Searing Heat

Somebody went to a lot of trouble putting cairns along the trail

It was brutally hot this morning when Becca and I hit the trail west of Tortugas Mountain--hot as a firecracker you might say on this Independence Day.  There were scads of people out and about near the Sunset Area, and the younger ones were making their presence known by yelling and screaming.  Becca, perhaps still recovering from her traumatic experience several days ago, did not seem inclined to hike, so I cut our trek really short this morning.  She was quite happy to get back into the air-conditioned car, and I appreciated it, too.  Looks like we're destined to break the century mark again today.  We hit 101F yesterday.

Do you cairn for me?

One ripe Prickly Pear

Closeup of the ripe pear

Becca with her harness

She's wearing a harness instead of a collar to protect her neck from irritation

Gnarly desert

This and the next two:  Gambel's Quail (Callipepla gambelii) at the waterhole