Arctic Blast's Leading Edge

Early start climbing the mountain

The local meteorologists have all been predicting an Arctic mass of cold air moving into the region tomorrow, but I think they got it wrong.  While Becca and I were out hiking Tortugas Mountain this morning there was a definite change of weather.  For a while it felt as if the day would warm up like yesterday, but a northern wind brought in cloud cover and a discernible chill to the air.  We're only supposed to reach the low- to mid-40s tomorrow.  That will be a near-twenty-degree drop in our high temperatures.  The cold front is supposed to exit pretty quickly, though.

An idea of how steep the northern slope is

Inspector of everything

Clouds pushing over Tortugas Mountain

Organ Mountains from the quarry on Tortugas's flank

Clouds shredded by wind

Trail that cuts across the northern flank

Sierra de los Organos

Peopled by yuccas

Climbing higher

On the northwestern slope of Tortugas

Things get steeper from here

From Dallas to Phoenix?

Another contrail in the making

Cutting across the western flank now

View of the lower desert

Heading down

Becca's staring at another hiker

Almost there

Looking up at the way we just came down

Symbiotic relationship

Tortugas from the west

Cooperative Cottontail