This water drip beneath the cottonwood tree hasn't been very popular in previous years, but this year there's way more cover near it and birds are using it more. I even saw two male MacGillivray's Warblers there at one time. Of course, I was rushing around without a camera. Later I photographed several species bathing. Here's a female Painted Bunting bathing. With the temperature up to 99° today, there were plenty of opportunities, but I had a lot of other stuff to do.
My other sister, Ann, is back from her trip so us three girls are going to work to reach the saddle tomorrow. I'll really have to go slow though, because I still haven't recovered from my last two-hour stint. Surprisingly, my knees, shoulder, and back weren't any worse afterward, but I got a headache and infections from running myself down and still am fighting that. So I simply must pace myself.
When I posted (May 3) the proposed route of the trail, I drew the line around the peak that makes up one side of the saddle. I hadn't realized Ann had flagged it to go over the saddle. It wasn't until Julie and I got within sight of the saddle and saw Ann's flagging that I saw my mistake. Going over will be better because the slope around that knob is steeper, and one way or other, we'll have to end up at the same elevation where the oaks are. Going around the knob would have been farther, but a more gradual ascent. However, cutting into the steep slope surrounding that knob would have added difficulty. Hopefully, I can post photos from the saddle tomorrow.
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