Hiking the Grubstake Loop

The Grubstake Loop trail within Apex Park is one of my favorite trails.  After you have plodded up miles of sunny open terrain, you begin the Grubstake Loop and are rewarded by a forest trail at the top of the mountain.  Also, the highest part of the Grubstake Loop is often a promising place to see deer, as it was today.  Take a look at this doe with the startled ears.

 

Here is a deer I photographed in the shadows.  The image is almost a silhouette.

Today was a great day for deer but not for other animals.  I failed to photograph an illusive species of blue bird that I have been pursuing, whiffing on three attempts with the camera.  My photograph of a lizard with striking jagged markings was also a flop, yielding nothing but a blur with legs.