The desert, day one

Looking out my window right now, the colors on the landscape are anything but red and we are definitely past shorts-weather. I'm thinking back to days when red dust followed me everywhere and sunblock was mandatory.

Every good trip starts off with a climb out of the tent to view the sunrise and see just where you ended up when you pulled the car off the highway the night before. Not a bad impromptu site.

It's always a good idea to stop and check in with the district lizard to check on trail conditions and pick up your backcountry permit.

Apparently, many parts of the desert are wondrous playgrounds for grownups. Accessing them was a tiny bit harder than I'd thought and next time I'll consider a smaller pack.

Ah, but once you're in...

You don't really want to come out again.

But outside the slots, there are cactus snakes and other desert critters to stare at.

Thanks to Jesse for spotting the weird, grey mantis in his not-grey environment.

So much out there to enjoy, and that was just the first day.