I met some fun guys today

[DipodomysDeserti]

My cousin is visiting from New Jersey, so we did what we always do: go exploring in the wilderness. I didn’t feel like being hot so we headed a bit north to do some hiking around the Mogollon Rim. Arizona had a great monsoon season this year, and it really shows in the soil. The fungal universe is really thriving. It’s really cool to see displays of the microbial universe beneath our feet.

The desert east of Phoenix seems to be recovering well from the wildfire last year (those of you not from the Sonoran desert would be shocked at how green it is right now), but it’s still disheartening to see so many dead Saguaros. I’m hoping all this rain helped the next crop gain a good foothold.

[CB]

@dipodomysdeserti The moment I saw the post title I thought "this is about mushrooms". And I wasn't disappointed.

[facw]

@cb Exactly the same, and I was pleased.

[beefchips]

@dipodomysdeserti tasty treats!

my favorite guidebook, mostly because of all the wonderfully weird people in the photos:

[CB]

@beefchips He has consumed at least some of the mushrooms in that book.

[Manwich]

@dipodomysdeserti

They might look like fun guys, and some of them might even be psychedelic. But some might be toxic.

[ike808]

@dipodomysdeserti I’ll take whatever southwest desert info you’d like to impart. The lone Hawaii Oppo is most likely moving to the Valley of the Sun.

Well, maybe Sedona if I only have to go to the office in Tempe a couple days per week.

[jminer]

@ike808 you're not allowed to leave until you recruit someone to replace you.

Seriously though good luck with the move!

[ike808]

@jminer We love it here but we also are closing in on retirement. We miss the grand kids and some aren’t allowed to come this far to visit. Cost of living (mainly housing) is crazy here. Can move to Arizona and get twice the house for half the price. Won’t be within 2 minutes walk to the beach like here but we love AZ too. Probably move again to the East coast of FL when we retire. Gotta be near the ocean.

I’ll see who I can recruit to take over the 808 Oppo post.

[MasterMario]

@ike808 said in I met some fun guys today:

I’ll see who I can recruit to take over the 808 Oppo post.

Find me a job and I could probably convince my wife lol.

As nice as it sounds though I don't know if I could live there for much more than a few years without a significant increase in salary to offset the cost of traveling anywhere that isn't Hawaii.

[Tripper]

@cb

[annoying_salman]

@dipodomysdeserti Mushrooms are neat. I always want to see Amanita in real life. Back in 2017 my sister unexpectedly found this veiled mushroom in our garden. I was really surprised because I thought it didn't grow in this region.

[DipodomysDeserti]

@ike808 said in I met some fun guys today:

@dipodomysdeserti I’ll take whatever southwest desert info you’d like to impart. The lone Hawaii Oppo is most likely moving to the Valley of the Sun.

Well, maybe Sedona if I only have to go to the office in Tempe a couple days per week.

1. If it rattles, stay away from it.
2. If it open carries, don’t talk politics with it.
3. If it has spines, don’t touch it.
4. Stay on trails.
5. Drink lots of water

Sedona to Tempe would be quite the commute, and a beautiful one depending on the route you take.

[DipodomysDeserti]

@annoying_salman That’s a cool one! If bought soil to use in your garden, it may have been carrying that fungus with it. Hopefully it plays nice with your native soil flora.