The Siren call of home

We had contemplating spending a week or so in New Mexico (we have a coupon to use at "The Ranch" Escapee park between Artesia and Carlsbad), but home is just a day or so away, and we have many things to do there, so we're heading that way.

Today was a LONG day of driving for us - from Roswell, NM to Ranger, TX - almost 400 miles. We are generally in the max 200-mile range, so this was a long day for us. The winds were also difficult - at times Miss Daisy seemed very "squirrelly" (sp?).

At one point, we stopped at a picnic area to change drivers. We'd been seeing pretty little blue flowers, but they didn't look like bluebonnets, and they weren't.

One type of pretty little blue flower - isn't it tenacious, holding on amongst the rocks?

These were the ones that looked like bluebonnets along the side of the road, but up close, they aren't.

And there were pretty little orange ones too!

A mound of them on the little hillside next to the little pond. US 84 is just beyond the guardrail.

There were pretty blue and orange flowers - just not the anticipated bluebonnets and Indian paintbrush.