Getting ready to pull up stabilizers and head east

We are one of the last of the 'snowbirds' still here in Apache Junction. It is amazing how quiet our park has become. The temps are climbing into the triple digits.  Our plan is to leave Monday and head towards southern New Mexico. There are several national parks and state parks that are peaking our interest...so I am making a list ....Gila Cliff Dwellings, City of Rocks, White Sands, Roswell, NM, Carlsbad Caverns......

Our last few weeks have been a mix of lazy, hiking, lazy, visiting with friends, lazy, SNAKE, lazy... get it? :)).

One of our last hikes in Usery Park was supposed to be a nice, easy, quiet... you get the picture, until we saw our first snake! After much use of our zoom to get pictures, we continued our WIDE berth around as it slithered away from us!

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I made Jerry walk in front with the big stick from that point forward and kept Bailey back with me. It was a good thing, because another was discovered in the bushes right off the trail farther on! Ugh!
Pretty exciting for us, hahaha

The last full moon we had, we went on about a 2 mile Full Moon hike with Ranger B at Usery Park. Sooo interesting and pretty....who knew you can see in the dark! The hike started out with the moon illuminating the paths and our way, but clouds then moved in about a third of the way in....we could still see great as our eyes had adjusted to the darkness. Very cool to see and hear the little animals that come out at night. The city lights were also beautiful. Almost towards the end, we had to hurry to our cars as lightening and thunder was heard all around us!