Cloudcroft Car show June 14

Cloudcroft hosts various activities throughout the summer aimed to lure tourists and their money into town. June 14 was the second annual Carapalooza Antique Car Show. We remembered the car show in Mayhill in 2011 and couldn't resist the temptation to view the offering this year.  

This Dodge Ram featured hand carved tailgate and side boards. 

An added bonus was this exotic looking insect that stopped for a look, too. 

Again Bill E. came through with an ID, Adejeania vexatrix, distinguished by the large orange abdomen studded with long black setae and greatly elongated palpi extending forward from under the fly's head. 

Always the naturalist, I was pleasantly surprised by a small flock of Pine Siskin picking seeds from the grassy road shoulder. Siskin have been absent from Deer Spring so far this summer. I expect them to reappear sometime in July. 

This slick Volvo caught our attention...

as did this 1935 Oldsmobile 98, which brought back fond memories of Fred Kelly.  His idea of the perfect luxury car.  

These hot rods made a rumbling entrance into the park...

 while a cool Pontiac Firebird sparked a discussion about Robin's prize baby covered with canvas in the garage. He would fit right in.

In addition to variety of automobiles, a bevy of beauty queens also put in an appearance.










After a lunch at Western Grill on Burro Street and a visit with Kathy N at the library/art gallery, we drove Dry Canyon over to Hwy 224. The only bird today was a Western Tanager that raced across the road and disappeared into the pines.

 Near the intersection this handsome Garter Snake entertained us along the roadside.  A small trickle of water flowed through wetlands, but only Red-winged Blackbird were present.

Tularosa Canyon road runs up to the Mescalero Indian Reservation in just 3 miles. At the turn-around this Weidermeyer's Admiral stopped long enough to pose for a photo op.

Invisible on the drive in, a wetlands area was populated with a flurry of American Robin.












Another favorite drive is through La Luz Canyon. The pond at the highway intersection is currently dry. Hopefully the summer monsoon will fill it, the area has been a hotspot for warblers in past summers. The only bird visible was one Dark-eyed Junco that landed briefly on the road. I could hear birds, mostly robin in the trees, but they mostly stayed out of site. This was the road where we discovered a mother bear with two cubs on a previous trip. Maybe next time..