It's about 6 miles from Faranuf to Hwy 80 in New Mexico, which is the closest paved road that leads either to Interstate 10, about 30 miles to the north, or Douglas, 50 miles to the south. Here's what those 6 miles look like, driving east; it's called Portal Road, or New Mexico Hwy 533 --
It bisects the San Simon Valley; Portal is on the west edge, while Rodeo, which bills itself as "the most western town in New Mexico", is on the east. The area of New Mexico around Rodeo is called "The Bootheel" as that part of the state, looking at a map, resembles the heel of a boot, the boot being the rest of the state. Rodeo, like Portal, is an unincorporated town and has a population, according to the 2010 census, of 101. We in Portal are linked in many ways to Rodeo as we're the only 2 communities for miles around. But I digress from telling about today's events. After passing through Rodeo seemingly in the blink of an eye (ok, two eye blinks) I head along Hwy 80, and as this is a raptor corridor I'm always looking at trees and power poles for anything perched there. And I see something, on top of a pole along the road. And it's HUGE. It's definitely not a Red-tail, or Swainson's Hawk, the 2 usual suspects here. OMG, it's my Nemesis Bird -- a Golden Eagle. I pass by it, find a place to turn around, and am able to get almost underneath it while pulled off to the side of the road. It gives me plenty of time, so I'm able to switch from my 100-400 to the 500 f/4, The Big Boy. As this distance he just about fills the frame --
It looks like a full-on adult, with the golden mane. Golden Eagles are classified as "uncommon residents" here, meaning they're around, but hard to see. I know this is my first sighting since moving here, and the first I've seen since an encounter with a GE just outside of Burns, Oregon nearly 3 years ago while on Travels With Discovery. The early-morning sun is off to the right, so the eagle is in shadow as it's looking the other way. Luckily, I'm able to pull off some decent shots. And I even get a takeoff sequence --
After the GE has left, and I'm still on the side of the road, a Border Patrol SUV pulls up beside me, and of course I can't find the switch to lower my driver's side window (why can't they still make hand-cranked windows?) And fumbling around, I finally find the right switch, and the BP guy says "Everything ok?" in a formal and officiously polite way. I reply that I just saw a Golden Eagle and I was photographing it. Whereupon he replied "Really? I haven't seen one of those since I was stationed here!" I swear his eyes lit up with enthusiasm. "Where is it?" Luckily for him, the GE had flown back to a pole further up the road, and the last I saw of the Border Patrol officer he too had pulled off to the side of the road opposite of the GE and was taking photos with his cell phone. I was jazzed for a good few hours from both the encounter with the Golden Eagle and with the BP guy; it felt good knowing he caught some of my enthusiasm for that magnificent, regal bird. And the Golden Eagle is no longer on my Nemesis List.
I'm always impressed by the scenery along the highway, going to Douglas. Here's Portal Peak, my old friend, the sight of which welcomes me back home --
Here are the southern part of the Chiricahuas, looking north from the middle of Hwy 80 (there is little or no traffic, as you can tell) --
The San Simon Valley in this souther section is savannah-like, full of native grass that has been carefully tended by the ranch owners. And they don't overgraze; you can really tell the difference between this, and further north where the grass has been replace by mesquite and soil that is heavily eroded. A friend of mine here is doing his small part to restore an area of the valley more or less to its original state before the cows moved in. Further down the highway, signs of spring are on the landscape --
Here's Highway 80 looking south; Douglas is beyond that small range of hills --
I get to the Walmart in Douglas, do my shopping, get my hair cut, fill Tundra with with gas -- and get out of town, back to the peace and quiet of the San Simon Valley. And it's always great to see Faranuf after the Douglas Grocery Run of about 115 miles; it's funny how travel distance doesn't matter when you live out here, because, whether it's gas or food, EVERYthing is a long ways away --
Tomorrow it's another day manning the Cave Creek Canyon Visitor Info Center..
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