Blue moon

A rare event tonight: a blue moon (second full moon in a month), and on New Year's Eve to boot. That only occurs once every 19 years. And what a beauty!


A happy and healthy New Year to you!

Hill 5325, aka Ocotillo Ridge

Because we had already done the Stronghold hike this week, in the snow, we decided to go "outback" to do more exploration this morning. It is still pretty chilly early, and there still is some snow on the protected north faces. (Shawna loves the patch to the north of shop/shed and makes a beeline for it whenever she is outside).


Our destination was Ocotillo Ridge, which we ride by on our Windmill trail. The rocks are almost all pudding rock, as if a east-west dike of it was pushed up. The ridge has 3 "tops", the highest of which is 5325 feet, and we climbed all of them. None are as tall as Hill 5445, just south of this ridge. Lots of ocotillo and prickly pear, but also a lot of grass and fresh deer sign. This is the ridge looking back (east), with Blacktail Hill in the background.


No spectacular surprises this time, such as big crystals, but the scenery is gorgeous (the pictures do not do it justice), and we have a better understanding of the lay of the land. We can overlay our GPS tracks on the Google map and do a fly-over.

Merry Christmas ...

... to you, reading this blog today. I hope you encounter some of the following on this special day:

• a gorgeous Amaryllis bloom, a face you love
• a beautiful piece of music, laughter, a horse's soft nicker
• delicious smells emanating from the kitchen
• the taste of something special that bring back happy memories
• a hug, a (doggie) kiss, a feeling of wellness and gratitude.