Imminent Precip

Purple Prickly Pear pad

It looked as if it might rain at any minute when Becca and I set off for Tortugas Mountain this morning.  And twenty minutes into the hike it was cold, windy and quite overcast.  Then, suddenly, the wind blew the clouds out, the sun began to shine brilliantly, and any hint of an upcoming storm was out of the picture.  I had to unzip both my anorak and vest to keep from overheating.  There were no other hikers about--probably kept at bay early on by the threatening skies.

The Potrillo Mountains floating on the horizon

Spurred on to action

A surprisingly sunny morn

Desert Broom (left) and a Torrey Yucca in the mountain foothills

Canine scout