Nothing to do with Thor

Cactus garden high on the mountain's flank

A fine morning found two trekkers hiking their butts off--one canine and the other human.  Becca and I did equal portions of well-worn trails and unimproved desert, though we did follow several animal trails in between episodes of bushwhacking.  We saw many birds and jackrabbits, but no coyotes, although we did happen upon what I believe to be a fox den.  Unfortunately, none of the denizens were out and about.  We did have an encounter with one Homo sapiens, a mountain biker who passed close by us on the upper foothills trail as we were headed back to the trailhead.

Follow the trail to the lower desert

Heading down

Kinky

Yucca at the edge of a steep valley

Descending into that valley

Left-behind fruit on a Barrel Cactus

Still on the beaten track

An area thick with Creosote Bushes

Barrel Cacti, Prickly Pear and a Soaptree Yucca

Huge Torrey Yucca

A fine den, big enough for a fox and family

Desert Chicory

Hedgehog Cactus with buds

A different kind of Hedgehog

Finding our way back

This and following:  Loggerhead Shrike

Gotta go!

Becca and a vast sky

Ocotillos, Soaptree Yucca and Organ Mountains