For the 4th of July Erik and I went to Oliver Lee Memorial State Park in Alamogordo New Mexico. We found a really cool trail called Dog Canyon. It is a rigorous hike that rises over 3,100 feet in 5.5 miles. The trail cut up into the Sacramento Mountains and provided some amazing views into New Mexico and the Chihuahuan Desert. The trail has been used for thousands of years by the Apaches and ranchers becasue of the spring fed stream.

Not only were the views amazng but the hillsides were full of mequite, creosote, ocotillo, agave and prickly pear. Ocotillos are everywhere in the South West.

But.... I have to say that my favorite was this little desert flower.

Well, the southwest has proven to be a very nice place to live. Here are some pictures of our neighborhood and the mountains behind our house. Now you can see what I mean by a great workout.... biking, running, or whatever we please.

The mountains to the south belong to Mexico. This is a picture out our back window looking into Juarez. It is almost like Juarez and El Paso are the same
city. At night we love looking out our window and seeing all of the lights shining in Juarez. Between the sister cities there are around 2.5 million people. Quite a difference between Boise's mere 300,000.

Who ever said that the desert has no color has not stopped to look at all of the vibrancy the desert plants contain. I have never seen so many flowering cacti and spiny plants in my life! Many of the houses have desert shrines full of plants and sculptures. For my artist friends out there, this landscape art was found right in our neighborhood. It is one of our personal favorites!

With nicknames such as: Sun City, Land of the sun, Casa del Sol, El Paso is known for its amazing sunsets and with an elevation of 4,000 feet, you can only imagine the beauty to be found in this amazing mountain scenery.

Missing and loving everyone!