Heidi had the idea of makin' our circle 'round the mountain in reverse... to hunt Turquoise... maybe seein' that gravel from a different angle would find some missed nuggets?
... that and bein' kinda lazy these days had us leave the rig sorta late... after 10:30 anyway... and we dawdled... I mean... it was one of those -Draw a chalk line around him to see if he's movin'- sorta deals. :o)
Well, it worked... we stepped from Turquoise nugget to Turquoise nugget...
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| *Another Turquoise Nugget* |
... and I suppose a few do... but... what I'm Seeing, is that too many often seem to fall into the same trap they do on the highway with their rigs... runnin' a bunch of miles, just rollin' with Tunnel Vision...
They rack up a bunch of miles... but don't actually SEE anything.
See that lil' nugget in my hand? and, those ATV tracks behind it? Well... those ATV Tracks... ran right over the Turquoise I'm holding... I picked it up after they'd run right over it...
... and a bit later... they missed even more...
... 'cause a bit later... we had another lil' success...
As we walked along I'd glass the mountain with a pair of compact Nikon Binoculars I carry on our hikes... Looking for... yup, Desert Bighorns...
Now... as big as this desert is, finding 'em is actually a pretty lucky thing. You have to be in the right place at the right time, 'cause there's only 'bout 4,000 of 'em left.
We'd come along until we were' up on what is the SE corner of this mountain... Hadn't seen a sliver of a Bighorn Hair... scouring those rocks with those Nikon Binoculars... I'd pretty much given up, and the Binocs were just slung 'round my neck...
... As we walked along, my Ol' eyes, that need good cheaters to read a newspaper stuck in front of my nose, glanced up, oh I don't know... a half mile away, up on the ridge... and those wore out Ol' Cowboy eyes said; "Yo! Cowboy! There they are!"
Yeah... some parts still work pretty fair... That Bighorn, just a speck really, standing up on that ridge so far off, just jumped out at me. I guess years of lookin' for Horses and Cows, hiding in far country trained 'em to SEE...
When I first saw her, she (I think they're ewes?) was standing face on... just a sliver against the sky... but then she turned for a nice profile...
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| *Desert Big Horn near to Bouse, Arizona* |
Considerin' how far off they were... that lil' Nikon Camera does a pretty sweet job of capturing critters, don't you think?
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| *Second Big Horn near Bouse* |
We watched for fifteen minutes or more... while the first moved down the mountain a mite and bedded down and then the second one topped out...
So... we're standing there watchin' these beautiful Mountain Critters and we hear a rumble comin'... well... there ain't no clouds... so it's a pretty easy guess what it is...
Every one of 'em eyes on the dust in front of 'em... Oh they'd wave as they rolled by... covered in dust... but not one of 'em... not one... looked up on the mountain behind us to SEE...
Here they've got these ATV machines that allow 'em to get back into beautiful country they might not be able to walk to any more... but then they make the mistake of just rollin' right on through it...
... And missing the Desert Big Horns, looking down on 'em from the Mountain above... and the Turquoise under their tires! :o)
Now... folks... I'm NOT bashin' ATVers... fact is we keep talkin' 'bout how nice it would be to have one... or two!... to give us a head start... to get us back into country that we could walk and SEE. Country that maybe we couldn't/wouldn't get to... if we had to walk the miles to get to where we would need to walk miles to SEE it.
So... what I'm sayin' is... if you've got an ATV... think of doin' things a lil' different... Rather than takin' off to make a big dusty, circle... and ridin' all day... use it to take you, straight line... to a Place... to a destination... then... get off and walk, or hell, just sit! and actually SEE the Mountains and Desert around you... I'm just sayin'...
A few clouds were drifting around last evening, at just the right time to add a little more to the sunset over "Big Horn Mountain"... pretty cool day...
Bighorns and Sunsets on the Desert
Brian
Return to the main site of goin' RV Boondocking or Visit my Sister website Motorcycle Touring on Freedom Road
4 comments:
I'm not overly fond of listening to the ATVs as they speed along throwing up dust. Yet I do miss the magic found in the lower desert. For some it's all about the ride.
Well Brian, this is why my bicycles have all been geared way down for very slow riding. My knees give me fits walking but riding a bike they never hurt. So my bikes are always geared down so slow that most folks walk faster than my lowest gear. Top speeds are toatlly irrelavent.
Very well said. It reminds me of the inspiring aphorism: "Pray not for a new world; pray for new eyes with which to see the world."
Michael
Am really enjoying your and Heidi'"little " walks. ( you would have to drive over and pick me up to take me back to camp LOL). You always have an eye for the most beautiful things to see at all the places you stop. Have you thought about possibly selling some of your photos? They are very good, the composition is great and of course the subject matter is wonderful.
You and Heidi keep on walking. I will keep going with you through your pictures.
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