Heading East

Tortugas Mountain's northern flank

It was so crowded on the western side of the mountain this morning--there was some kind of event going on--that Becca and I headed over to the Monte Vista area on Tortugas Mountain's east side.  Only two cars were in the parking lot there.  We encountered a couple of runners, saw a few mountain bikers and hikers at a distance, but the east side of the mountain was relatively uncrowded.  That allowed Becca and I to take a long trek in the natural world uninterrupted by the presence of Homo sapiens sapiens.

Dynamic clouds

Phone-booth-sized boulder

On the trail behind the mountain

Classic pose

Yucca and the Organ Mountains

Pretty large Mule Deer prints east of the mountain

Beetles on an Acacia flower

The Tortoise from the east

Doña Ana Mountains

To the east heading north

Steep northern slope

The Lone Yucca