Last week we went to Elephant Butte Lake State Park. While we were camping there we also visited Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge.

Sunflowers gone to seed

Dried Seed Pods

Pond at Bosque del Apache

Great Blue Heron

American Kestrel

Sandhill Cranes

Mallard

Rio Grande wetlands at Elephant Butte Lake (with clusters of Snow Geese and Canada Geese)

Mule Deer at Bosque del Apache

Moonrise over the Fra Cristobal Mountains

Sunset to the west of our campsite at Elephant Butte Lake State Park

Sunset to the south of our campsite - over Elephant Butte Lake

Last week we returned to camp in the Gila National Forest. This was a very different visit. There were very few other people in the mountains. Bow hunting season had ended, but rifle season was not due to begin until October 10. So, there were no hunters at all. A few hunters had left their camp sites set up because they expected to be back for rifle season, but we saw only one other couple who were camping. Otherwise the woods were empty. 

 

Unfortunately, the wildlife was all still quite stressed by the hunting, so we saw very few animals. And the fall migration was clearly under way - a cold front had blown through 2 days earlier - and most of the birds had moved on too. 

 

There were long periods of time in which we did not see or hear anything but the forests and the wind. It was quite calm and lovely: like a meditation retreat. 

 

 

Sunset

Moon rise - just a few days before it was full

There were still a few flowers

Showy Goldeneye

Wright's Buckwheat

Alligator Juniper limb

But Autumn was beginning

We hiked along the Wolf Hollow Trail just north of the Gila Wilderness

But we did not see any of the wolves

We did see a Great Blue Heron

And we came upon a single bull elk - with very distorted antlers

And we had campfires each evening

We spent a few days last week camping in the Black Mountain Range of the Gila National Forest (about a 3 hour drive northwest of Las Cruces). This was very different from the Sacramento Mountains where we have camped for most of this summer: Warmer; Slightly lower elevation; Mostly Ponderosa Pine forest; and Far fewer people because it is harder to get to. There are no campgrounds per se, but camping is allowed wherever one might find a good spot in the woods. We were over an hour away from the nearest cell phone signal. 

To our surprise, we were camping during bow hunting season for Elk. As a result, most of the wildlife was in deep hiding. And the other people there were very quiet as they were stalking their prey. It was a remarkably beautiful and peaceful experience.  

 

Sunrise

Road through the forest

 

Hiking the Continental Divide Trail

Broad-Tailed Hummingbird

Sulfur Butterfly

Western Bluebird

Great Mullein

Cardinal Catchfly

Fleabane

Thistle gone to seed

Upright Prairie Coneflower

Unknown Flower

Bee on a Thistle

Dakota Mock Verbain

Evening Primrose

Bee Balm in the morning dew

Unknown Flower

Burnt Branches from a forest fire

Wood

Buffalo Squash Blossom

Peregrine Falcon

Kestral Hawk - We have seen only a few Kestrals before, and they are very beautiful small hawks. In this area, we must have seen 40 or 50. This was their habitat.

Yellow Rumped Warbler

Brewer's Sparrow

Mike at the campfire

View from a campsite across the valley to the next range

Coyote near the Very Large Array (a radio telescope) on our way back out of the wild