Trestle Recreation Trail: The Switchback trail; driving home

https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/new-mexico/switchback-and-old-cloudcroft-highway-trail

Today was our last morning as a threesome.  Holly had to get back on her three-hour drive home, stop in Carlsbad for groceries, and then get ready for her workweek.  I had to do much of the same.  We both were up again early for the last coffee; two hours later Nina got up and Holly said her good-byes and left.  We plan on having another "all girls' retreat," but hope to invite more women we know.  That way we can break out in multiple ability groups and hike different trails.  And for those who simply enjoy hanging by a campfire, stay in camp and chill.  I know Susan would have benefited from this weekend's retreat.  Hopefully next time.  The older I get, the more I appreciate the company of women.

Traffic was minimal on US82 in the late morning.  I wandered around the camp area, photographing wildflowers.  Red Texas thistle is still very much in bloom here, but at the 6800' elevation we camped at, am surprised to see so many Centaurea americana (American basketflower) more common to the Texas high plains (like Palo Duro State Park in the Panhandle).  The few still in bloom were in the minority.  This flower tends to prime out in July-August. The purple-white flowers add color to the green grass, but the tall grass overshadows the shorter stalks of these flowers.  And thistle fascinate me with their geometric petals.

Zeke followed me all over camp while Nina was getting ready.  It was breezy and overcast, a good day for more hiking and a pleasant day for a drive back home.  There were many wildflowers hidden in the tall grass.  I wandered around getting a full mile in those two hours I was alone.  More people stopped by to use the vault toilet.  One professional truck stopped by and two Hispanic men stepped out.  One ran inside to use the toilet, the other one watched me by the pedestrian bridge, then tossed his white plastic bag into the creekbed below.  That bag contained a breakfast burrito with eggs and sausage, which I retrieved to give to Zeke and then toss out.  Zeke ate it all!  I hate seeing people litter, and there was enough litter for me to pick up and toss out when I ran out of flowers to photograph.

We finally got going by 10:30.  I asked Nina if she didn't mind stopping somewhere along the way for a short hike before hitting the hot desert basin.  "Sure, a few miles would be fine!" she said.  She had to be back in Sahuarita for an 8am maritial arts class and I didn't want her to be late for that.

Nina let me lead again, so I stopped on the west side of Cloudcroft, and turned off at the Switchback trail on the north side of the road on Baily Canyon Road, a forest road.  This was the first trailhead we came to, This is another trail that belongs to the Trestle Recreation Trail.  The name implies steep cuts in the trail, but it actually refers to what once was a railroad switchback for the trains coming up from Alamogordo.  The trail takes a steep up ahill and then levels out near one of two shelters on this trail, with maps and general information. The grade is quite easy, and there is evidence all along the northern part of this 4.6-mile hike that trains once belched up and down this canyon.  More benches for tired hikers provide for views of the canyon.

I intended to just hike a few miles of this, but we both ended up enjoying this trail so much, we did the entire thing.  So much for Nina's martial arts class!

There are historical plaques along this trail explaining the history of the railroad here, with old photographs to show hikers what the area once looked like.  The trail follows US82 for a little over a mile before it crosses the highway via a pedestrian bridge which was funded by the New Mexico Rails-to-Trails organization and dedicated to a local couple who lobbied for its construction.  Without the bridge, this hike would have been much more dangerous, as US82 gets steady traffic.

Wind began picking up.  I didn't wear a jacket today, nor a hat.  The cool skies were refreshing enough.  I carried my backpack with water for Zeke, which he drank from twice along the way.  We never met another hiker on this hike, as was fine with me because I forgot the leash in the car.  Zeke stayed by our sides.  He lost his decorum only once, thanks to a red squirrel taunting him from a low tree branch.

Zeke was hesitant to walk across the bridge.  A big semi had rolled underneath us, scaring him.  We had to convince Zeke all was OK.  He quickly reverted to his confident self once we were safely on terra firma.  We were now officially off the old switchback and on the Old Cloudcroft Highway, a  road that is open to ATVs and motorbikes.  We were now lower than the highway and still next to it, but the noise was much less audible.

The trail now had a different character.  It went from old railroad bed to forest road, with aspens reappearing.  I was so happy to see aspens again!

