Take a hike...

Usery has all sorts of trails.  Rough ones, ones that involve climbing over steep hillsides, short ones and lots of desert trails of various lengths.  It was time for us to check out some of these while we were camping here. I've been told to "take a hike" lots of times, but it didn't necessarily mean that exact thing.  Anyway, I digress.  Back to my blog about hiking trails at Usery.

Here is our group, ready for Buckhorn Campground Nature Trail.  All of us had eaten a nice breakfast, it was warm and sunny, and there was nary a complaint from the younger generation.  Doris was the narrator for this hike, reading the pamphlet information as we reached each point in the brochure.

 Looks like Jerry, Delaney and Kyla had taken the wrong path and had to circle back.

 This spring there had been enough rain for the local Ocotillos.  They were sporting green leaves on their stalks and red blossoms on their tips.

The next morning, it was just Doris and I with the girls.  We decided to take the trail that wound up by the Nature Center.

 I had Delaney stop by the Teddy Bear Cholla, warning her to stay away from all the little pieces of cholla that were on the ground.  You never, ever want to come into contact with any type of Cholla cactus.  Trust me, I know from experience!

If this were a painting, I think I'd call it "Kyla's Kactus Kontemplation".  Did you notice her shorts and cowboy boot combination?  She had gotten a new pair of riding boots a few days before, and wore the boots almost the whole time we were camping.

Hailey and Delaney found a nice bench to sit on near the end of our hike. Why do kids feet tire so easily when you take them out like this, but they can walk in a mall for hours???

 Hike Number Three

I thought we were all ready to get out on the trail, but Don is still goofing off and Sandy is talking on the phone.  Time to go!

 We headed up the side of the small mountain to get to the Merkle Trail, all the while watching out for cactus plants and rattlesnakes.

 At one junction, the girls decided to take the Vista trail, which ran up and over the small hill.  I was surprised to hear that Don volunteered to stay behind them just to make sure they would be okay.  His one knee bothers him when he climbs up steps or, in this case, climbing up on rocks.

 Sandy spotted the girls and was waving to them as we walked along the flat gravel Merkle Trail that encircled the hill.

 When Don and I were here about 5 years ago, this trail was covered with wildflowers.  Unfortunately, the winter this year was warm and there was hardly any precipitation.  There may have been a lack of wildflower color, but we didn't have to worry about shoveling snow or dealing with freezing temperatures for months on end. I can deal with this a lot easier than sleet, snow and black ice.