A pre-Christmas stroll in nature

 Hello, everyone!

Last week, taking a break in those last few days before Christmas, a group of us went for a small hike at El Sal del Rey. This is a very historic salt lake in the north part of the county. 

Long time readers may remember Sal de Rey being visited in the past. This was a return visit, and an introduction for the younger members of our party. We were four adults, two children (both under 10 years) and 3 dogs. Truly it was an expedition! And everyone in the group, even the youngest, finished the walk under his or her own power. 

A view of the lake and the sky that day. The area that looks like trampled snow is the salt. It was not a bright crystalline display that day, even though the conditions were very dry and the water level of the lake was low. We concluded that there had been a small amount of rain in the area recently.

The path from the parking area to the lake was just about 2 miles one-way. As some of the party were dogs, and some were children, we took it easy and enjoyed walking along the trail and over part of the salt to the edge of the water. 

The oldest puppy in the group, truly an elderly lady, finished up her four miles with no problem. As y'all can see, she even had a big smile on her face at the end, after having a few sips of fresh (bottled) water from the doggie dish.

Pets are allowed at Sal del Rey if they are on a leash. As it is a wildlife refuge, allowing our pups to run wild after any rabbit or javelina they see is not appropriate. (Some of the wildlife could injure the pups, too.)