March 3 -- A Dayhike At The Valley Of Fire

I was wanting to do a daylong hike in the Valley of Fire before the waterpockets from Friday's storm dried up, and to see if any wildflowers were blooming, so I set out for the VOF around 8am and arrived at Parking Lot #2 on White Domes Scenic Byway, it being my "trailhead" into the back country (which really isn't "back country" as in "Sierra backcountry" since you can see -- or hear -- the road no matter how far in you hike). I was somewhat disappointed to see there were no clouds, but a thin screen appeared at the day went on and I worked those into my photo compositions. While driving along the Byway I noticed what standing water there was from the storm had dried up considerably, and with temps forecast to reach 80 degrees by Thursday there will probably be little left by then. I walked across the rock (I try to avoid the dirt so as not to tread on the macrobiotic soil, which if destroyed can take at minimum 5 years to regenerate) and was greeted with Technicolor views from all sides --

And a few waterpockets were still around to add extra interest --

When I reached a formation I call "The Windows" I realized that I had hiked this area a  few weeks back, but it appeared that the recent rain made the colors more vivid --

(And I really worked in those few cloud formations as much as I could.) While walking in a wash I saw movement -- and realized I was looking at the first hummingbird I've seen since I've been in SE Nevada -- which includes last November; it was a male Costa's, recognizable for its diminutive size and "droopy, beard like" gorget, which flashes purple when the sun is at the right angle. I came upon a waterpocket with a fringe of grass reflecting off the water --

And a little further up, more reflections -- 

There's a very picturesque small arch here, which people have marked with cairns -- piles of rock --

so hikers know there is something "special" at that location --

Fred Blackburn,  a pioneer in exploring Ancestral Puebloan ruins and pottery in Utah canyon country, would always knock-over cairns  when he came upon them -- "Let people discover it for themselves", he would say, and I kinda agree with that. This part of the back country is full of interesting rock formations -- 

And if you look way up to the left, you can see blue sky in the rock; there's a small cave there, which opens to the other side.  Further up the sandy, vegetated wash are other fascinating formations -- 

Then I saw something white up on a rock. It was -- a skull, and another section of bone. It looks to be that of a dog, but I'm not 100% sure. The nose is still intact, and it does look like a "dog's nose"--

If it was a dog, had it been abandoned, then eaten by a large predator such as a mountain lion? Judging from the condition of the nose, it seems to be fairly recent. One of the many mysteries to puzzle over while on a day hike...It was a good day for birdwatching; I noticed 2 Say's Phoebes going after insects in the air, and later I saw 2 finches, one with a lot of red/purple on its head and breast. It could have been a Purple or Cassin's Finch, or simply a House Finch. I really need to start bringing my 7D camera and 100-400 f/5.6 L lens with me when I hike...And I saw an interesting sparrow hopping around on the ground near brushy desert plants. I managed to get a shot of it, using the 17-55 f/2.8 landscape lens, but even with cropping it's hard to make a definitive ID -- 

I believe it's a Black-throated Sparrow, but I'm not 100% sure...Grrrrr... ;o) After a short rest for lunch I started heading back. I saw evidence that springtime in the desert is just around the corner --

I walked north in the direction of the White Domes, and came upon fascinating and whimsical formations -- 

Then I went down to the wash which connects with the White Domes hike at the end of the byway; here's the view from up top, and the wash is to the far left  --

I'm back near the truck now, but I have time to go up another wash for a few more waterpocket shots --

I get back to the Tundra around 3:30pm and chat with a couple from Utah. "It's still pretty cold up in Salt Lake," they said.  I replied "Well, it's going to reach 80 here on Thursday." They just smiled, and shook their heads.  It had been another perfect day in SE Nevada...