We took the outer loop hike, which is about 2 1/4 miles round trip, and took us about 2 1/2 hours. This area reminds me so much of Wyoming and Utah...it is so pretty and peaceful, I could do this every day of my life!
If you click on this pic you can see a lone house down there. While incredibly pretty, I think it would be a little on the remote side for me. haha
They had a botanical garden display that was sort of interesting. Check out how high the yucca plant in the 1st pic will grow as shown in the 2nd pic. And that is a purple cactus we saw in the mountains as we were hiking...prettier than the plain green ones.
The 1st pic here shows a Queen Victoria Agave. Seemed almost perfectly symmetrical, but interestingly from the same family as the 2nd and 3rd pics, which are Havard Agaves. The tall tree-like structure in the 3rd pic grows out of the middle of the plant in the 2nd pic.
And here is a challenge for Hallie...do you know what these berries are called? We saw a lot of them growing in the mountains, but didn't find out the name till we got to the gardens. Hurry Hallie, you are on the clock! haha
Stitch pics to click on for a better view. The 1st is the grasslands of the "flats" as we looked down on them from the mountainside, while the other 2 are of the hiking area itself.
Taking today off. There are wind advisories for today and tonight, and potential dust storms tomorrow, so we may be home bound for a little while. We shall see.
i am still astounded at how much hiking you guys like to do. I am so lazy. I know I could never keep up. I especially like the purple cacti.
ReplyDeleteKeep up the journey.
Believe it or not, with all the pictures I take the hiking isn't very tiring...lots of stopping and starting. And even if it was, the views are absolutely worth it.
DeleteI would like to hike!!
ReplyDeleteTired at first, but I would catch up!!!! lol
Paula, where is my challenge???
It is on the Ft Davis Historic Site blog...3 blogs ago...you missed that one!
DeleteAren't they a form of a tomato from a catus?
ReplyDeleteThey are called Soapberries, Hallie...and can be used for soap! Read below.
DeleteSoapberry gets its name from toxic chemical compounds in the drupes, called saponins, which produce a frothy soap. To make these suds, just take a soapberry and rub it in your hands with a little water. Be careful though; some people are sensitive to saponins and may get contact dermatitis.
People in the desert southwest have made laundry detergent and shampoo from soapberry fruits, and in parts of rural Mexico, some still rely on this natural source of soap.
Nice to know if we don't have any money or we get poor!
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