Desert Critters and Water

 Yes ..... yes I did crawl up on top of that big rock pile.  I'm one of those people that always has to look on the other side of the mountain.  Of course you can do that by just hiking around the other side since it isn't far, but the view will never be the same.  Well actually, it WAS the same this time, but it's nice to know I can still do it.  The lady standing at the bottom had her doubts, as she explained to me when I came down.

That's how I spotted this guy ... a lone baby saguaro hanging on to the cliff for dear life.  With no place for a tap root, it may not last long on this cliff.

Most of the hiking trails at Javelina Rocks head off to the right around the rock mountain.  That's the direction the ten or so people who arrived at the same time as I, were headed.  So I chose to hike to the left.  I knew there was a dry creek bed in the bottom of the little canyon.

Wasn't I surprised to find it not dry at all.  This is the first time I've EVER seen water here.  It was flowing so slowly it would completely disappear in the sand, then emerge at the next little drop off to form a tiny waterfall before disappearing again.  

Water brings out desert critters, although most of them only appear at night.  If you are quiet, you can hear all the birds rustling in the bushes.  It took a bit to finally get a picture of this guy.  I don't know how they can hang on to those sharp cactus spines.

Can you see this little bird in the cactus?

So many varieties here ... and I gave away my identification book.  Maybe a cactus wren, a finch, who knows ... but he was intent on seeing what was for lunch.

The last little bit of color was along this tiny creek bed.  It's not fully in bloom, but it's trying.  It will be gorgeous when all those tiny brown buds explode in purple.

There is one thing I always laugh about when it comes to saguaros.  Many of them look like they are flipping you off.  Maybe they are .... TAKE THAT ... we can survive the desert AND the local population of humans.

I think there are two crested saguaros in the park, this one being the biggest.  This is the only two way section of the road, which was completely blocked by a group on bicycles who wouldn't move over as they took their pictures.  With traffic behind me, I had to keep going.  

So on the way BACK, I stopped to find them still there, still blocking the road so I couldn't get a good picture.  This will have to suffice, complete with green boca (the dots in the picture) because I was facing the sun directly.

Even the experts don't know why they suddenly grow this way.  Some say it's a lightning strike or a hard freeze.  They are fascinating, to say the least.

And NOW ... the best part of yesterday ... kinda sorta.

Elva Shannon sent a video of a guy making burnt ends out of pot roast.  In case you didn't know, burnt ends come from the top flap of a brisket.  Once smoked, they take it off, season it up again and stick it back in the smoker until it looks like it's been burned.  Doesn't sound too appetizing, but they are really delicious.

Pot roast?  No WAY!!!  But I'm all about the challenge of trying something new, especially when it comes to smoking meat.  So I went to Safeway to find a cheap piece of pot roast since brisket costs a fortune.  Well nowadays, pot roast costs a fortune too. 

 I rarely EVER check myself out, but the completely full baskets in line would have been an epic wait.  I ran everything through, grabbed my receipt and headed to the truck.  When I got there and unloaded everything from the top, I spotted the meat on the bottom rack of the basket.  Uh oh!!!!

This turned into a long story which could involve the Fraud Police ..... so I'll relate the rest of it tomorrow, along with pictures of the outcome.  Seriously, this could only happen to me!!