On the second day of my trip, I spent most of the day going on a hike, in the surrouding country side and canyons.

Of course, several million years ago the whole area was a shallow sea bed.  And there are tons of marine fossils in the surrounding rocks.

It is amazing to me that a group of people lived in this harsh environment.  It seems like everyything around either has thorns or spikes, will bite you or is a sharp rock.  But even in the sheer rock surfaces, if given even the slightest chance, life will take hold.  As shown by this small clump of Bushy Bluestem.

The predominate flora of the area is Ocotillo and Sotol. Ocotillo is leaf-less most of the year and  looks like a cactus, but is actually closer related to roses.  It will leaf out after a small shower and sometimes produce a beautiful red blooms.

The Sotol was a primary food source for the Lower Pecos People and is pictured heavily in their Rock Art.   the Shaman in this painting is holding a Sotol stalk in each hand.  The red dots trailing down the stalks and onto the ground are thought to be Peyote Buttons, which were used in the ceremonies.

The tall brown stalks are the Sotol talks after they have bloomed and dried in the desert wind.

I had a blast just walking around in this stark landscape.  Down in the canyons the temperatures soared to about 110 degrees, even though it was the first week of November.  I was every so thankful to come across this crystal clear pool of water in one of the side canyons.  The water was about six feet deep, but you can still clearly see the bottom.  The water was cool and tasty.

The day was, of course, finished off by another stuning sunset.

Tommorrow, I'll post more of the Rock Art form another area that I visisted nearby and rant about the fascists that were patrolling the area.