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Wednesday, July 30, 2014

An East Mesa Hike - 07/21/14

Starting and ending point: Philips 66 gas station and convenience market, a short distance north of Isleta Casino.
Isleta Casino.
Patch of unusual bushes on north-facing slope.
Juniper on a north-facing slope.
Northern fence of the Isleta Indian Reservation.
What I once thought might be the 'Sunset' "Breaking Bad" location.  Water tank against the backdrop of the Manzano Mountains.
Some strange-looking beetle/cicada.
Looking south towards water tank on petroleum pipeline road.
Exposed caliche being eroded away at the edge of the East Mesa.
Close-up of that unusual bush.
Many of these arroyos have protected banks that fill up with tumbleweeds (Salsola kali) that get blown in. These things are fire traps!
Gus Fring drives past this  small stock tank at the beginning of the 'Sunset' scenes in "Breaking Bad".  The disaggregated tank in the distant background was not shown.  Historic Google Earth imagery shows the distant tank had a top until fairly-recently. Sacred Datura (Datura meteloides) clusters around the base of the stock tank.
The distant tank collected flying wasplike ants like they have on J Mountain on the West Mesa.
The Manzano Mountains.
Descending towards the Rio Grande, along an arroyo, here are more junipers.
Arroyo.
Arroyo.
Purple nightshade.
Spectacle pod? (Dithyrea)
Goldenweed, or Yellow Daisy (Aploppapus gracilis).
Spectacle pod?
Looks like Hymenoxys on the pipeline road.
Hymenoxys; aka Actinea; Perky Sue (Hymenoys argentea).
Water tank again.
Ragged edge of the East Mesa.
More tumbleweed-filled arroyos.

Looking southeast.
Looking west-northwest.

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