Beautiful Morning

This morning's moon

I took a longish early morning hike west of Tortugas Mountain and only saw a few other outdoor enthusiasts on this Wednesday.  The weather was beautiful:  63F, sunny with a slight breeze and lower humidity.  Even though we're warming up to 89F or 90F it never felt uncomfortable in the desert.

On my way back in--near the dilapidated white shack on the mountain road--I ran into my pal Jimmy, and he and I talked for 20 or 30 minutes before going our separate ways.  After that I encountered several other people:  a couple headed for the mountaintop and a friendly woman who was running with her small white dog.  I asked her how the dog did on runs, and the woman said, "He does quite well."  She then related how the dog likes to be carried on steeper, rockier slopes, and pointed out to me that he'd just had a haircut.  He struck me as a happy little pup, and I watched as they trotted away toward the Sunset Area parking lot.

Still in the shadow of Tortugas

Bouquet

Ocotillos west of the mountain

i fiori

Queen

A young flycatcher, but I'm uncertain of which kind

In a narrow arroyo west of Tortugas Mountain

Canid tracks (probably Coyote) in the arroyo

Closer look at a footprint

Ocotillos west of Tortugas

This and the next:  Say's Phoebe

This and the next 3:  Ocotillos

This and the rest:  Blackfoot Daisies