Overcast

You can follow this trail along that ridge line to the mountaintop

The only thing better than cooling rain in the northern Chihuahuan Desert is an overcast sky with a cooling breeze.  The latter conditions prevailed throughout our morning trek, and both Becca and I appreciated the break from the heat; in fact, we did a normally long hike west of Tortugas Mountain, and we felt no worse for wear afterward.  When we were climbing back to the upper foothills trail about two-thirds of the way through our outing we ran into our pal Jimmy, who hiked a ways with us.  He and I talked for about twenty minutes.  In a few days Jimmy and his wife are traveling to Europe to do one of those Viking Cruises, and it sounds as if it will be a really exciting trip.

We're heading down the "new" trail

Ocotillos in the western foothills

Further along the new trail

West through the desert

Our little buddy the Ocotillo is pretty much leafed out

South toward the mountains

Getting closer to the mountains

Sparsely populated section of the desert

The road we're hiking toward the mountains

Soaptree Yucca growing right at the base of this large Ocotillo

Closer look

Another perspective

Ocotillos and Bishop Cap

Becca the Explorer is in this shot

Ocotillos growing side-by-side

There she is

A look at the mountain's west side before we reach the car