Today, after an early end of work at home so I could drive downtown to the city office pyramid place and return my downtown parking permit, I continued on south to the Valle del Oro Wildlife Refuge, just to see what I could see. I was curious if any birds had taken to its fields yet, and if there was any color in the treetops in the bosque by the river.

Valle del Oro was open, but one had the single option to park at the visitor center lot and trek across the sprawling refuge fields to get to the bosque. I chose to drive west on the private road south of the refuge, and I knew I could not park anywhere near the bosque, so I made do parking by an acequia.

Making hay bales while the sun shines.

When I arrived at the refuge, the sun was bright and the earth was orange. A wide dark cloud crept up on the city from the southwest and soon drained the ground of its color for a spell. A wind rushed past me sent from it, and the sun hid for a short spell.

I took a few photos of the channel and of the sky before I left.

That cloud is throwing some serious shade.

As I headed north past the refuge fields to my left, two flags of geese north and south of me flew west towards the river.