Hunter Canyon

I ended up not going on a hike today. The original hike was planned for Rucker Canyon in the Chiricahuas, but recent floods have closed off all the roads, with extensive damage in and around all the campsites. Rod, the hike leader, changed the hike to Sandy Bob Canyon, and I didn't want to do that one again. I slept in, read a book. Clouds over the mountains were forming and the peaks were hidden. We had a nice overcast sky all day.

I ended up spending close to two hours at the mall in the afternoon to get a tire replaced. Eric was getting ready to leave for his 3pm shift and told me the truck had a flat. The Ford Escape had a front left flat. I had driven over a nail yesterday and the nail caused the slow leak. The tire's tread was low, lower than the front right tire, so I know the tire needed replacing. Sears at the mall is the only car shop open on Sundays, and I was a last-minute walk-in. Luckily the leak came on a Sunday and not a workday for me.

We had an intense downpour while I was at the mall. I sat in a couch reading one of my Amazon review books when loud thunder overhead caught my attention.

More dark clouds were coming in from the south. Once home,I packed all the dogs, took them to Hunter Canyon at 5:45pm, where we hiked into Stump canyon. The sun was now setting and pastel colors came across the horizon, the kind of pastel that comes after a storm. But wait, there was more thunder and lightning from the south!

Colors quickly faded and I was losing sunlight fast. The dogs got their fun and I always feel better when they get exercised. I didn't see any new flood damage in the usual areas I walk around in. I drove back in the dark by 6:40pm.

It rained again hard for a while, and twice tonight Pache meowed loudly by the front door. That's a new one for him, to meow so loudly to be let in. He was wet, so I placed him in the garage with the other two cats. We are expecting two more days of rain but then another storm is brewing off Guatemala. Hope that brings more rain our way.