It was amazing to see the area covered with a gray haze that blocked our normal views.
We drove to Cottonwood, about 50 miles by the route we took and toured Dead Horse Ranch State Park.
There's an amusing story about how that name came about.
Back in the late 1940's a family from Minnesota came to the area looking for a ranch to buy.
They toured a number of ranches and one of them had a dead horse lying near the road.
At the end of their tour the father asked his children which ranch they liked the best.
They were unanimous in saying "The one with the dead horse!"
So they bought it and named it Dead Horse Ranch.
Many years later they sold it to the state to be made into a state park with the proviso that the name remain.
It's been beautifully developed, with three lovely lagoons and many camping areas.
The wildlife we had hoped to see was not abundantly evident, though I did spot a duck.
He was diving and reappearing and diving again, apparently having his dinner from whatever fish lurked below.
Then SWMBO spotted something right next to our parked car.
It's sort of hidden in the shadows under that tree.
Using a telephoto shot we got a closer look.
It was a flock of ducks taking a breather and a nap on this windy day.
Later in a different part of the park we spotted one of our more eccentric birds.
It's the wily Roadrunner!
But rather than run along our road he soon disappeared into the tall grass.
Our park visitation done we headed for a brave destination, one planned for this trip.
Lunch at a favorite restaurant, the Tavern Grille.
And yes, we did dine inside, our first indoor visit to a restaurant since last March.
We were masked until food and beverages arrived.
All of the employees and some of our socially distanced fellow diners were masked as well.
I asked Judy how she felt and she said with a laugh, "It seems so noisy!"
Lunch was great.
