Long Hike/Many Photos

This and the next:  morning weather, looking south

Not long after an early start this morning I ran into a guy named Steve and his Australian Shepherd, Buddy, near the dilapidated white shack at the side of the mountain road.  He and I talked for a long time while Buddy found sticks to chew briefly before dropping.  Buddy even picked up a flattened plastic bottle and tossed it around for a bit.  Buddy is the type of Aussie who has one blue eye and one brown.  While Steve and I were talking cold rain fell for a few minutes before stopping.  We went separate ways after that.

I did an extra-long trek west of Tortugas, bushwhacking into areas I'd not been in for a spell; all during my explorations I couldn't get over the vast number of Desert Marigolds still in bloom all over the desert.  I photographed a good many of the flowers, but they never seem to translate well into images.  That's never stopped me from shooting too many pics, which I did again this morning (117).

While I was heading back, approaching the road to the mountaintop, I saw my pal Jimmy waiting at the side of the road.  We met each other there and chatted for a good long time.  He was headed to the crest.

There were quite a few outdoor enthusiasts on and about Tortugas this morning, reveling, perhaps, in the unusually cool and cloudy conditions.  So far (2:36 p.m.) it's stayed cloudy all day.

Looking northeast

South

Yucca comb-over

Picacho Peak

Bushwhacking to the southeast

This and the next 3:  Barrel Cactus

Way off the beaten path

Baby Barrel Cactus

This and the next:  Desert Marigolds are blooming all over

This and the next:  two views of the same Soaptree Yucca and Barrel Cactus

Desert Marigolds, Ocotillo, Mountain

Hedgehog Cactus

The long road

Organ Mountains

Chihuahuan Flax

Desert Marigolds and Velvety Nerisyrenia

The narrow "New Trail"

Cactus family with infants

This and the rest:  Chihuahuan Flax