Finally I found Dog Canyon!
Exactly what I was hoping for a small almost empty campground with so much natural beauty and charm that a weekend is not even enough to explore this little piece of heaven. Dog Canyon has corrals for horses, so if you have horses you want to bring up...but the trails are rocky!
SO...personally I would think twice about riding a horse...a invitation for leg or foot problems. Lots of hiking trails, and backpacking ops here too.
There is a small tent campground under big trees,
and then there's 4 slots for "other" and since I am not set up for walk in tent sites I had to take one of the 4 "rv parkng" slots. There is one flush toilet by the tent camping, and no showers and no hookups.
One other trailer was there a retired couple who full time in a small camp trailer. The ranger is a nice young fellow about my son's age, and he was fun to chat with he loves the serene off the beaten path location and he lives on site. He feeds the humming birds and he came down and told me he had seen a Magnificent at the feeder late yesterday so I went up and sat on his porch for an hr I saw only the broad-tailed hummers.
and Black Chinned
The Say's Phoebe,
There is a lot to do here you can drive up on the ridge road its a scenic gravel road, on this weekend they were doing a prescribed burn, and I was ready to just spend a day relaxing and doing a little hiking and poking around.
I hiked around Indian Meadows or the Nature Trail It is a nice loop an easy walk to enjoy the plants, insects, and birds.
and this is NOT the photo I wanted of the Acorn Woodpecker but this was the only chance he gave me!
Got a good look at his handy work!
This looks like a Tarantula Hawk to me...
Another couple came in Saturday they were in place when I returned from my hike. The had a small air stream, from California, and on their way to Oklahoma to see their son get his Master's Degree. They told me he is 49 yrs old! You're never too old to go for it. They were so proud. And I am not one to include people or their property in my blog, but I was tempted to put their cat on...he goes so easily on a leash. A beauty of a cat too...anyway take my word, Now you know all I know about them. I did get a nice tour of their classic 30 yr old airstream..He explained his solar set up and I think I could duplicate such a set up in the DLEX.
It was a nice cool evening and the next day I took it even easier...wandered around the area, and some backpackers came off the trail and set up on the campground. Seems many use hammocks in lieu of tents and sleeping bags these days. There was a says phoebe nesting here on the back of the sign...
Found this drowsy looking Canyon Towhee...
And so far this has not been disputed a Hutton's Vireo....the eye ring does not go all the way around...so hope Im correct. Had to crop this shot...
He followed me for a while on the Tejas Trail, where I did not hike the whole loop but did a section of it..enjoyed seeing the following...
an agaves in various stage of putting out a bloom stalk
the ranger told me this hillside had been burned last season. so some wildflowers were freshly opened...like the indian paintbrush
and this one blue-eyed grass...a lovely flower!
Pines march up the hillside...
Dog Canyon is a very special place...it is a long drive to get there and that is why it is not popular, and there is no room here for really big rigs...so its quaint and cozy. The ranger won't put up with any rowdy behavior and noise as he lives here too...so that's why I chose to stay here rather than Lincoln National Forest land not far away.
Sunday morning I pulled out, retraced my route back on hwy 130 to hwy 285 north.
PEACE
Eleanor Roosevelt: You must do the thing you think you can not.
