VLA in the distance

We started walking around 11:30, from the county line back towards Datil on Highway 60. The air was strangely hazy (due, perhaps to a cold air mass pressing down on top of a warm air mass and trapping all the dust raised by the wind of the last couple of days) and even though we were in a place where you could normally see for at least fifty miles in any almost any direction, visibility was obscured and led to some desolate landscape photos, as you will see if I can remember how to post pictures. The giant dishes of the Very Large Array were gathered in close formation, instead of being spread out across the plains, which was a little disappointing as well. Thinking I would be cold, I brought a very warm coat, which I wore for a mile or so and carried the rest of the way.

Total miles walked: 9.4! This is a big deal - it took me almost five months to get to the point where I could walk 9 or 10 miles comfortably last year, and this year I was able to do it on our second time out. (Total highway miles covered, 4.7)

Wildlife report: One bull elk jumped over a fence onto the highway, came to a stop, then continued on his way, soared over another fence and trotted away across a field.
One greater roadrunner made a mad dash onto the road and under the wheels of a passing truck, miraculously made it onto the other side without injury. High drama, as our hearts leapt into our throats.

Cloud report: In the distance, merging with the haze, low level cumulostratus. Directly above, deep blue sky with small smooth cumulus clouds scattered here and there. Not the typical fluffy cottonball cumulus clouds, but smooth and oddly shaped, looking like slightly melted spoonfuls of vanilla ice cream that have been licked at with a very large tongue.

Other sights/sounds/smells: We were passed by many small trucks and SUVs, one Hummer, many 18-wheelers, several enormous RVs, and several livestock trailers, the kind that leave in their wake the smell of shit and piss and fear.