Always a fun hike to make all the "river" crossings along Tesuque Creek. There were fewer crossings than previous with the rerouted trail and the blocked rerouted creek...but still enough to make it challenging. I tried to take a picture of each crossing to keep count so I counted 11 crossings heading out and 13 coming back. So definitely 13 if not more! Some of us practice our balance by crossing the logs and rocks while others enjoyed the cool water in their water shoes... and the worst part of the hike, the long hot trek to the cars at the very end, had disappeared as the sky filled with clouds and the rain started to cool us off...about the only time we enjoyed getting caught in the rain on a hike!!
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| The Hoofers: Front: Jean, Barb and Sally (our leader) Back: Missy, Karen, Ginny and Pat... |
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| And of course Rose |
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| Heading out |
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| Lupine |
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| Purple Geraniums and Asters or Fleabane |
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| Not a very clear picture so I am guessing it is Ragweed...it's a flower and it's yellow and the coyote fence in the background makes it worth a snapshot |
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| Hairy Aster |
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| Gumweed |
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| Scarlet Gaura |
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| This is what the Scarlet Gaura should look like-- picture is taken from the US Forest Service site. It is such a very small flower that I had a hard time getting a clear picture |
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| Tesuque Creek |
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| From the picture I can't really tell what this is. but from the petals it looks like a Perky Sue in the process of opening...I just like the wire fence as background |
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| Paintbrush |
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| We are taking Winsor Trail #254 and not going far enough to reach the bottom two destinations which is OK for the Hoofers |
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| Bitter Cherry |
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| Views of Tesuque Creek |
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If the flower is not opened I don't have to identify it
0: ) |
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| Pinque Bitterweed |
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| Silverleaf Nightshade |
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| Silverleaf Nightshade |
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| Hairy Golden Asters |
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| Dried creek bed.... where the creek was rerouted |
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| Mountain Mahogany (The fruit is an elongated capsule bearing a slender, curved feather-like plume that remains attached to the fruit capsule.) |
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| Mountain Mahogany |
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| The dam rerouting the Tesuque Creek |
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| We all remembered the river crossings but forgot about the uphill climb on the trail :( |
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| Perky Sue |
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| Indian Paintbrush |
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| Globemallow |
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| An Interesting tree with two trunks that begin to wrap around each other |
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| Another view of same tree |
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| Views of Tesuque Creek |
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| An intersection of trails that is known as the "Y" |
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| The erosion makes one wonder how long this tree will be standing |
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| River Crossing...an easy one as there is a bridge...but not all will be this easy |
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| Wooly Mullein |
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| A more rugged bridge to lead us to believe that all the river crossings will not be easy |
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| Brook Saxifrage (possibly) |
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| Brook Saxifrage (possibly) |
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| Harebells |
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| Cutleaf Coneflowers...with red aphids |
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| The trail is flanked by the Cutleaf Coneflowers |
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| Along with the yellow Coneflowers we have Richardson's Geraniums and Monk's Hood |
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| Everyone waiting after the river crossing for me to catch up...how sweet! |
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| More views of the Creek |
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| We found lots of different mushrooms...this one looks good enough to eat! |
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| Jean finds a False Solomon's Seal with berries..first time I saw that! |
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| Thankfully someone cleared this trail! |
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| Purple Geraniums |
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| Scarlet Gilia A.K.A. SkyRockets |
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| Showy Fleabane (too many petals to be an aster!) |
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| Waterfalls in the creek |
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| Scarlet Penstemons |
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| Rock wall flanks one side of the trail |
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| Creeping Mahonia bearing fruit A.K.A. Oregon Grape |
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| More Monks Hood |
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| Monk's Hood |
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| Now we're talking...a REAL river crossing for REAL hikers! |
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| And another one |
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| And another |
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| God is such an artist. Beautiful Fleabanes placed strategically in front of this faller tree so I can get a great shot! |
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| Worth 2 shots! |
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| A large River crossing |
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| and another |
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| and another |
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| Nodding Onions |
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| Hooker's Evening Primrose |
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| Hooker's Evening Primrose |
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| Salsify |
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| Another river crossing |
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| While I wait to cross the river I see this spider web |
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| Took a couple of shots of it... love the way the sun plays upon it |
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| Baneberry |
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| A Rocky Crossing |
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| And another |
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| Showy Goldeneye |
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| A perfect heart-shaped leaf |
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| Goldenrod |
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| More mushrooms |
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| Clover |
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| A very large mushroom trying to hide |
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| Finally we are as far as we are going to climb and now it is LUNCHTIME!!!! |
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| We almost missed this lunchspot that we always eat at when we do this hike...so many new tree saplings blocked our view of it from the trail |
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| Posing Pretty: Barb, Ginny, Karen, Sally and Jean |
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| Missy and Pat |
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| and Rose |
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| That fallen tree is still standing, however the tree it is leaning against is beginning to lean in the same direction |
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| Downy Rattlesnake Plaintain (Orchid) |
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| Downy Rattlesnake Plaintain Orchid (no flowers on the plant just the stems) |
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| Pinesap |
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| Ginny hiking in her water shoes while her boots are hanging from her pack |
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| What do you know...another river crossing |
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| and another |
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| and another |
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| and another |
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| still another |
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| and one more! |
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| Yes...finally a picture of my fairy mushrooms known as Amantia muscaria (I always wanted a bright red one with the white spots but will settle for this orange one) |
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| Often called Toadstools if eaten normally these mushrooms are highly toxic and hallucinatory |
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| Some claim to know how to eat these safely ... |
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| but considering eating them may be hallucinatory, why believe what anyone says who has claimed to have eaten one?! |
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| And now a flurry of mushrooms along the trail |
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| This one was quite large |
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| As was this one |
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| Here are the two together |
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| What do you know...another river crossing |
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| and another |
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| I love the blue reflection of the sky on the water |
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| A man-made waterfall |
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| Another large mushroom |
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| Same mushroom, different angle |
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| These are the Rocky Mountain Clematis gone to seed |
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| Just when you thought there couldn't be another one....there is! |
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| Views of Tesuque Creek |
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| This was once the rock sculpture area on the trail, but this huge tree made that a part of history |
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| A Halloween Tree...can't you see the arms and the face on that tree! |
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| I notice Barb, Ginny and Jean looking at something very intently... |
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| They were pointing to this large chunk of a tree's trunk |
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| Zooming in with my camera we can all see what drew their attention. Four mushrooms somehow growing on a dead piece of wood |
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| Back to the bridges over the Tesuque RIver |
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| Passing through the flower garden area |
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| Another bridge |
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| Here we are passing the way we came and somehow I missed this very large specimen of Pinedrops |
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| Another bridge |
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| And the very last river crossing |
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| Sally so sad that she couldn't cross the river again...decided she would just get her feet wet one more time |
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| Many-Flowered Gilia |
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| Another thing I missed on the way out...this brilliant red sleeping bag |
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| Frog's Eyes Also known as Rough Menodora (from the olive family) I was unable to get a clear picture of the few flowers that were blooming, the petals of the flower are only ~1/4- inch so it is very tiny and hard to get a clear picture when you are also hiking. Interesting that the small flower presents such a large fruit. This 2-lobed capsule splits into 2 hemispheres when it reached maturity, and each hemisphere contains 2 seeds. Which explains how one flower produces 2 seed pods that look like Frog's Eyes...hence the name. |
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| A Rose hip just beginning to turn red |
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| Fleabane |
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The last picture I took before the sky opened up and poured on us....but it made the hot walk back to the cars enjoyable!
Always Happy Hoofing!! |
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