Black Range Picnic

We went on a picnic to the Black Range a couple of weeks ago. It is still very dry up there,but at least it was cool, around 75, which was was a nice change from the 97 it consistently gets to everyday in Las Cruces. We ate at the Wright's Cabin Picnic area, and then did short walk on an old road. There are many,many dead pine and fir trees that have broken off during the windy season. There many more that are dead and are waiting to break off or burn.The mountain mahogany and scrub oak on the south sides of the peaks look dead dry and ready for a lightning strike. There were a few people camping at Iron Creek and Lower Gallinas. There were a few puddles in the creeks,but all in all, it's still a pretty discouraging picture. I'm still not feeling real good about visiting again until the forest gets more rain. There was a car ahead of us as we drove along the camping corridor that slowed down to stop on the highway(NM 152). I was a little peeved and perplexed until I saw that they were looking at small,scraggly cinnamon colored bear. Probably looking for a pickanick basket.IMPORTANT UPDATE: the lightning strike arrived on June 7th, 2013. This area is now within the Silver Fire and is currently closed.