Forced to the Far Side

The arroyo beside our house in the early morning

Becca woke me at 2:15 am to ask if I'd come sit with her during the overnight lightening-filled thunderstorm.  I sat with her for nearly a half hour.  Between 2 and 3 is when we got the most rain.  I had to turn off the evaporative cooler and close the patio doors so none of the precipitation would slant inside.  As you might imagine this morning's hike was pretty uncomfortable due to sky-high humidity.  Nevertheless, Becca and I trekked for about 70 minutes, every one of which we enjoyed for the pure aesthetic pleasure of being out in the northern Chihuahuan Desert after a rainstorm.

Sacred Datura growing in our arroyo

Sacred Datura (Datura wrightii)

Weather conditions at the start of our trek

I'll have to check, but I swear this boulder has split apart recently

Critter search

The way we've just come

A look at the distant Organs

Closer look at the Organ Mountains

Heading down a seldom used trail

See those yuccas on the steep slope near the center of the image?

Here are those same yuccas with telephoto magnification

Further along the little used trail

More distant from Tortugas here

Cactus Wren

Same Cactus Wren

Ocotillos

More Ocotillos

Patches of blue

Hey, hurry up!

What's out there?

Don't know if Becca really saw anything

Overnight rain forced a mass blooming of Creosote Bushes

Creosote Bushes and the Organ Mountains

Along an arroyo

Barrel Cactus buds

Getting close to flowering

Damned close

More Creosote Bushes

Creosote smells wonderful after a rain

Near-white Desert Willow flower