I went for a hike into Granite Mountains today, up to one of my favorite desert destinations, the Crystal Oasis :-) The recent rains have filled up the little pool there, so I told my daughters this eveing that the place is missing one thing, Goldfish! So this weekend, some pet store goldfish, are making a long trip, to a strange land :-) Heck, they may end up in some hawks belly, but we will give it a go, and let destiny decide their fate :-) It turned out to be a nice warm day, down in the sheltered Lost Valley, surrounded on all sides by mountains. While hiking in, on the soft damp ground, I found that a hoofed animal had traveled along the route I hike. These hoof tracks were made by one animal. Definitely to small to be a horse or full size Burro. The hoof mark was about three inches, from front to back, and was wider in the front, about two and a half inches, tappering smaller to the rear, at about one and a half inches. I saw may tracks while hiking, and one preserved in soft dirt, a very clear impression, made in the last two days, after Monday's heavy downpours. So anybody have any guesses as to what it was that made the tracks? I have heard there are Big Horn Sheep around White Mountain, south of HWY 18, or, maybe a small Burro is in the area. Probably won't ever spot what ever it was, since those wild desert mammals are quite wary. I also saw today a very big bird, probably 4 to 5 foot wingspan. Looking at its underside, its wings had very bueatiful patterns on them, with black tips at the end of the wings. The top of this bird of prey looked brownish, and its tail was not as long as a Red Tail Hawk, and definitely not red. It landed just above me on a cliff, and I got out my binoculars to get a closer look. Its chest looked to be tan colored. Just wondering if anyone could identify this bird. Maybe it was a Golden Eagle. I have seen lots of Red Tail hawks in Granite Mountains, and the occasional Falcon too, but this bird was neither of them. Anyway had a real nice hike, and I'm glad those desert mountans got a good drink. There is water flowing again in the Granites. I put one photo of Crystal Oasis that I took today, at my Wizard's pictures link below. Last photo on page 44. You will just have to imagine the Goldfish for now. Maybe this weekend I'll get a good picture of them in the pool, if so, I'll let you know :-)
