Saturday's Crowd

This and the next:  Chollas blooming on our property

It was cool, humid and very windy when Becca and I hit the trail on the west side of Tortugas Mountain this morning.  There weren't many other outdoor enthusiasts when we started off, but by the time we turned around for our inbound leg things had really picked up.  About a half mile from the trailhead I had to put Becca on the lead and make a slight detour off the trail due to a small crowd of nature enthusiasts who had parked in the middle of the path and didn't consider the two of us worthy of much notice, though one said "Good morning" to me.

Trail to the upper foothills

Single-track down to the lower desert

Not much need for trailblazing

Becca exploring the Martian surface

Rugged Organ Mountains

Road around Tortugas Mountain's western flank (left)

More late-blooming Claret Cups

Looks like rain over yonder

Bushwhacking to get a closer shot of these Soaptree Yuccas

Almost at their level

Soaptrees are flowering all over the Chihuahuan Desert

White-thorn Acacia perfumes the air

Some Desert Marigolds are withering

Soaptree Yucca and the Organs

Gigantic Ocotillo in the sandy soil west of Tortugas Mountain

Stick sculpture

Some Paperflowers are turning to paper flowers

Quite a loop in an Ocotillo branch

Black-chinned Hummingbird hanging on in high wind

Black-chinned Hummingbird

Dark clouds obscure the sun

One west-side trail up the mountain