...where the deer and the antelope run for their lives! Life on BMGR and YPG: constant thunder, but not from the clouds. A variety of aircraft: F-16's loaded with very large bombs, F-15's screaming through the night sky and accomplishing dizzying aerial manuevers, A-10 Warthogs slowly tumbling through space loaded with unknown artillery, overflights by Blackhawk helicopters, fiery displays of flares launched to and fro above us, and many planes we hear but cannot see. In the distance, smoke rising from constantly bombarded hills, steady rumblings from the Army's long-distance weapons testing, and odd low-pitch humms from the electro-scramblers used in flight training. All this should make us feel safe, right? Hmmm...and we didn't even take pictures of the real crazy stuff we saw. It must be seen to be believed.
great photos and thanks for the thoughts on fire. I'm actually pretty amazed at how sparse some of the areas are and your comments about desert pavement really hits home. That's not something I'm used to seeing further east or north. On the other hand, your comments about flats vs. uplands may bring up differences in the annuals which are by and large very seasonal and require ample soil moisture and the perennials (buffelgrass), which need to be deep-rooted in order to survive through May, June, and July and make it to the rescuing monsoon rains... A toxic mix could be buffelgrass in the uplands and annuals in the lowlands...
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