Tripped

Roadkill You Don't Expect to See

Dead alligators. This one was very much alive, but we saw two of its expired relatives on the pavement during our tour of bayou country today on Louisiana Highway 82, apparently after a nighttime encounter with a semi. This only days after our previous roadkill highlight, seeing vultures feasting on at least dozen different deer carcasses during the course of our drive across West Texas from Big Bend to Austin.

Prickly Pears in Bloom

Big Bend National Park, Texas.

Amazing day cruising down the Ross Maxwell Drive from Chisos Basin to Santa Elena Canyon on the Rio Grande. We've seen prickly pears all over the Southwest on our way here, but this is the first spot where we've been at a low enough elevation to see any of the species actually in bloom. Particularly fabulous to see multiple flower colors on a single plant.