Fried Egg Hike

Part of Las Cruces, New Mexico and Picacho Peak

Becca and I got a late start (8 a.m.) on the west side of Tortugas Mountain this morning, and we paid the price a bit.  At first a cooling wind made it seem as if it wouldn't be too hot out there, but the wind soon dissipated and we began to warm up.  Fortunately we did only a moderately long hike so we didn't push ourselves too hard.  Nevertheless, we had to take plenty of shade and water breaks to stay cool and hydrated.  We ran into our pal Raymond who said he was recovering from a concussion he got at work several weeks ago.  I worried that trekking under a hot sun might not be the best thing for him, but he said he was feeling okay.

The long road

The long road in B&W

Cow Tongue Prickly Pears

Desert Chinchweed

Power to the mountain

Chihuahuan Desert scene

Barrel Cactus

Biking in the foothills of Tortugas Mountain

The hot Beckster

Heading through a gully

Best in show

A small (4") Barrel Cactus growing under a Creosote Bush

A real late bloomer

Quite a showy display