24 November , 2007
Greetings,
On Saturday five of us hiked up Palm Canyon in Anza Borrego Desert State Park. We wanted to see the changes after the flood of two years ago.
Two years ago a storm brought a big flood down Palm Canyon. A couple of hundred palm trees were torn out. Some ended up over three miles away. Boulders as big as a room were moved. Camp sites at the bottom of the canyon were covered with sand and debris. It was a very vivid demonstration of the power of nature.
Hmm.. Don't remember this skull last time.
 
Almost to the palms we learned there were Big Horn Sheep on the side of the canyon. Sighting a Big Horn Sheep is a wonderful treat. They blend in with the background so well that they are hard to see even if you know they are there. Often one sharp eyed individual sees a sheep, then points it out to others. Even when you are told where to look the sheep can be very difficult to see.

 

Do you see this one?

 
 

Now do you see it?

Yes, that's it in the center of the photo.

 
 
Do you see the Big Horn in this photo? It hasn't moved far from where it was in the photo above.
He is in the center of the photo above. I have tried to adjust the photo so the Big Horn Sheep is about the same size as we saw then in the canyon.

Maybe he is a bit easier to see now that he is magnified.
My camera has a powerful zoom that enables these photos to be blown up to where the sheep looks much bigger than they appeared to our naked eye.
There is another Big Horn in this photo. Can you find him?
 

Here he is.

Still can't find him?

He is in the lower right with his head down. Look for his big, curled horn.
We left the sheep,hiked to the palm grove, and ate lunch.
 
 
I was curious to see if I could still see the impression in the ground where this rock had been before the flood two years prior.
The impression can still be seen, slightly above the rock and to the left. The flood didn't move the rock directly. Rather, it undercut the ground below the rock and it slipped down and away from its previous position shortly after the flood.
 

After lunch we walked back down the trail. The sheep were still grazing on the side of the canyon.

Can you see this one?

 
Is he easier to see now?
 
Looking at the sheep. The sheep are not easy to see but they are fascinating.
 
This one carries a collar. The collars are used to track the sheep so more can be learned about them.
 
Another look at this one.
 
Here are two with big horns.
 
The same two but the photo has been enhanced.
 
Another enhanced photo of those two.
 
 

The same two again.

I couldn't resist taking lots of photos of these two big Borrego Sheep.

 
We finally left those two and walked down the canyon. Down the canyon we saw four more. Can you find them?
 
Here they are.
 
Another look at these four. Their rumps are their most visible parts. Their rumps looked like exclamation points to us. We looked for the exclamation points to find the sheep.
 
A final look at these four.
 
As we drove out of the valley and up to Yaqui Pass, the moon was just coming over the horizon. A beautiful closing to a wonderful day in the desert.