For those of you not familiar with me: Hello, my name is Yo Bubba, I live in BFE, in the Chihuahuan Desert. Desert living isn't anything new, nor is it a hardship. Contrary to popular belief, desert living is full of rich environmental treasures, made even more transparent because of the starkness of the landscape. Annual rainfall from 2004 to 2012 in BFE averaged 8.43', with some years surviving on 0.23' and some on 14.96'. Life in the desert is here because it wants to be here; humans, plants and animals have adapted unique ways of collecting and storing precious moisture. But first a word from our sponsor:
WYFP is our community's Saturday evening gathering to talk about our problems, empathize with one another, and share advice, pootie pictures, favorite adult beverages, and anything else that we think might help. Everyone and all sorts of troubles are welcome. May we find peace and healing here. Won't you please share the joy of WYFP by recommending?
I guess what I am getting at is that, you can see the landscape, you can see the mountains, you can see the flora and fauna, and you can follow that line of cottonwoods which line dry creek beds. Individual rocks can be analysed without much trouble; which brings me to a geologic phenomenon in this area. Once or twice a week I drive from Alpine to Marfa and back. This drive takes you through an ancient volcano, Paisano Pass, which runs up through the mountains and spits you out on a flat plain where you can see for miles, and miles, and miles, and miles. If I still have your attention follow me below the satan's orange cocoon.
Paisano Pass is an extinct volcano, which was active approximately 35 million years ago. US Highway 90 passes through the volcano and provides an inside view of the remnants of the volcano, and past Paisano Peak, a plug that once served as the volcano's conduit. Basaltic lavas erupted from approximately 2 to 3 miles below the surface, followed by explosive eruptions driven by steam, hot gasses and rocks, and by subsequent lava flows. After a quiet period, explosive eruptions began again, and the volcano collapsed on itself; the violent explosions partially emptied the magma chamber under the volcano. Finally, more lavas erupted, followed by late dike swarms, plugs and much younger intrusions into the older volcanic strata. Here is a short video (not really that great) that kinda gives you an idea of the dynamics of the Pass.
https://www.youtube.com/....
Some of the critters you might encounter during your drive through Paisano Pass:
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/....
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/....
http://www.wildmesquite.org/....
http://pixdaus.com/....
http://www.4-the-love-of-jeeps.com/....
http://www.desertusa.com/....
Plants you might encounter:
https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/....
http://all-that-is-interesting.com/....
http://imgc.allpostersimages.com/....
http://www.desertusa.com/....
http://www.nps.gov/....
https://aneyefortexas.files.wordpress.com/....
MFP is I rushed this diary, I don't know how to embed pictures, etc....and I don't have a camera or a phone that will download pictures to my computer. That is why this diary could have been written by Wilma Flintstone. It is high time I evolve with the modern computer world and adopt a 13 year old.
What would you like to share tonight?