Blog 387: Critter Hunters

08, 11 22, 09:50 Filed in: Travel | RVing | Photography

From Lyman Lake to Roper Lake State Park was 190 miles. The good news was that there was light traffic and low winds. The bad news was that lots of roads were rough, many were narrow, and there were curves so tight that it looked like our tow car was passing us.

Roper Lake State Park is just six miles south of Safford, Arizona, and right at the base of 10,717-foot Mt. Graham, part of Pinaleno Mountains. The park is 338 acres at 3,130 elevation. From this view of the park with Mt. Graham in background, you’d might think you are in Hawaii.

Gotta love this place: mountain views all around, lake with a beach, off-leash dog park, several trails, and lots of birds and critters. Here is a crusty looking javalena, Gambel’s quails, song sparrow, vermillion flycatcher, white-crowned sparrow, cardinal, and killdeer.

Dankworth Pond
We started most mornings with a walk around Dankworth Pond. Here are shots of an osprey, a black phoebe, a damsel, Mexican ducks, and what I am calling Bush Art.

The pond was the home of lots and lots of dragonflies, most were the size of model airplanes. I never saw one land on anything, so I attempted to capture them in flight. Results were not worth publishing, but it was fun trying.

Ramada Action
The weather was warm, and we were fortunate to have a ramada on our sight to offers some shade. While sitting back in our chairs, Jan noticed a good-sized walking stick on the ceiling. Here are a couple of photos. One is shown with Jan’s hands to give some perspective on size. This is one cool insect that is a master of camouflage.

A couple days later we were treated to another, smaller walking stick of a different color.

If interested in learning more, check out this article in DesertUSA, https://www.desertusa.com/insects/walking-stick.html

Swift Trail
We took Highway 366 on to the Pinaleno Swift Trail up into the Pianaleno Mountains past 9,000 feet. As the map shows, it is one hairpin curve after another.