![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAaTiet6sgP43QqtixTlWGho1pZpUuCZ1-DeEU3vRtVd6h5QBl0MybDdBgwKnWnm6ZuG8cRT0Clpk8UjajBIeHbaj9sWBGffLDgPjyQpTKUJA3zd9SdXwoPgu1vY36jmqZMspo659fSXA/s400/Brief+Yet+Intense+Storm+001.JPG) |
Morning moon, just after harvest |
A little before midnight Becca came into our bedroom to wake me with the message that a huge storm was imminent. She heard the thunder and saw the lightning, and she wanted me to get up to sit with her. Dr. K decided to get up, too. Then the thunderstorm was upon us, raging with a surprising fury. Nearby lightning strikes (I was certain our neighbor's tall tree had been hit) were followed instantaneously by explosions of thunder. The whole downpour lasted a bit over forty minutes, but the storm was a deluge. When Becca and I left for our hike early this morning we found neighborhood streets covered in debris: rocks, mud and dirt that had been swept into the roadways from torrents of rainwater. It was evident that Tortugas Mountain had been hard hit, too; rivers of water coursing down the mountainside had deeply gouged many areas in the desert. We had a good trek, though, despite having to deal with high humidity and clouds of swarming bugs.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEM603eivKxcYmNeYzTEoshEBwLTYoE4TWdMQaF70homKo8hM-TQ8Orhbqp8bvfNf_cLGzN_-GDZ7hKZuCp_z_N8OsgVfuhSjo9x96MOLF3_l1m-ZUrO2RE8TzlWUIPb2VU3Uifsfcr94/s400/Brief+Yet+Intense+Storm+006.JPG) |
In the shadow of Tortugas |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid9Sn98-HicS4NaOZjhIG5WpNHYIgzpCPZKUxc7MVPT7Nqag_RxGPpG3CepbtI_D8qNV7ZGKPQaO3YTGCKxiirL56hlu27JzqJPPOo4P9LyY_HdPfxqBcovPGGWCS6OhYgvROC806BkNU/s400/Brief+Yet+Intense+Storm+007.JPG) |
Becca sees somebody far behind us |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnytBOkDPgwp9wTtTogcc-J5EcmoZ-ioUcNk-M_DQQ2HXGVV6uFtxuHEftHvNq5Vj6BPzogep3tyGsEP9C7_JI-2gcjxPw1ARouRZAsQhfZv2CnwYmL7GtESqEyO04KxkSf0s3QDAFtJY/s400/Brief+Yet+Intense+Storm+008.JPG) |
Heavy rain has turned the single-track into a deep gully |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW9vOL-kM41qNRf1WFNqn5B5LYE2Wv69AHRU2BpPOj4VM2zR2_XO2z_9xFvkp1tLoS_y3LpsQ_FxXRwJk8pHU1O_Vbl9Xu4U0GDqtFqkxs0ssLQMaBdVs94vNJyHzndGGZvXcu6JbBh54/s400/Brief+Yet+Intense+Storm+011.JPG) |
Some damage caused by this morning's downpour |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtQnjQ_l2L43_RgTBJefvDc3Tz0WNknjpaaxq70K-XL_-5JmnCTu69KdugNrRJZtEqj0bchn4UYReCo7s_OFjYiWNuD-RcPr1ALtseHxQPMcwbESDYR09gBjLgtz8Cua-l3MvyUAzhgEw/s400/Brief+Yet+Intense+Storm+009.JPG) |
Alternate single-track started by some mountain bikers |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdUZP9LycOtBQ9Febx532Ry-_yH5IPdyUSwIS4tlf-f6muEONyPhGEBOJfr_uhL5jxmQKAtPfIEcRQAN0zdiikHVGEV3sC5tC8OzfjlqImApB6oiGUeNGq0UbernfOb21vXf4nxOoDahU/s400/Brief+Yet+Intense+Storm+013.JPG) |
Really long shot of a Red-tailed Hawk |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjICiN8j6PSWykKkZ8aRbh-Ntld3IKguhEsFBSUl3TTgPST-VlXOFaWaW5-X0cmwdDmX4HW5ufe6ADolx8rWl6nUeHgh3yyzPhLpaePVFXY8h9D3vTyg6fU232_lX8iprAxiOx3uF8RLuk/s400/Brief+Yet+Intense+Storm+012.JPG) |
Zooming in on the raptor |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlgWwminibaXjIlgayMZrCieMp6lnI8i4wlvjJ_qf5dPt6jCsNRkBlCPTyHNRr4GRwv92Ygju6lWz_jon7tGfbZ6M_9fEz4O4o4Ja8DMksZYE52r1cBGlY3CVpxV98LlI3iOtKpjaYf_4/s400/Brief+Yet+Intense+Storm+014.JPG) |
Not a bad image from several football fields away |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvsY3F_65hQX205roMerlgo7NGM0h1Jhyphenhyphen4znfZG9-5MmBDsFrB0BqzvwnEQWKC8RT3EqMrNtIlCdGpZQYKa-BM03WC4DFN0x9soFQ66jyif5o7q73smIfHM0Z0p1VfXFnkxOgfqkJ_d60/s400/Brief+Yet+Intense+Storm+020.JPG) |
Becca in a deep, but narrow arroyo |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-3Sgqq59I9uKv1RJT6fYGx2r1-0NEXXKNHX7FstibsMCnweXQhutClkiazvvjM_F3BmK2lQ8wrUIiqj5R-PLISU2mraSIEtwoGGH7lELxn4KZezJL7ARpdygQZxcZYKy3isqy_KwCO2c/s400/Brief+Yet+Intense+Storm+022.JPG) |
Rain ran heavily through here |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUBl-MUn73ypbWaIiFlbOS9AmQY5UvlE5UhzLwDKkBfOrk004KfeSEisthIu8TVSepSJhxPqB0TlBDmPDCCZUBplz7U268_10JJBYPbcfO02MtZ2lLqTeAt61bpK6Bbzz5hcfxuEPP9-0/s400/Brief+Yet+Intense+Storm+024.JPG) |
The nail imprints give it away: large dog rather than cougar |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1lWCaZ4rZ4EKnLf9Iki6xBht9MgNF7rPfDwMt0F-WNIwd31ydKsxkvQ6Rg4CJPlvH_4sDeOOeZN0YRSBNMhmAP_MOJ_3kZ1r7C8Hvowa0Q18XXPC_WgCRnAEs57ygtqu67ff-DFUbFFw/s400/Brief+Yet+Intense+Storm+025.JPG) |
After the rain |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvP2yJeo3BOOw2oTin7zr_g3xu20FhlASdfM1WcZfM4aAyQEwYslJ4fd17fN6tjxNw-lZ7AVCAppR7QqI4-oCG68tBHyFdLqwdAxS_BrtCt1YJCKVuvkscgaJBCczIdTsmILQghEVs5yQ/s400/Brief+Yet+Intense+Storm+026.JPG) |
Road around the mountain is completely smooth |
1 comment:
The first photo, of the morning moon, is especially striking. Beautiful shot.
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