Sunny and Cold

North face of Tortugas ("turtle") Mountain

I made two wise decisions this morning:  1) taking Becca along on the hike, and 2) going to the Monte Vista side of Tortugas Mountain where the sun was already shining brightly.  Had we hiked on the west side in the shadow of the mountain we would have frozen; that's because there was a persistent, consistently cold wind out there.  It was windy where we were, too, but the sun helped ameliorate the chill.  Becca thoroughly enjoyed herself on our trek, limping ever so slightly just a few paces from the car.  No long hikes for her for a while.

White cross in the desert

Getting around behind the mountain

Somebody's really happy to be hiking this morning

Climbing a hill west of the Organs

Creosote Bushes and the Organ Mountains

Where angles intersect

On a dirt road east of Tortugas

Hilly section of desert

Road heading east toward the Organs

There's actually a way through there

Becca will find the way

Shadow in a narrow valley

Far east of Tortugas Mountain

Observatory atop the mountain

Trail around the north side of Tortugas Mountain