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We haven't been to Ft. Davis all year, so Friday around lunch, the wife and I left work early, threw the pooch and couple bags in the car, and headed that way to do some hiking. We heard that the recent massive rainfall they've experienced has made everything extremely green. It's true. I don't ever think I've seen Ft. Davis so lush. However, the rain wasn't exactly done. Yeah, um, remind me to check the forecast next time.
From Saragosa, we could plainly see that the mountains were getting hammered with rain:
By Balmorhea, the weather was advancing on us:
Undeterred, we decided to brave the weather and hope for the best. We made it to our rental cabin at the Crow's Nest Ranch around mid-afternoon:
FYI, Crow's Nest Ranch is a great place to stay so long as you don't go to Ft. Davis by motorcycle, as they are not allowed. Yes, that's a very lame policy, I agree.
Anyway, it was a bit damp at the ranch, though suitable for a short hike, so we got our things together and headed down a dry creek bed:
Dig this fungus:
We were having a great time for about 30 minutes until we started hearing thunder and seeing lightning, at which time we high-tailed it back to the cabin. It's a good thing, too. Ten minutes after we arrived, so did the rain:
At that point we were pretty much marooned indoors. So we spent the rest of the afternoon and evening listening to the radio, reading, and having a little vino.
Saturday morning things weren't looking much better, so we decided to head south of Ft. Davis to the Chihuahuan Desert Botanical Center to see if there was any hiking to be had there. The weather was off in the distance, so we tried our luck:
Scout was chomping at the bit for a hike by the time we got there:
The center features a mining exhibit which is very interesting. This ore is called Copper Pitch, and is very beautiful. The blue element is called Azurite. It is surrounded by Copper (the green element). I think the black element must be Manganese or some-such, but the sign didn't say:
This, according to the sign, is Uranium:
Great plants are everywhere along the hiking trails:
And just as we were starting to enjoy ourselves, the weather was once again upon us:
A few minutes later, we were getting wet and headed back in from the trails:
At that point, we sorta gave up and went back to the cabin to pack and head home. We weren't gonna get any hiking done on this particular trip.
Clouds loomed over the mountaintops as we made our way back to the ranch:
Packed and ready to head home, another heavy downpour arrived. It's kinda hard to load the car in these conditions:
Once the rain subsided again, we finally got everything loaded and headed home. Two hours and fifteen minutes later, we were in Midland, where it was -- of course -- sunny and hot.
Still, it was a fun trip. We'll just have to try again in a few weeks.
From Saragosa, we could plainly see that the mountains were getting hammered with rain:
By Balmorhea, the weather was advancing on us:
Undeterred, we decided to brave the weather and hope for the best. We made it to our rental cabin at the Crow's Nest Ranch around mid-afternoon:
FYI, Crow's Nest Ranch is a great place to stay so long as you don't go to Ft. Davis by motorcycle, as they are not allowed. Yes, that's a very lame policy, I agree.
Anyway, it was a bit damp at the ranch, though suitable for a short hike, so we got our things together and headed down a dry creek bed:
Dig this fungus:
We were having a great time for about 30 minutes until we started hearing thunder and seeing lightning, at which time we high-tailed it back to the cabin. It's a good thing, too. Ten minutes after we arrived, so did the rain:
At that point we were pretty much marooned indoors. So we spent the rest of the afternoon and evening listening to the radio, reading, and having a little vino.
Saturday morning things weren't looking much better, so we decided to head south of Ft. Davis to the Chihuahuan Desert Botanical Center to see if there was any hiking to be had there. The weather was off in the distance, so we tried our luck:
Scout was chomping at the bit for a hike by the time we got there:
The center features a mining exhibit which is very interesting. This ore is called Copper Pitch, and is very beautiful. The blue element is called Azurite. It is surrounded by Copper (the green element). I think the black element must be Manganese or some-such, but the sign didn't say:
This, according to the sign, is Uranium:
Great plants are everywhere along the hiking trails:
And just as we were starting to enjoy ourselves, the weather was once again upon us:
A few minutes later, we were getting wet and headed back in from the trails:
At that point, we sorta gave up and went back to the cabin to pack and head home. We weren't gonna get any hiking done on this particular trip.
Clouds loomed over the mountaintops as we made our way back to the ranch:
Packed and ready to head home, another heavy downpour arrived. It's kinda hard to load the car in these conditions:
Once the rain subsided again, we finally got everything loaded and headed home. Two hours and fifteen minutes later, we were in Midland, where it was -- of course -- sunny and hot.
Still, it was a fun trip. We'll just have to try again in a few weeks.
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