Hotter but Better

Here we go

We're supposed to reach 96 degrees Fahrenheit today, but because it's not quite as humid as yesterday morning Becca and I didn't suffer as much as we did yesterday.  We saw some other lovers of the outdoors today, but had no direct encounters with them.  We were able to get in a long hike west of Tortugas Mountain and still get home just after 9 a.m.  

Headed for the sun

Obstructed by Ocotillos

Vista from the western flank of Tortugas Mountain

The view through one large Ocotillo

Little lizard clinging to a dead yucca stalk

A break on the dirt road

Devil's Claw

Soaptree Yucca seed pods

Young Desert Cottontail deciding whether to run

Looking back at Tortugas from the Crosscut Trail

Bird pursuing a mountain biker

Finger Cholla's hypodermic needles

Seen growing in abundance on the slope of Tortugas Mountain are . . .

. . . these:  tall Ocotillos