Replace Cooler Float Valve Day

Trail out of the arroyo west of Tortugas

Pretty much all I thought about during our moderately-long hike this morning was the evaporative cooler float valve I had to replace when I got home.  The old one had begun to fail, allowing water to rise to the overflow drainage; the overflow was dripping onto the roof.  It took me a little over an hour to change the float valve, the hardest part being getting the old one out.  Good old WD-40 helped me unfreeze a nut that absolutely refused to budge beforehand.  I'll have to go up again later (perhaps tomorrow) to make sure everything checks out okay.

Becca watching people on the mountain road

Black-tailed Jackrabbit (hare) watching us

Milky overcast

Tarantula Hawk (large North American wasp)

Across the desert to the Organ Mountains

Dove #5

One of many shade breaks

Yuccas on the mountainside

No shade on this break

Sandy arroyo west of Tortugas

Heading back toward the Tortoise

On the trail back to the foothills

The mountain called "Picacho," which is Spanish for "peak" (4,959 feet)