Will Bushwhack for Photos

Sometimes you have to get off the beaten path

We had to do a little bushwhacking this morning to get some of the photos we wanted to take.  I'm not too concerned about rattlesnakes yet, but we are moving into the time of year when they're out and about.  It was slightly chilly for starts--low 40s with a steady breeze--but it felt pretty nice most of the way, and I was able to keep my light windbreaker on for the entire trek.  We ran into Gregg and, later, Jimmy, both of whom were headed to the mountaintop.

Claret Cup Cactus

Mounds of Strawberry Pitaya Cactus

Find the bunny

The Ocotillos haven't begun leafing out yet

A saddle on Tortugas (Tortoise) Mountain

Torrey Yucca and the Organ Mountains

The rugged Organ Mountains (named by the Spaniards after pipe organs)

A serious impediment to bushwhacking:  the bush called Catclaw (acacia)

A nice stretch of Chihuahuan Desert

Yuccas in the rolling foothills

Where the Tortoise (left) and the Organs seem to meet

The southern Organs in the distance

On the road again

A melodious song catches our attention

It belongs to a Loggerhead Shrike

Hard to tire of these Yucca flower stalks

I like the composition of this image

You can see that the desert isn't exactly flat

Rocky cactus garden

Agave

A flycatcher

Almost back to the trailhead