The Long Loop

Starting out from the northern trailhead

Dr. K, Becca and I decided to hike the high desert west of the Organ Mountains this morning, choosing the northern trailhead of the Sierra Vista Trail for our starting point.  The weather was perfect for an early-January hike, 29F at the beginning of the trek, but warming up rapidly because of abundant sunshine.  In fact, three-fourths of the way through our journey we had to remove some layers of outerwear.  We spent two hours and twenty minutes on our excursion, running into a few people and a few animals--deer, dogs and horses.  All in all a very pleasant outing.

Yuccas and the Organ Mountains

The rugged Organ Mountains

Becca and Dr. K trekking ahead

View of the mountains from the west

Looks like two, but really one Barrel Cactus

This high grassland is heavily populated by Barrel Cacti

Becca loves an early-morning hike

Barrel Cactus and Banana Yuccas in the high grassland

Flora in the high desert

Closeup of a Barrel Cactus

Scouting for critters

Barrel Cactus and yuccas

Barrels all over the place

Send in the clones

Serrated edges

Sotol growing in the high desert grassland

Young Mule Deer buck

Lots of grassland between here and there

What can I say?--more Barrels

Desert Cottontail

I'll pin my ears back and they won't know I'm a rabbit

Dr. K next to a Barrel Cactus

Mountain biking the high desert

A fun thing to do

High desert arroyo

Wait until you see what Becca has spotted

It's a posse heading our way

Idyllic Western scene

High desert riders

One riderless horse

This is what trekking in the high desert looks like

One thing I'll always thank President Obama for:  this national monument