A Day In Albuquerque

I went on one of my twice weekly hikes. It has gotten hotter finally so I got going as early as I could. It was a very quiet hike, I was about three-quarters of the way down when I ran into a guy with binoculars and a camera with a long lens. He asked if I had seen any birds and I told him just the regulars.

Turns out he was from Ohio and was here for the National Senior Olympics (in tennis). We were having a nice chat about photography when I commented that the reflection off of his sunglasses was way cool and asked if I could take a picture.

So it is time to head back down the trail and get home. I hadn't gone for another five minutes when I heard in my left ear a  distinctive...rattle...and a very angry sounding...hssssssss! I didn't even think. the worlds "What the F@*%!" came to mind as I did a two-footed jump to my right as far as I could go. I looked over back to my left.

I continued way around it and came down thankful for my reactions. Though Wife told me that if it really wanted to strike at me it easily could have covered the distance I had jumped. Thanks for the words of reassurance Hon! This was the first major snake incident I have had in 20 years of hiking.

The rest of the day we were normal and uneventful. But at dinner, I glanced at our outdoor thermometer and humidity gage.

Yup. 1% humidity. After all the crazy unseasonable humidity and precipitation, we are back to June normal...all turning into dehydrated versions of living things.