Day trip! - updated

Today my friend Kathy and I headed out of town. We checked out some of the crafts in Tijeras then went toward Cedar Crest. I had not been up to Sandia Crest in forever so off we headed to Cíbola National Forest and the peak where one can look down on Albuquerque and a whole lot more.


No matter what the larger views, I was looking at details of flora, as usual.


I loved these deep violet penstemon, seen here with asters.

Looking east

Looking south

Looking down with a telephoto lens
See the butterfly!

On the way back we stopped at Ribs and had... ribs, of course. With Diet Coke and iced tea we toasted Darkslayer, the hero of my first two books, born on this day in 1691.

And that's my big old day. Or at least my beautiful afternoon.

UPDATE:
Here is a shot of where we were as viewed from the west side of Albuquerque.


I have shared lots of photos of the Sandia Mountains since they are the predominant feature no matter where one is in this area. They rise 5000 feet above the city and Sandia Crest, the highest point, reaches 10,678 feet (3,255 m).
--the BB