Feeling Like Normal

Cholla flower on our property

Because I had to go grocery shopping later in the morning Becca and I got a really early start west of Tortugas Mountain today.  Besides reveling in the coolness created by the shadow of the mountain we took pleasure from the weather conditions in general because it seemed much more like normal here in the northern Chihuahuan Desert.  There were other outdoor enthusiasts on the mountain taking advantage of the near-normal temperatures, and we encountered a few of them:  mountain bikers, runners and hikers.

Large, plum-size fruit of the Prickly Pear Cactus

We spent a lot of time in shadow because of our early start

Allthorn flower buds

Our time in the shade is growing shorter

We'll be hiking into the sunlight soon

The nice thing about the sun this morning is it wasn't too hot

Chipped rock

Another rock

On the road west of Tortugas

Organ Mountains in the distance