July 21, 2020

July 21, 2020

Today we explored the area to our east by driving to the little village of Greer tucked in the pine forest at the end of a road. In Greer the west and east forks of the Little Colorado River join. The river is tiny and can be jumped across. It is a far cry from the large teal-colored river that empties into the Colorado at the start of the Grand Canyon.

As we are donning our hiking gear, we watch a Hatchery employee dip out several net loads of Rainbow Trout to stock the stream. Over the next couple hours I think they are all caught by the many waiting anglers.

For the next two hours we hike south along the West Fork of the Little Colorado. It is a pretty hike with lots of wildflowers along the bank. They are mobbed with hungry bees and butterflies.

Afterwards we drive into the nearby town of Eagar in the valley to the east. We have lunch at a Sonic Drive-in diner for the first time. It is perfect for this era of social distancing. We both have the Hatch Chile Cheeseburgers. This seems to be the new trendy meal of the Southwest. Roasted chile peppers from Hatch, NM add a great flavor to food. Aimee used a bunch a neighbor brought back to make a delicious Chile con Carne meal. We drove back to Pinetop in the rain. The temperature dropped to a wonderful 51F!