The last of the full moon for March

The full moon, now waning at 99.7%, rose just past 8pm tonight. I planned on walking both Zeke and Minnie down our dark streets. It was darker than expected for the first mile, but that red ball turned to orange and then bright by the time we turned around at the 1.5-mile mark and the moon cast its dark shadows over us. A faint scent of burning mesquite filled the air. The air chilled my cheeks. When my cheeks feel chilled, there's no danger of coming across a rattlesnake.

Tonight I walked due north, on South Garden Valley Drive, a one-way street going north, before turning east on Calle de la Fresa, then north again on Calle de la Mango until it came to a dead end. Here homes are on four acres and many don't have front yard fences. Both dogs were off leash but stayed by my side. Both wore bright dog lights on their collars so that I could see where they were when they darted off into the mesquite-studded desert. The homes here range from glamourously big to small and modified mobile homes. Some have iron wrought gates, others just chain link. The area is quiet. Many homes use solar lights to illuminate their paths; some even have lighted flagpoles. I don't think I've ever walked down here during the day, but I could easily make four to six-mile routes walking the streets as they all are straight north-south or east-west roads. The darkness keeps the dogs from being distracted, and apart from a few barking dogs, weren't harassed.

I turned around here at the dead end, and as soon as I faced the south again, the mountains were in view. The view from here opened up the range, with the prominent peaks of Miller and Carr in front of me, and a still dark sky with its stars. This reminded me of the view I had during the 2011 fire that perilous June. So few lights are visible from this direction when looking at the mountains, and the open space here feels endless.

Only four cars came and went down my route. I'd dart into the desert to avoid getting blinded by approaching headlights. Sometimes I just stepped a bit into a driveway to keep the dogs off the road. Both were very obedient.

We managed 3.35 miles tonight, a perfect distance for Minnie. Both dogs were much more relaxed once we got back home and I was able to resume my reading for the night.