After a Deluge

Water flowed across this road

At about eight o'clock last night we got a terrific deluge--about 1.15" in half an hour.  Its aftermath was clearly evident in the desert this morning, identified by the courses the rainwater cut through the earth.  Although it was still very humid when Becca and I were exploring west of Tortugas Mountain, a consistent wind provided natural evaporative cooling, making our long trek quite bearable.  As is usually the case after such a deluge lots of critters were out, including the Coyote we spotted far west of the Tortoise.

Arroyos around the mountain were scoured by heavy runoff

Patterns left behind in the mud

Pencil cholla and my fingers

Through a muddy section of an arroyo

Panting in desert heat

Another arroyo with evidence of water flow

Lots of millipedes were out and about

Tortugas and the Organs

Imagine how fast rain runoff ran through this narrow chute

Looking the other way at the chute

What's that we see heading through the desert?

It's the Trickster

Coyote (Canis latrans)

Heading off into the wilderness

Try finding God's dog out there

Vast stretch of Chihuahuan Desert

Ladderback Woodpecker with its back to us

Ladderback

Better side?

Where does the critter end and the rock begin?

Horned lizard

The extra precipitation has allowed Ocotillos to leaf out

Down a non-dusty dirt road

West of the mountain

Take shade where you can find it

A long way from here to the Organ Mountains