Surprise Storm

A couple of gnarled old-timers

Becca woke me at 1:45 a.m. today to let me know there was lightning and thunder accompanying the surprise storm that hit overnight; no rain had been in the forecast.  I had to sit up with her for half an hour before the storm passed and she was calm enough to go back to sleep.  Oddly she seemed to have gotten over her thunder phobia in the recent past, but the rumblings got to her again this time.  She was fully recovered by morning and ready to set off on her daily hike.  Unfortunately the steamy conditions took a toll on the both of us, and I limited the trek to 70 minutes.  That was plenty of time to get in our exercise and take a sufficient amount of images to satisfy the millions of blog followers we have here at "Desert Packrat."

When you're first to walk through a wet arroyo

If you can see that tongue you can guess how hot it is

How to take a break in a damp arroyo

An arroyo that flows out of the west side of Tortugas Mountain

I keep revisiting this 3-foot Barrel Cactus in hopes of finding it in bloom

Thwarted again

Vibrant green Ocotillos and a Soaptree Yucca

Tortugas Mountain's flank and the Organ Mountains

Nearly dinner-plate-sized Prickly Pear Cactus pads

The "pears" that provide a name for the Prickly Pear Cactus