooking our house, and told him the hill looked too steep for me to get down alone. He agreed it would be best if we just turned back the way we came. We did, and when we got home Samson's tongue was hanging out for a long time, a good sign we got some exercise.

And this is what it should look like in January. Some of the time at least. Thank you for your prayers for rain. 

Samson Says: 

OK, so who were you hiking with? 

Who did you tell to stop, sit, stay so you could take all those pictures?

Who was very OBEDIENT and did all you asked?

Me: OK, Samson, that would be you. What's all this leading up to? 

Samson: I'm just wondering why am I not in any of the pictures? 

What's a post about me without me? 

To himself: Humans!!!

Looking For Bear Tracks In The First Snow

Yesterday, we woke up to the first snow, which cheered me up no end. As soon as I realized that it was really snow, that white stuff, I was up and out the door. My husband, Angel and Samson followed.

They had spotted bear tracks and scat a couple of times, so I wanted to see where. It turns out it was very close to the house. We saw no fresh tracks, but someone large had slept under this juniper tree and matted down the grass,

which looked like this when untouched under a neighboring tree. So someone slept there and I for one was glad the critter had moved on. 

Beautiful colors of fall in the canyon. 

Lichen, moss, and snow on rocks.

The short view was pretty nice too and

the long view, magnificent.

Donkeys in the snow.

Back home, my husband fixed grits and eggs with left-over seafood for brunch.

Soldier was able to get up and go outside several times during the day. He negotiated all turns without that weak leg sliding underneath and making him sit down in an awkward position. And that, of course, was the best of all.

Hiking to the Waterfall Wall

The other day, Angel and I went for a walk in the hills. Instead of turning right, like we usually do, we turned left.

Here the road goes uphill for quite a while, maybe that's why we don't walk here often. In the heat it's hard for me, but I have no excuses for the rest of the year.

On our way, we stop by some green sandstone in various stages of crumbling and I turn around and take this picture of the mountains to the east.

I stand by a steep ravine and the other side looks like this. It is a bit surprising that those big rocks are still hanging on to the hillside, I think. The earth is very soft here.

We climb a bit higher. Angel is rearing to go, pulling me up the hill. I want to step off the road and take some pictures of this rock wall, which forms the base of a waterfall when it rains hard and long enough. It must have been beautiful here this past December when we got so much rain. Now it's just a very interesting place. I feel like that proverbial grain of sand as I look into the past, layers upon layers of it, in this rock wall. Below is a pool, dry now, and then it drops down again, creating a smaller waterfall, before it becomes a creek. Or a dry creek bed most of the year.

A soft desert wind blows and it is quiet up here on the mountain. 

Looking south, I briefly see a snowcapped peak in the Tehachapi mountain range before the clouds cover it.

Celebrating Our Anniversary -- Hiking in the Canyon

Yesterday, we celebrated our 24th wedding anniversary with a great trek through the canyon. Since today is Tuesday, this should be about treasures and what better treasure than the memory of this wonderful hike to celebrate our love.

If you are not familiar with the desert mountains, you may think nature here only comes in this brown/beige color.

Which is not true. Here old grass and new grass intermingle under a dead juniper tree.

More surprising colors.

The grass is so green right now. It only grows under the junipers and I, of course, don't know why.

Can you see the blue juniper berries that aren't really berries at all, but small cones. 

This red was so surprising in the middle of a dun-colored field. As I walked across this field, I thought of how different the fields look here from those that Louise so often pictures on her blog from Western New York state.

Even the rocks are decorated with bright colored lichen.

And in a crevice, I find some lovely, dark green moss.

Look at these colors, aren't they gorgeous?

We come upon the ruins from a different angle this time. 

OK, so my husband says I'm supposed to climb up this rocky hillside.

And Samson says: Come on Mommy, you can do it.

On my way to the top, I find water on a rock. From the recent rains and snow, I suppose, but since everything else is dry, I make a note of it.

My husband marches ahead with the dogs while I slowly make my way up.

Looking back from  near the top, I see the ruins (in the middle of the picture) and how far I've climbed.

At the top some water awaits the dogs and they happily help themselves.

There is a creek bed at the bottom of the other side of the rocky hill. In it, I find this. I hope it's from some animal, but what kind I have no idea. Since I read a lot of mysteries, I could let my imagination run wild.......

So I hurry up and leave to catch up with my husband and dogs. 

Finally we arrive at the old beer truck that we visited in the beginning of April last year. I wrote about it and the ruins here.

Ah, the long way home. And look at those clouds! Don't they look like they're on their way somewhere important?

This was such a special day that I will remember forever. A good way to celebrate all our years together. So this will be my Treasure for today.