How to Find an Arroyo

A large arroyo has its start in the shadow area on Tortugas's west side

It's not hard to identify from a distance where arroyos run in the desert; simply climb a small promontory and look for a line of green trees and shrubs that are taller than surrounding flora.  The reason the flora is taller is because arroyos represent the areas of greatest water concentration in an arid land.  The gentleman pictured in the last image made me laugh this morning.  In response to my question--"How do you like these flies?"--he said, "I don't care for them very much, but they certainly seem to like me."

A shady respite from a sunny hike

The southwest side of Tortugas Mountain

Tortugas arroyo (yellow line) meets large arroyo from the Organs (red)

Bright green Mesquite Trees along desert arroyos

Green trees in the desert almost always mark arroyos

Clay pigeon

Some bird has been eating yucca flowers

Becca is good at finding shady resting spots

A happy hiker

Heading back up the mountain yet another shady resting place

An elderly gent we run into fairly often on Tortuga's west side