About a hike...

Here are some observations I wrote about our recent hike over a pass called Alcoholic Pass. We posted some photos from that hike a few days ago.

Looking past Ocotillo to the west from Alcoholic Pass you can see the valley floor where the date palms are, although they are not in this picture.

SCAT

The scat on the mountain pass trail

came from a fox or coyote.

It contained seeds of the date tree

From several miles away -

beyond the foot of the mountain.

Another one was all white

as if petrified but

perhaps only dehydrated in the desert air.

Creosote gave up its fragrance

With a moist breath

Dreaming of rainfall in the desert.

Small holes in the sandy wash

hid secret lives

and private ways.

Barrel cactus,

Chollas,

and prickly pears

bore deformities

where someone ate.

Big-horn sheep may safely graze.

The new-leafed ocotillo

stood sentinel

to all the goings-on

of desert creatures.

Keeping their secrets,

maintaining their silence,

bearing witness to none.

---Mari

Rainbow near Borrego Springs, CA

Runnin' From El Nino's Wind

Our Last Night in Borrego Springs.

So we bid goodby for now to Borrego Springs, Ca. El Nino winds are coming in. Rain and Gusts up to 75 MPH are forecast. Here's what I wrote after our leaving:

Never Saw This Before

Sand, tan in color, whipped up from the desert floor to meet the clouds.

El Nino, the baby, is flexing his muscles and the whole country suffers.

With wind gusts up to 75 MPH predicted for the desert Southwest,

Campers are packing up and leaving, as am I.

As I pack, there is a rainbow in the clouds over Coyote Mountain to the west.

The dense gray rain clouds are oozing over the mountain peaks. 

I didn’t want to leave today for Tucson. At 3000 feet, it’s colder there.

But the winds will be less. I’d rather be cold than blown over.

150 miles east now, north of Yuma, AZ, I sit overlooking a watery nature preserve.

There is green and blue, and yet still, the sky is tan, with dust and sand all the way up to the clouds.

What’s that ting-a-ling? Oh, an Accu Weather Real Time rain alert.

30 seconds later I hear raindrops on the trailer roof.

Now that’s spooky.

Now the wind.

It blows and the trailer rocks and shudders.

I am warm and cozy inside here.

Let it rain.

Let it blow.

I feel a peace that passes, excuse me John Wesley, all understanding.

I feel a connection and a belonging:

 Close to the earth.

 Close to the wind.

 Close to the rain.

Mittry Lake

Clouds and Sun, Moon and Stars

Click on a photo and then you can view each of them in a larger format....

A Hike Through Alcoholic Pass