Day Up In The Rocky Mountains

My little doggie and I had a really busy and nice day.

We began just before the sun rose by taking a nice little walk out in the desert.

We saw our buddy the burrowing owl, who was calmly sitting up in the top of a mesquite bush. This picture is kind of washed out, but I think it is the best portrait I have gotten of him so far.

After that we drove about 110 miles (177 km) up into the high mountains at Cloudcroft, New Mexico. This is a really special drive because in a relatively short distance you go from the Chihuahuan desert at about 4,000 ft above sea level (1,444 meters) to between 8,000 and 9,500 ft (2,888 – 3,430 meters).

Today was the first time I have ever felt a little bit of altitude sickness. It came on at 9,000 ft. At 8,500 ft I was just fine, but at 9,000 and above I had a headache and felt dizzy and a bit like I might pass out. So much for being old and fat and having second rate lungs after many years of smoking cigarettes. The only good news is that I haven’t smoked now for 5-1/2 years.

At this altitude there are alpine meadows and plenty of wild flowers in bloom.