Many years ago, my dog, Aspen, and I went hiking and camping in the Chiricahua Wilderness Area, part of the Coronado National Forest in Southeast Arizona. The Chiricahua Mountain Range is the largest in the Sky Island region of Arizona. Several mountain ranges have been designated as Sky Islands because they rise up to great heights from the desert floor, far below.

I took a few photos of wildflowers at an elevation of atout 9,000 feet. The month was July and the desert was simmering, but Aspen and I were cool on top of our Sky Island.