There would be no early hike for us this morning.  Exhausted, we all slept in until nine o'clock; you can only run a sleep deficit for so long before the body takes compensatory action.  The wind remained strong but had shifted and was now coming out of the south, the sun blotted out by a dense cloud cover stretching from horizon to horizon.  A pair of Chihuahuan Ravens (Corvus cryptoleucus) patrolled the air around the campsite, much to Steve's delight.  These birds were a bit smaller than the Common Raven (C. corax), also present in the area.  The Chihuahuan Raven has white feathers on the upper neck, which are not easily seen, but Steve's field glasses helped to make a positive identification.

It was a perfect morning for a good breakfast, a pot of hot coffee, and a much needed shower.  By late morning, the clouds had broken up and the sun emerged, so we engaged in a little herp photography.  Taking pictures of critters in the field is always an arduous task, oftentimes requiring the photographer to assume a prone position on dusty gravel roads, rock outcrops, and other kinds of uneven, jagged, prickly surfaces.  The process leaves knees and elbows in a sad and sorry state, and one's skin to the mercy of insect life.

The photographer also requires the assistance of one or more herp wranglers, who are responsible for preventing the animals from getting away, cleaning and cooling them off with chilled bottled water, and coercing them to remain frozen in that perfect portrait pose.  With Steve acting as Chief Herp Wrangler, the rest of us took turns getting shots of the Mountain Patchnose and other herps found the previous day.

After lunch, Steve and Ken took a midday siesta, while Rick and I hiked down the trail to Seminole Canyon, following it down to where it reached the Rio Grande.  As we walked along, a number of Trans Pecos Striped Whiptails (Cnemidophorus inornatus heptagrammus) skittered to and fro across the trail, in the midst of their endless Bug Patrol. Their blue tails and unbroken side stripes set them apart from the Texas Spotted Whiptails sharing our campground.  Getting close enough for a good photo proved harder - these lizards were much shyer than our camp saurians.  Here and there as we loafed along were large patches of Mexican Hat, the beautifully colored coneflower in bloom now, amidst the dry, dusty landscape.  Butterflies filled the air as they flew from flower to flower.  It was a good day to slow down and take a closer look at the world going by.

Eventually, we reached the end of the trail, where Seminole Cayon joined the Rio Grande, a scenic view if there ever was one.  Here was a place where I suspect very few people ever cross into the United States!  Across the canyon from us,  and several hundred feet down was the large petroglyph marking the entrance to Panther Cave, where the ancestors of the Commanche once held rites and ceremonies.  I wondered how those people had survived in this hot, hard land.  We spent some time enjoying the spectacular views, took a few pictures and headed back, the strong south wind taking my straw hat ahead of us on several occasions.

Panther petropglyph is above the green in the center

A late afternoon meal was prepared and tucked away, prior to our departure for the night's road cruising.  Tonight we would return to work the Juno Road, after an early-evening photo session with the Blacktail Rattlesnake at its point of capture.