The Old Cloudcroft Highway switchbacked once but was mostly linear, taking us back to US82 where we walked through a tunnel to the other side.  Another quarter mile and we were back at our cars that were parked off the road.

The official length of this loop is 4.2 miles, but Nina's app said it was 4.6 miles.  My phone's app wasn't

working properly (I discovered later that that was due to an outdated app that the sponsor, United Armor, was no longer updating) and only read 3.75 miles.  I think Nina's app is more correct with the mileage because this hike took us 2:50 hours.  Holly was already home when we finished this trail, a trail I know she and Doug would have enjoyed.   I would do this trail again and add mileage to it by hiking the entire Old Cloudcroft Highway trail.

We were now ready to brace the desert heat.  We left Cloudcroft at 70F.  An hour later we were walking in white sands off the highway, in high winds, at 80F.  And yes, we did the touristy thing and stopped along US70 to take selfies of ourselves.  Nina even plopped down to make a sand angel, although the wind made sure any angels were quickly blown away.

 

Another car pulled up to take selfies in the white sand as we were ready to drive off.  This place, three miles west of the park's entrance, is a popular place to stop and walk barefoot in the sand.  The sand is very fine, yet the wind and recent rains had hardened the surface some.

Once we got our shoes on and hit the road, we didn't stop until we gassed up in Alamogordo, the cheapest town along the route for gas at $2.43 ($2.74 in Las Cruces and $2.58 in Lordsburg).  We bypassed the Rio Grande because Zeke was tired.  We didn't stop again until we were on the west side of Lordsburg.  The Love's gas station there has a Subway shop that is known to have gluten-free bread, but they were out. Nina settled for a salad, I had a footlong chicken teriyaki sub.  I intended to eat the leftover half at school the next day.

Our trip was now coming to an end. We crossed into Arizona just before sunset, stopped briefly at the Texas Canyon rest area to let Zeke walk and pee.  He didn't pee, so we said our good-byes here as we continued on through Benson, where the city lights illuminated the desert sky. Nina continued west on I-10 while I turned south on SR90.  I couldn't photograph Benson due to low light, but I did manage a sunset shot before hitting Benson, when the sliver moon added some mystic.  We sure do live in a beautiful place, and what a great weekend it was.

Trestle Recreation Area: the Osha Trail

The Osha trail is the first trailhead on the west side of Cloudcroft off US82 as one heads toward Alamogordo.  It's a wide parking lot suitable for RVs.  The parking lot looked busy.  This 2.5-mile trail is described as a popular trail for both locals and tourists.  I can see why.

The trail is a lollipop loop, beginning with a gentle ascent along the scenic ridge before it turns northwest into the shaded forest.  We were finally hiking in aspens!  I had been wanting to breathe the smell of aspens and finally got my wish, only to discover, sadly, that most of the groves around Cloudcroft are suffering from brown spot virus, a virus that causes the leaves to turn brown prematurely.  In severe cases the leaves go from green to brown and never explode in bright yellows.  The virus is spread through the roots and is impossible to treat.

This trail, like the Trestle trail, also provided benches along the way.  There were plenty of people, young and old, taking advantage of them. Zeke got to meet a few dogs, including a Saint Bernard the owners warned us was in heat.  Zeke is neutered, but he still has his instincts.  That dog also left a turd on the trail and I know it was the Saint Bernard because the circumference was larger than most dogs.  (Come on people, pick up after your dogs when on the trail!)

We used one to rest on during the half-mile mark, talking to passers by including an Air Force family that had moved from Homestead, FL to Holloman Air force base outside Alamogordo in July.  The couple's four-year-old daughter bravely tackled the Osha loop twice!  The bench was near a meadow that we all imagined was used by elk early in the morning.

We got a good sense of autumn on this trail.  Red maples added the reds to the aspen's yellows.  The afternoon sun shone through the taller pines, adding diffusion to my photos. I also discovered other trails that branch off the Osha loop.  The Pine trail diverts north for a bit before it joins a forest road, and there are other unmarked trails that lead back into the residential area of Cloudcroft, trails used by the locals who want these unmarked trails to remain "secret."  I will allow the locals this privilege, as we have those trails in the Huachucas, too.

