Note from Shelly: Here’s the first in a series of guest posts written by friends we’ve met on the road. Doug is a fellow traveler who sends email updates home in quick-like fashion because he so often has little-to-no cell service; he and Melanie like to hike in remote places. He has generously allowed me to adapt his emails into blog posts, and here I’m jumping into the tail-end of their latest adventures in order to report in real time. Soon, I’ll share some of his earlier ”letters home” because his photos and travel information are truly delightful.
Melanie and I are in Red Rock Canyon, Nevada.
The canyon is beautiful but too populated for our taste. There are a lot of people on the trails hiking, on the rocks climbing; there was even a fashion photo shoot going on.
Even with all that commotion, we only went about a quarter of a mile on our first hike before we spotted three male Big Horn Sheep about 50 yards away from us. We watched them effortlessly climb a series of huge rocks and cliffs by leaping from one to another and running on ledges about an inch wide.
The rocks and cliffs are beautiful and colorful but rough and steep.
The canyon attracts rock climbers from all over. Rock climbing is a sport for which I will remain a spectator, not a participant.
The Joshua trees were starting to bloom. The bloom starts as a spiked lump then blossoms into a mass of yellow blooms. These were the first Joshua trees we have seen bloom and were well worth the hike to get to them.
I believe the hummingbird in the photograph is a Allen’s Hummingbird, but it may be a Rufous Hummingbird—they can be very similar birds. If it is an Allen’s, it will be the first I have seen (we saw a Rufous in the Coronado Forest). Ok all you birders out there, what is your opinion?
These photos are amazing!
Shana, click on their name in the by-line, and you’ll go to their first post here with more photos. Doug is really talented and hard working!
Thank you Shana. I am definitely an amateur but I love working on improving and sharing my photography.