Reprieve

Somebody up ahead?

When Becca and I stepped outside first thing this morning we got sprinkled on.  Then, starting out on our trek west of Tortugas Mountain, we were lightly rained upon.  The cloud cover was a nice respite from the heat we've been having of late.  A mild yet persistent wind kept the evaporative cooling process working well for us, but near the end of our hike the wind picked up significantly.  Now (early afternoon) the sun is shining brightly, the humidity is high, and we're headed for 99F as well as for possible thunderstorms later today.

Cresting the trail to the high foothills

Meeting of the fronts

The distant Organ Mountains

Road to the sky

Some patches of blue to the north

Respite from the sun

What cloud cover does for the desert

Looking west from inside a large arroyo

Looking east from the same arroyo

Nipple Beehive Cactus starting to bloom at last

Nipple Beehive flower buds opening

No ID yet (a type of Nerisyrenia?)