The trail is thus a loop trail cut along a hillside that veers around the hill before joining an old logging trail before rejoining the loop.  I can see why this is popular as it's a short distance, offers some ascent, is mostly shaded and also offers a viewpoint.  It's got a little bit of everything.

We all agreed that our dinner tonight would be at the campsite.  We had enough food to eat and we weren't in the mood for another disappointment.  I stopped in town to use the wifi at the coffeeshop, which turned out to be 40 minutes, before joining Nina and Holly back at the campground.  They were betting that I had stopped by the brewpub!

We had another fireside chat, sharing moments of our childhood, both good and bad. This is how true friendship is created, by sharing private fears and joys that may risk judgemental reactions by strangers.  Holly and Nina think I am an extrovert because I come up to strangers in the street or in the campground to strike up a conversation, but I also consider myself an introvert.  I talk to strangers because it does break the ice, lessens any fears, and if the stranger's initial intent was to do me harm, he may feel caught off guard and not risk harming me.

We were up again until 10:30again, and I stayed by the dying embers until 11:10pm.  Distant lightning in the east made us wonder if we would get more rain again, but instead this time the rain stayed to the east.  The cloud cover, however, kept the night warmth close to the ground, giving us an overnight low of 55F.

Trestle Recreation Area: Mexican Trestle Trail

Cars were stopping by all night long to use the toilet, but the one CR-V plated from Alaska was the only other camper for the night.  I walked over to the couple after our breakfast to talk to them.  Sally, whose CR-V was parked on the premise, hails from Fairbanks, Alaska but now works in the oilfields outside of Odessa, TX.  She and her partner were in the area to look at a ranch to buy.  Before they took off for their real estate purchase, she dropped off her left-over campwood.  We ended up using that later this evening.

It was a tad warmer in the morning, a mere 44F, and I ended up drinking more of Holly's instant coffee.  Where did my Starbucks VIA packets go?  We again waited for Nina to awake and get started.  Once she was done with her boiled eggs and bacon, we were on our way to hike the 2.3-mile Mexican Trestle trail that I had done two months ago.  After we finished that trail, we did the 2.5-mile Osha Trail off US82.  Both are part of the Trestle Recreation Trail, a network of trails that once carried railroads to take away lumber off the mountains and both have unique features worth seeing.

We stopped briefly in town for coffee at the Black Bear coffee shop.  I had gotten there before the other two and missed the long line.  Right after I got my latte with almond milk (because they didn't have skim milk) a group came in that created a wait for Holly.  It was National Coffee Day and everyone got 15% off their order.  Nina and I sat outside on the one outdoor table with chairs; Holly leaned against the building.  I had never had almond milk before and the latte was quite tasty.  The coffeeshop also has free wifi for its customers, which I took advantage of.  From the coffee shop, the Trestle Trail Recreation area parking lot was only .4 mile away.
https://www.alltrails.com/explore/trail/us/new-mexico/mexican-canyon-trestle?ref=sidebar-static-map

The parking lot for the Trestle trail was near full.  Some people had already finished the trail and were enjoying a picnic lunch.  We stopped at the replica railroad depot to read the historical signs and use the restrooms and then we were on our way via T5001B.  Zeke was on his leash as we passed other hikers, many with young children and dogs. Two viewpoints come up early in this hike with views of the White Sands, but the rest of the trail is heavily shaded.

The original trestle trail was wide and level, but part of it was on private properly.  A switchback trail now diverts around that private property and creates the one steep descent/ascent of this rail.  Alltrails rates this trail as easy, but this switchback will create some ankle issues for children and elderly hikers.

Both Nina and Holly enjoyed the view from the trestle, which looks like it was restored.  Climbing on it is forbidden.  The trail ends here with a viewpoint of the trestle and Mexican Canyon.  (There  is also a viewpoint off US82)  We returned the way we came, diverting only to explore the "S" trestle that's also on the trail but which I didn't explore two months ago.  The "S" trestle collapsed and is now in ruins, but one can still get a good idea of what it once looked like.   This trail comes out to the main parking area from the east side, proving views of the ridge we had hiked on yesterday.  We added .4 miles returning via this route.  We rested at a picnic table in the parking area and ate our snacks and had water before hiking the Osha trail a half-mile away on US82.

