Saturday, March 12, 2011
Worth Tromping Through Mud
The weather forecast said we're in for another solid week of rain and snow. That is, after a brief period of partly cloudy this morning. To take advantage of that, we hiked a back road on Mt. Hough in search of more signs of spring. The walk was mostly unappealing as it was cloudy, cold, windy, and muddy. The road was made a mess by over-sized truck and 4WD tires cutting through the remaining snow. No bugs or wildflowers yet, and as we searched for a windbreak in order to eat our lunches, I grumbled "This is like a redneck autobahn." I did manage to get a few scenic views out over Quincy and of sunny Spanish Peak toward the West. And a close-up of deer droppings. As we crawled our way back up to the dirt road, I passed into a relatively sunny spot littered with pancake-sized pieces of shale. These often absorb enough UV, even on cloudy days, that they'll be relatively warm underneath and provide hideouts for the critters I seek. Surely enough, the first one I tipped over revealed a beautiful, active juvenile Western Skink with a bright blue tail. This is Eumeces skiltonianus to us amateur herpetologists. Seeing this fellow made the entire walk worthwhile. Well, the exercise and my wife's company were good, too.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Joe,
ReplyDeleteGotta say, "Redneck Autobahn" made my day. I laughed 'til the Guinness nearly ran down my pant
leg.
Chris