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We started the morning continuing to move north. The Magdalena Mountains were on our left, sandy scrubland on either side. Near Socorro we turn west closer to the mountains; the landscape changes: yellow grassland bordered by purple-hazed mountains on the horizon. Some 30 Pronghorns are settled into the hillside taking advantage of the morning sun. Mountain Bluebirds sit on a scrubby tree; they resemble painted blue porcelain birds.
We head into Water Canyon in Cibolo National Forest, now surrounded by junipers and pinyon pine, a totally different landscape from the previous days. More Western Bluebirds, Pine Siskins, Mountain Chickadees, plus richly colored Steller's Jays, their dark blue and black bodies contrasting with the white limbs of sycamore trees.
Lunch in Socorro is hard to find with many closed restaurants. Not much of a town given that the Very Large Array Radio Astronomy Observatory is 50 miles to the west. We land at Jackson Ranch Steakhouse where open carry conservatives must gather. Second Amendment placard on the wall, we dine in the Howitzer Room. Yikes.
Great afternoon at Bosque del Apache Wildlife Refuge. A return visit for us, but more is definitely seen with a guide. A series of pastures and wetlands designed to mimic the floodplain of the Rio Grande as it was originally. It takes a couple of hours to drive the loop road. In addition to many varieties of ducks, we see nine Bald Eagles, over a thousand Sandhill Cranes, several species of hawks, flocks of Snow Geese, plus mule deer and coyotes.
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