New Mexico's Rim Trail around Cloudcroft

It had been a cold night, with temperatures dipping to 40F at its coldest.  A full bladder had gotten me up at 3:30am.  Together with Zeke I walked around the quiet, dark campground.  The rain clouds had moved on by then, and above me was the milky way.  I never really got back to sleep after that, having slept six hours by then.

Holly and I were up first for our early morning coffee.  It was cold and we were bundled up in wintergear. We waited for Nina, who was awake two hours later.  That gave me a chance to walk around the campground and walk up a game trail that took me up a hillside overlooking the campsite.  I could see the many burned trees, but also new growth.

We had many trails to chose from.  I picked hiking part of the Rim Trail, New Mexico's first National Recreation trail.  It's 30.6 miles long and follows NM130 from Cloudcroft to Sunspot, starting in the high country and ending in the desert.  It's open to hikers, equestrians and mountain bikers.  I suggested a section along the northern part in Section 1 that offers views of the basin to the west, with White Sands National Monument in the background.  Elevation is minimal and would not be too exhausting for Nina.  Everyone agreed to hiking the Rim Trail.  We just had to agree on where to start, as there are so many starting points and parking areas.

We stopped at the Lincoln National Forest Ranger Station on NM130, only a mile from the first trailhead.  Maps are available for day hikes, as well as a water pump for campers.  We parked across the street from  Deerwood campground, a fee area, and started our hike heading southwest, walking through a tunnel under NM130 to get started.

The Rim trail here hugs the road and you never get away from traffic noise. Parts of the trail are old railroad grade, others are old logging or Indian trails. The forest is healthy here, but I was hoping to hike among the aspen!  It was all Douglas fir.  We took our time, slowing down for Nina and at times stopping for Zeke, but we kept a steady pace.  We met other backpackers and a few mountain bikers.  Woodpeckers and Stellar Jays were the two birds we kept hearing

We passed a second campground a mile on the trail, the Slide Campground.  This was a group campsite occupied by one huge tractor-trailer camper.  Once we got past this campground, the trail veered away from the trail and onto a ridgeline, and then the trail opened up to breathtaking views of the Tularosa valley basin to the west and the White Sands.  The trail finally had a rural feel to it.  The trail was rocky and narrow and was slowly descending.  We agreed to hike just a little bit farther before turning around.  We didn't want to have to hike up a steep ascent on our return hike. The trail was also more exposed here, which quickly warmed Zeke.  I came across a horned toad that flitted across the trail and into the low brush.  Its markings were much darker than the horned toads in southern Arizona, but I couldn't get a good enough photo of it.

We found our perfect turn-around point.  The Rim Trail hooks back on the ridge to continue on that ridge before dropping in elevation.  We had hiked 2.4 miles to this point.  A young man came by and took our picture, before continuing on the trail and disappearing from sight.

Weather was near perfect for today's hike.  It was in the 70s with little breeze.  Most of the hike was in forested land, keeping us and Zeke cool.  We stopped at a parking area at a picnic table for water, then discovered a tombstone  off the trail in honor of Rebecca S. Zacniewski (1944-2005), "Wife, Mom, Grandma".  How did that tombstone manage to be placed on national forest land?

We walked back the way we came, diverting only briefly to explore a logging trail that followed a ridgeline.  We were back in town by 3pm, again hungry for a meal that didn't require us to yell at each other.  The brewpub was out of the question, so we settled for Dave's Cafe.  I had eaten here two months ago on my drive back to Arizona from Indiana.  The meal was OK (nothing to rave about), but at least it was quiet inside.  I took a risk coming back here a second time.

A lot of other people had the same idea we did.  There are only four eateries in Cloudcroft, and on a midday early autumn weekend, surely all are busy.  But we waited a long time for everything.  From getting seated, to giving our drink order, then getting our drinks, to finally taking our food order.  It took another hour to get our food, and then Nina's order was not correct, as she specified gluten-free and got fried corn chips with her order.  By the time she got her food, Holly and I were done with ours.  We had spent over two hours in Dave's Cafe.  I don't think I want to give up any more hours of my life there.  I could tell that Holly and Nina were disappointed, too.

