Hutch Mountain

click on photos to enlarge
There are at least 4 deer in this picture
blending in with their environment



They just stood and watched us

Lookout tower at Hutch Mountain



Temperatures have been in the high 90's here, so we headed for higher elevation and cooler temperatures. We took the jeep, topless and doorless, and drove about 50 miles northeast to Hutch Mountain. The Lookout Tower has a forest service worker that lives in the tower 6 days a week, so we spent time talking with him in his 'tower'. Great views in every direction from the tower.
The best part of today though, were the 20+ deer and 3 elk we saw. (No pictures of the elk I'm sorry to say). They were laying right next to the fire road we were on, our jeep startled them, and they were up and running right in front of us, but too quick for me to get the camera on.
On our way home we saw smoke in the distance, which appeared to be in the direction of Sedona. As we turned on Hwy. 179, there it was. A raging fire in Jack's Canyon which is a residential area in the Village of Oak Creek about 7 miles from Sedona. At least two houses have burned and the fire is not contained as of yet. Conditions here have been so incredibly dry, temperatures high, and fire restrictions were put in place over the Memorial Day weekend. Apparently, a homeowner was using a cutting torch, and a spark got away....sad. This is the first wildfire for the area and has so far burned 125 acres just since this afternoon.