Blog Dog

Prickly Pear Cactus buds are beginning to bloom

Years ago Pietro Giovanni Lucarelli, the editor of the online Italian magazine La Fenice (for which I wrote a column for years), said that Becca was "the star of your blog."  He was right.  It's certainly a lot more fun hiking with her than without, getting to watch how intensely she interacts with the natural environment.  She and I had a nice long trek this morning as we hugged Tortugas Mountain along the trail from north to south and back again.

Soon to be a lovely yellow flower

Ocotillo flower

Ahead on the foothills trail

Checking things out

Pencil Cholla (choy-ya)

Clouds over the Tortoise

A mountain biker striking into the high foothills

Making progress up the steep slope

Still a ways to go

Happy camper

On the road behind the mountain

Closing in on Tortugas

Ocotillo leafing out

Ocotillo blossom

Heading north

Looking back at the way we've just come

Mesquite Trees greening out

Ocotillo flower

White-winged Dove

Thorny perch