Shakedown Cruise

Despite my twin encounters with rattlers on Sunday, I still came back outdoors on Monday.  There has been an upper level low just kind of meandering around the southwest and with it have been scattered thunderstorms so on Monday I saw a window and dragged the backpack out of the closet, loaded it with 6-packs of Gatorade and made the quick drive to a nearby trail head for a shakedown cruise.  A little ways up the trail, the views to the west open up with Sombrero Peak in the distance.

Hey, check out that unusual lizard.  A local came walking by and said it was an unusually large variety of whatever it is, the name of which I forget.

The pack weighed about 30 pounds, not the 40-45 it will be when I load all the gear but close enough as I hiked an up and down trail for 3 miles around the base of Pusch Peak.  It was a strong monsoon season that just ended with above average precip.  There is green everywhere.  Kind of odd when you think that coming out of a summer it is much greener than when summer began.  Well, it actually rained lightly on me and so I headed indoors.  Been busy, picked up a 2nd condo and so am washing the walls, removing fixtures and preparing to paint. When "She Who Must Be Obeyed" arrives, I'll be dragged into furniture stores and boring places like that so got to cram in more activity until then.