It was now early evening and we headed back to the campsite.  Nina drove with Holly and they stopped at the town's Family Dollar store, where Nina found some gluten-free soup.  I arrived at the campsite first and walked around a bit.  They arrived 20 minutes later.

What a day.  We finished off with a lovely campfire.  Holly is quite adept at making fire.  Her husband Doug had cut up wood for her to use and that came in handy.  Zeke was apprehensive of the fire and wanted to stay in the car, so I let him.  It was warm and safe there for him and he didn't mind my hours-long chat with the others, talking about our time in Alaska and Texas, two states all of us have lived in or traveled to.  Holly and Doug left Alaska this past January to return to Texas where they plan on retiring when he's 59 years old.  He's got three years left before he can leave the National Park Service.  He is finishing off his time at Guadalupe National Park.  I will someday visit them there.

Drivers on US82 pulled into the campsite all night long to use the vault toilet, and one car with Alaska plates pulled in for the night.  We didn't get to talk to them until the next morning.

It was another cool night, dipping down to 44F, but no rain this time.

Driving to Cloudcroft, NM

The weekend is here, the big Girls' Retreat that HollyO had been planning for months with Nina and me.  I took Friday and Monday off and spent most of yesterday packing.  I always overpack.

I was up at 5am to shower and left the house at 7:20am with Zeke.  The early morning drive to Benson was already proving to be scenic, with a temperature inversion keeping clouds close to the valleys. I met Nina at the Love's Station in Benson and together  we convoyed to Cloudcroft, where Holly reserved a campsite and waited for us.  Zeke came along. We were only 50 minutes late of our planned departure time of 8am.

The drive along I-10 is beautiful.  Just before Wilcox, AZ is Texas Canyon, a preserved area of huge granite boulders north of the Little Dragoon Mountains.  Rockhounds and photographers are attracted to this area, as well as heathens determined to deface all the rocks with graffiti.  This defacing is why the area is closed off to the public.  A rest area near Texas Canyon makes for a very scenic stop along one's travels.  The canyon is open only during special events; I hope to one day walk through those mystical piles of rocks.

We stayed in contact via walkie-talkies while on the road, letting each other know when we needed to stop for a bathroom break or a snack break.  Zeke held up well, and my one routine stop is along the Rio Grande in Las Cruces, where we walked out and back along the river path for .6 miles so that Zeke could pee, poop, and drink some water. The river is still high, but no one was floating in it today.

We stopped at the McGinn's pistachio farm north of Alamogordo.  I had forgotten where that farm was located precisely, only to learn that it is three miles north of the US54/70/82 intersection.  The garlic and ranch-roasted nuts are addictive.  By this point I hadn't had anything to eat, so the varied free samples of pistachio white chocolate brittle, maple roasted pistachios and other nut delights filled me up enough.

Cloudcroft was our destination for this All Girls' Retreat, an old logging town at 8676' elevation.  US82 now climbs from 4336' tin Alamogordo to  over 8000' in Cloudcroft for the 17-mile drive uphill.  It's a pretty drive with several scenic pull-off where one can stop and enjoy the view.  This was Nina's first time here and I wanted her to see the beauty.

The hard part was finding Holly, who was already at the campsite waiting for us.  She drove up from her home 90 miles south of Carlsbad, NM.  The drive for her is only three hours, not 5.5 hours. She was holding on to two sites in the James Canyon campground, a primitive campsite with six sites and vault toilets, but no running water.  The campground is a free campground right off US82, west of Mayhill and between milemarkers 32 and 33.  Once we found each other, we had a small hug fest, then drove into town in two vehicles to get something to eat.  Our destination was the Cloudcroft Brewing Company.

Holly and I enjoy our craft beer, but Nina does not drink.  The brewery does offer gluten-free pizza dough ($2 surcharge) and soft drinks, so she went along.  But when we got there early in the evening, the entire brewery was blasting with loud music and a big crowd.  We were told it would be a 40-minute wait, so we got beers and Pepsis and sat along the wall of the bar yelling at each other to be heard.  I ordered a Hotshot Hefe brewed there, but it was the worst Hefeweizen I have ever had.  Its ABV was 6.8%!  To top that off, the bar tender tipped himself a dollar from my change.

