Crowds on the Mountain

Pause before heading down

We're headed for a high of 69 F. today, so it wasn't surprising that it was already warm when we got out to Tortugas.  Although there were only two cars in the Sunset Parking lot when we started off, the parking area was packed when we came back--people taking advantage of the nice weather.  During our trek we had close encounters of the third kind with several joggers, middled-aged men trying to keep fit.  And we could clearly hear the voices of happy hikers who were walking the road to the top of the mountain.

First shade break of the season

The way we came down

Hedgehog Cacti in the lower desert

Sparsely-populated area

Looking across to the Organ Mountains