Friday Fitness Hike

Bob and I hiked the Dixie Mine, Sonoran, Promenade, and Western Loop trails on Friday for a hike of about 10 miles with 2,000+ feet of total ascent.

I got this shot while walking through the Eagle’s Nest gated community. (A little over half a mile separates the parking area from the beginning of the Dixie Mine Trail.)

A view from the Dixie Mine Trail:

A view of the Fountain with Weaver’s Needle and the Flatiron far in the distance:

This is one of my favorite spots to photograph on the Sonoran Trail. I like it so much that I photographed it both on the way out (immediately below) and on the way back (further below). This photo was made from two exposures, one more or less as shown below, and another with my thumb placed between the lens and the sun. Blocking the light source with a thumb prevents lens flare which would either ruin the shot or (at best) make it extremely tedious to edit.

Views from the Western Loop Trail:

A view of part of the long uphill section on the return trip of the Sonoran Trail. Look for the trail in the wash at the bottom along with switchbacks at the bottom-right corner.

Another view of one of my favorite spots on the Sonoran Trail. The earlier shot was taking at 7:45am. This one was taken at around 10:30.

Back on the Dixie Mine Trail…

I think the flowering plant in front is Goldeneye with an ocotillo behind it.

I was taking close-ups of one of the flower clusters when this bee landed…