Time to Explore!

Inside Roper State Park is the Mariah Mesa Trail, which rambles up the hillside on to the nearby mesa.  It was time to check it out.

 Both Doris and Jerry were checking on the pictures they had taken, while Sandy looked over Jerry's shoulder.  That day the weather was a bit warmer, perfect for the short hike.

 From that vantage point, we could see the road winding around the campgrounds and Roper Lake.  Wispy clouds provided a contrast to the azure blue sky.

 Doris and Sandy turned around at my request so I could capture a picture of their faces instead of their backs as they traversed down the narrow trail.

The only disappointment was the fact that there was only one bunch of purple wildflowers along the trail. But of course I had to stop and take a picture just to document it!  Oh no!  I saw on Facebook that this "flower" is actually called Scorpion Weed and can cause a very itchy rash similar to Poison Ivy!  The tiny hairs on the bulbs have poisonous oil.  Good thing I didn't touch it!

On a different day, Don and I took the road outside Safford so I could capture some shots of wildflowers, which were in abundance.  This type of wildflower show comes very rarely to the Arizonan desert and I was itching to get some shots of the beautiful poppies.  All these were taken beside Highway 191.

 Snow capped mountains, Cholla cactus and California poppies = one rarely captured picture!