(nr Elephant Butte NM)
Took a walk amongst the creosote around my camp. Lots of it and as far as you could see. The bushes were spaced apart enough to make hiking fairly easy, and the area was rather flat with a few ravines.
Looking out to the distance mountains there didn’t appear to be much of interest. However, I noticed blooms on the creosote bushes. Looking down amongst the growth revealed some wildflowers of different colors and sizes.
Decided to take some photos; and, that led to seeing even more than expected. There were yellow, white, orange, and purple varieties. Don’t have any idea what they are called; just thought they were a pretty surprise.
Spring green was beginning to show in the grasses and shrubs, too. The scrub trees were also beginning to bloom. Even the cacti were setting buds and getting started. I guess it was that time for desert wildflowers around here.
Experiences like that keep me going out for walks near my camp every morning and evening. Another of the pleasures with this vagabond lifestyle.
Camp: BLM-Rock Canyon Road boondock
Scene: Brush, desert, wildflowers
Nice – the desert plants in my front yard are all blooming now, too
Glad to hear it. They add so much beauty to the landscape.
Would love to see a high resolution image of the creosote bushes with the clouds in the distance. Living in the East my image of the desert is brown and gray during all seasons. Thank you for enlightening me.
For those that have not experienced the desert in its different seasons, they have the same opinion. One needs to spend some time here to appreciate the subtleties and grandeur. Thanks for noticing.
Yes, very pretty indeed. Glad you are able to find nice spots to camp, and it looks like you have as much solitude (and social distancing) as you want 😉
Every time I see your posts, I start thinking about getting back in ThistleDewToo should be our next move.
Well, boondock camping is somewhat limited in this area. And, there are some travel restrictions in the state. So, be sure to check the places you want to go, and choose accordingly. I’ll have to say this style of living makes for some pretty nice backyards.
Love the Elephant Butte Area but didn’t know there was any BLM lands nearby. Great flower pictures in the desert.
Oh yes, there’s plenty of BLM land around. It just takes some searching to find the good spots. Yeah, I like those desert wildflowers.
So that raises another question: How do you find the BLM land and know it is navigable by an LD — are you using paper maps they give out at their various HQ offices, or some other technique (boondocking website, good app, or something else)?
For BLM I usually look at their website for the area of interest. There’s an app called Ultimate US Public Campground Project that includes all public lands and lists some boondocking locations, and my Garmin USA app also shows BLM lands and roads. Just have to explore to find what is accessible and will work for my rig. The Benchmark Atlas series is good. And, asking locals is often very helpful.