Hey Slappy,
Superbowl Sunday we duned over to Cement Flats and when we got there found out that we had a hitchhiker in the buggy.


This little guy was takin' a ride on the buggy seat. He was real friendly too, let us take his picture without flyin' off. But nobody in camp could indentify what brand of creature he is. Any help? I tried doing some research but couldn't find a match.

WOW !!! That's a Recluse Spider Fly

copied from an article I had...

The Recluse Spider Fly is a very poisonous spider fly identified by the large horse fly like eyes, it's furry body and pink wings. The Fiddleback Flying Spider is a nearly identical species that is equally poisonous.

The Recluse Spider Fly is typically found in dry climates and likes to build webs in small bushes and trees. However, the spider fly, unlike most common spiders, does not use it's web for catching it's prey. They make a nest from thier web, and do so in many locations typically.

The Recluse Spider Fly generally feeds on small insects and does so by hunting it's prey since it has the ability of flight. It's poison kills an insect almost instantaneously and is then picked up and carried back to it's nest where it will proceed to consume it's meal.

To an adult or bigger child, the spider fly's bite does not normally result in death. But to a small child, the poison could be deadly. About 3 times as many people in the U.S. have died from Recluse Spider Fly bites as have died from Rattlesnake bites. Because of this fact, and because of the long-lasting damage that often results from a bite, Recluse Spider Fly's are considered to be more deadly. The seriousness of a bite will depend on the individual, where on the body they are bit, and how much venom is injected.

Being from the recluse family, the Recluse Spider Fly's venom works identically to the Brown Recluse Spider. It destroys tissue around the bite. Typically, a large swollen area develops not long after the initial bite, with a white blister on the actual bite. This blister soon develops into a "volcano lesion", characterized by a hole that extends into the wound and oozes puss. The hole is the result of gangrenous tissue that develops around the bite.

No anti-venom is available, but Cortisone is often injected around the bite to help minimize tissue damage. Unfortunately, the effects of Recluse Spider Fly bites are long lasting, and recovery can take weeks, even months. Plastic surgery is typically required afterwards.

That little bastard had me fooled. Good job CRASH! Now I'm gonna have my little sister beat the crap out of you.

you jerk...scared the crap outta me..I was reading it thinking, holy shiet man, I gotta start wearing more clothes at G, with tight collars..........

You think you guys were worried! We saw it when we stopped at FasterDaddy's camp, and the little effer was almost in my, well hoo hoo, in the seat!

Crash, this is for you effer!

I won't say anything. I'm a nice guy to you.

Sucks to be you, I will give you shiat you effer! Hey and quit hijacking the effen thread!

CRASH hijacked it. I followed the leader.

Hor darn CRASH, you had Slap shakin in his boots with that one...WHEW...Slap was goin flabbermcnasty on that one...Well KG, Slap ain't seen that one before, but has seen quite a few all white moths similar and about the size of half of yo pinky maybe? BUT, with his red colored wings, that could be that his wings were injured, Slap can't tell. Were the red color in his wings blurred, or was the color sharp and clear? You might have been able to tell up close when you was with him. He sure is a beauty with them big beautimus eyes , Slap wishes he woulda seen him. Gonna look deeper into that one KG, and thanks for the sweet pic.

Slap is sure he got a good ride with the KingMobile, and he was probably smilin the whole way...or he was screamin, OOOOOOOOHHHHHH SSSSHHHHHIIIIIIII...

CRASH, that little piece of yours is goin into the McScrappbook ...Very creative, Slap likes that.

Slap, I came across an interesting creature but didn't get a picture. It was a lizard about 4 inches long from chin to tail and it was bright green. It dug itself into the sand when i passed so I only got a quick look. I have seen plenty of fringes but none that were bright green. Maybe he had been up drinking with the dune troll the night before?

HMMM, it was green? Don't know yet Fireball...OOOOHHH YOU SHOULDA GOTTA PIC FIREBALL, how sweet that woulda been. But Slap understands, goin 80 on that new firey red 500 disguised as a 250 can be tough...

Here's a visitor I found in our camp a few years back...though I had lost this photo but found it in a stash that turned up a few weeks ago:



Click here for big version

Sorry I didn't get a better shot but I didn't really want to get too close to him and he was kinda in the shade and my old camera wasn't too happy about that.

Anyone know what kind of slinky fellow that was we had visiting our camp?

Being that CRASH posted this I figured it to be B.S. I am gullible most of the time but not THIS TIME!!!!!


The brown recluse is real though!!!!

OK is that thing real? somebody please tell me!!!!

Actually it is real. I had a friend get bitten by one of those Recluse Spider Flies out at the River. Her leg swelled up something awful and she had to go to the doctor to get some medication to bring down the swelling and help with the pain.

I'm not in on anything. I'm totally serious.


So, do you call Crash "Daddy Long Leg"

Ok I'll learn to read...King glamis started this.

Jason, hard to tell but it looks like a western diamond back rattler.

Jason, when I was younger we'd see at least one rattlesnake every weekend we were out there. They were all over the place. Mainly near the bushes so we camped away from them. I haven't seen on in a long time. Nice to know they're still around.

If you don't bother them, they won't bother you. At least I hope not.

I hear SideWinders are becoming much more prevalent in the dunes these days.

maybe if they were cheapre there'd be more of em

I spotted him from about 10 feet away. I saw movement and that was enough for me to keep my distance! I grabbed the camera and let it get a closeup look for me

That was camped right along the sandhighway on the way to olds. Close enough to 78 we could hear the semis rolling at night and close enough to the sandhighway that when we camp there now people drive though our camp

I've had a few snake runins hiking though the desert but didn't know they liked the dunes too until I saw that one. After that I've been more careful about keeping an eye out for them!

I don't think I've seen one at Glamis before. They were all on the flats at Buttercup. Right near the old plank road. Sometimes at night I'll think about that while I'm near a bush. Makes me think twice.

Doug, you ever find out what kind of moth that is?

Hope I never run into one of those !

I'm thinking Crash thought up his little "creature" to have a story for the ladies until the medication and creams he got from the clinic start working!

SLAP IS ROLLING