Pecos Dreamin'

Sylvan will undoubtedly report on a delightful trip to the Pecos Wilderness with the New Mexico Native Plant Society. I went along fully aware of the possibility, nay, the probability that these charming yet botanically obsessed individuals would hike at the rate of two hours per mile and stop to appreciate every plant – even, I think, some without flowers (if you can believe it!). It all came true, but I was prepared. I threw a sleeping pad into the car and brought a mystery novel, but didn’t actually resort to either of them. My strategy from step one was to hike on ahead of the crowd, find a beautiful place to rest, and pull my sombrero down over my eyes for the half an hour or so it took for them to catch up. The result was a perfectly dreamy day in a beautiful woods. Accompanying this post are photos of several of my resting places – one beside a stream, the other in an aspen grove. Keep in mind that in Santa Fe we live in the high desert. The Pecos Wilderness area is just the other side of the mountain behind our house. There are trees and everything, just like a real forest – oh yeah, and some other plants.