Los Perros Del Camino

What???!!!  Dogs???  On your blog????  Really???  Okay okay...let me explain myself.  It's really a double bonus post with cute dogs.  For the Park Rangers out there:), I wanted to show you Mt. Lemmon 10 years later.  Look at all the growth around the dead trees in the pic below. Fire is a good thing when people, structures, and animals aren't hurt. Yeah, it's pretty exciting:) And second, this is for my hiker friends:)  Hiking with dogs that is.  And I have a special surprise on the bottom of this post from last night:)

Hikes are great.  On this particular morning, a dear friend of mine took the puppies for a walk.  We were up early before the tourists hit the trails at around 6 AM.  I realized a couple things.  Hiking with dogs is a workout:)  There is no stopping.  And the birder in me had to be put aside to keep up with these active pooches.  My camera was slung over my shoulder and I shot pics whenever I could:)

And at the end of it all, humans and dogs alike have gotten a good workout.  But after we came back to the cabin, I grabbed my bird lens and took off birding alone:)  I am a cat person.  We have 5 of the feline variety:)  But I love all animals and these dogs are like family:)  When the owners are out, we dogsit for the crew.  My favorite thing about them?  Well there are 5 of these guys as well:)  In the morning, I'll get them up for their bathroom routines and in a pack mentality, they bound out from their cage and attack my other half(who is sleeping) and give lots of sloppy kisses.  I have a good evil laugh:) 

The trails are open on Mt. Lemmon.  It had been a year since I last visited.  Within one year, a trail that was wide open has now grown in with vegetation.  It was exciting to see. There were lots of wonderful birds and animals in the area. And of course the hikes are brilliant.  Afterwards, stop at several of the local eateries for a nice breakfast or lunch.  I'll just say this.  It was great getting out of the desert heat and hiking once again. If you love dogs, this may be the last time you see them on this blog:)  Of course, wolves and coyotes can and may show up down the road.  I see coyotes often but it's always on my way to work and I never have the stupid camera!! And speaking of work, I begin today(which is good...I need the money).  It also signifies a new fiscal year and several interesting and exotic trips this year.  Anyhow, enjoy your day wherever you are.  And the surprise?

Last night was a wonderful thunderstorm event full of dangerous lightning, rain, and power outages.  Thank you Gaelyn for your tips on getting that lightning shot.  This isn't my best work, but it signifies the beginning of ideas.  It's a lot harder than it looks and don't worry....I did it safely and that's why it's hard to do:) And I'm not sure dogs or lighting go well together. If you live with a dog, you know what I mean:) More tomorrow....