No Escaping the Heat

Beginning the morning with a low desert hike

We're in the grips of a heatwave that's roasting all denizens of the northern Chihuahuan Desert.  Back in Las Cruces it's 103F now, and here in the high country--where we've tried to escape the brutal low-country weather--it's 91F.  For crying out loud it's 90F in Cloudcroft, a village at nearly 9,000 feet.  At least it's dropping to 60F here tonight, a good 10 to 15 degrees cooler than down below.  Unfortunately the temps aren't going to get much better over the five days we plan to stay here.

Already toasty in the northern Chihuahuan Desert

Evidence left behind by the moron who drove an SUV along a single-track

The adolescent Ocotillo he ran over, which I'm trying to save

Much appreciation for the cloud shadow

Sacramento Mountains near High Rolls, New Mexico

Here's hoping these clouds are harbingers of rain