We eventually were seated...outside in front of the stage.  It was getting chilly out, too.  Kids were running around the stage area, which was fine with everyone, but I got a little annoyed with the little heathens when they ran up and down the tables bumping into people.  Kids are only cute as long as they can behave within their acceptable standards.  Having kids run around in front of blasting speakers really isn't a good way to entertain them.

The two pizzas we ordered were overbaked and too salty.  The reviews of this brewery made it sound like this was the best pizza ever.  It was not! Holly and I shared a Greek pizza, Nina had her own gluten-free pepperoni.  My second beer was a much more pleasant Alien Vanilla Stout brewed by the Sierra Blanca Brewery, as was Holly's De La Vega Pecan Nut ale.  The brewery was out of their other wheat beer, an Adobe Wheat ale.

I was glad to get out of that place.  It was a disappointment, but I'd give it a second chance and go there when there isn't a band playing.  I'd skip the food.  We walked down Burro street, a heavily-shaded residential street on the east side,  to the downtown business district of Cloudcroft on the west side.  The shops were all closed.  All the people were jamming at the brewpub, from where the noise traveled quite a way.  We were on our return walk when we noticed rain approaching.  We walked a mile in town when its residents were already getting ready for the night. We made it back to our campsites 17 miles away when it began to rain at 9:30pm.  We had gathered outside at the picnic tables, but when it began to storm, we all disappeared into our cars.  Or at least I did.  I fell asleep while Nina and Holly were wondering what had happened to me.  I hadn't planned on falling asleep so fast, but it was long day with little sleep the day before.

For the next three days we will be hiking short trails in the Trestle Recreation Area in Cloudcroft.

Tropical Depression Lorena

We finally got some decent rain!  It all started Tuesday at around 2am, with distant lightning to our East.  I knew I wouldn't be able to walk the dogs at sunrise because there would be too much cloud cover.  By 4am the lightning got closer, and at one point it sounded like the storm was right over us by 6am.  The rain started a drizzle, then steady rain. Our back yard flooded before sunrise.

I worked a half day on Tuesday, allowing me some time to walk the dogs on my usual route, but today, due to the wet grass, I opted to walk them on pavement off Calle Prieta, north of the dirt road where I normally start.  Minnie came along.  I was hoping the cool drizzle would make her want to walk, but she then pooped, turned around, and walked back to the car. She had barely walked .1 mile. I should have gone back to put her in the car with the windows open.  Instead, I opted to at least get a quick mile in before doing so.  Bad move.  There was another car already parked in the cul-de-sac I park in.An older man walking his white Great Pyrenees was watching me and the dogs from an adjacent street.  That was his car.  I should have turned around and gone straight to Minnie and get her in the car before the Great Pyrenees would see her.  I ended up walking down to the end of the street before turning around, just as the man was.  He was angry, seeing Minnie sitting by the car.  His car was parked at the corner of the cul-de-sac where I normally park and I was behind him by 50 feet.

I had to cut across the wet grass to evade the angry man and his dog, but when I got to my Honda, he yelled obscenities at me, telling me it's the law to keep dogs leashed in the county.  "My dog could have fucking killed your dogs!"   If I had put Minnie in the car to wait on us, there wouldn't have been any danger, because my dogs would have followed me away from the white dog.  But this man wouldn't stop lashing nastiness my way.  I got into my car to calm down.  He started to drive off, then stopped his car.  He was waiting on me.  I was waiting for him to leave.  This waiting game lasted ten minutes.  At 8:50am I finally drove off, and the old man in the maroon Hyundai followed me!  He followed me south on SR92, then turned east on Hereford Road, then followed me around in a circle around the Horseshoe Ranch Estates.  This wasn't funny.  What if he was armed and had planned on hurting me?  And why the need to follow me?

I couldn't keep on driving around to evade him.  I had to get to work by 12:30am.  I eventually lost him (or he gave up) north of Hereford Road.  I pulled into our driveway, yelled for the dogs to get inside, quickly changed int dry work clothes, and drove off to town for a bite to eat.  By noon the rain was back on, coming down steadily.  Side streets were flooding and culverts were barely able to keep water maintained.

It took me a while to calm down after that aggressive car pursuit.  I should have noted the man's license plate when I walked past his car.  I normally photograph suspicious vehicles just in case there is  a problem.  I didn't this time, planning on  quick mile-long walk and heading back home before the next volley of rain.

If anything, this has taught me to be more vigilant when walking my dogs.  I only have issues on the streets.  I never come across anyone while on the dirt roads. And Minnie will stay home from now on, even if it's cool and rainy.

It's been raining on and off since, continuing in the evening and again overnight, with Wednesday morning being much of the same thing.  Temperatures have dropped with this rain.  It was even cold last night.  It will remain cool until Saturday, when the 80-degree weather is back.

Our neighborhood didn't flood, but other areas where dirt roads are the main transportation, people have been reporting flooding.

I got up again early to walk the dogs, leaving Minnie and Sweety home this time and just taking Sadie and Zeke.  Those two dogs are the best behaved of the pack and stay close by me.  This morning it didn't rain until I was on my route back, managing 2.15 miles under an overcast sky.  Zeke seems to enjoy running through wet grass.

By the afternoon the sky cleared and the ground began drying up.

On Friday morning I'm driving to Cloudcroft, NM to meet up with Nina and Holly.  We have worked out the details.  Holly even has a campsite in mind east of town, the James Canyon campground. This will be our first get-together since we hiked in Garwood, Alaska two summers ago.  I will meet Nina in Benson at 8am and we will convoy in two vehicles.  I'm so looking forward to this little retreat with good friends.  Weather should be mild.  By this weekend Lorena will have died out somewhere over Arkansas.

Sadie's recovery

Sadie's face was almost back to normal this morning as I got ready for the high school.  If rain wasn't coming to our area like it was over Phoenix and Tucson, I wanted to take the dogs for a short walk up Miller Canyon after school.  Susan was also ready to walk her Allie.

We met at 4pm in the lower Miller Canyon parking area, under an oak tree.  Susan was already waiting when I pulled up.  All the dogs were happy to get out, and neither Sadie nor Allie showed any signs of lethargy.  The only dog that struggled is Minnie because of her arthritis and excess weight.

"Was Minnie ever skinny?" asked Susan at one time during our short walk.  Yes, she was.  She didn't gain weight until she was five years old, and it's been hard for me to get her to lose any of it.  I must try harder.

We had a slow walk.  Susan said several times we had a guardian angel watching over our dogs.  I agree.  We were both very lucky.  The veterinarian at the Sierra Animal Hospital called Susan back today to apologize for not being able to take Allie in Saturday afternoon.  The doctor was in surgery for two hours trying to save a dog that was a victim of a dog fight.  The dog didn't make it. I know losing an animal in surgery is never something a veterinarian wants.  And yet, like the silent heroes they are, they continue to help save as many animals as possible.

We met Tangie and Rich along the creek near a campsite where we normally cross over and return back to our cars.   I saw their pick-up parked across the trail first, but Tangie saw my dogs and yelled out "Connie!"   I yelled back "Tangie!" even though I couldn't see her.  When we did spot her, we stopped to chat, sharing our stories about the dogs and the rattle snake.  They shared their story about their little Yorkie and her liver trouble.  They took her to the same emergency clinic in Northwest Tucson that Susan went to, and have only praise for the doctors there.

Tangie was moving rocks around, to create little pools of water.  The creek here is no more than two feet across where we were sitting, and when Minnie lays down in the water, creates her own dam of sorts.  When she got up to leave, all that water that had been collecting around her came gushing downstream.  We all had to laugh at that.

Our walk was only 1.5 miles, but we were out with the dogs for 90 minutes.  It was a small celebration for our dogs that survived what could have been a sad event.

The late afternoon sun was still shining through the trees when we drove off, creating beams of light across the trail.  There was no sign of imminent rain, either.  I hope our area didn't get bypassed by the rain gods again.  The storm wrecked havoc around the Phoenix area with flash flooding, moving northeast across the state.

https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/phoenix-weather/2019/09/23/hurricane-lorena-remnants-bring-rain-storm-flooding-tornado-phoenix/2424575001/