Far Side Jaunt

Looking up at the north side of Tortugas Mountain

I took Becca out to the Monte Vista side of Tortugas Mountain this morning because there's a very flat section to hike, and I didn't want her to put any extra stress on her sprained leg by having too many ups-and-downs.  She did well on our short trek, taking pleasure in her opportunity to sniff every bush that stood in her path.  You can see from the images here that I found plenty of worthwhile subjects, and, for me, that compensated for not getting more strenuous exercise.  The weather was absolutely beautiful out there, and I had to remove my Marmot PreCip jacket about a quarter of the way into our short excursion.  Can't beat a high of 77F and a low in the mid-40s on November 5th.

Two views of the same flowers growing in that boulder pictured above

#2

House-size boulders on the northeast side

Becca on the east side of the mountain

The east side

Rugged Organ Mountains

Organ Mountains across the Chihuahuan Desert

On the road back to the mountain

Something has captured Becca's attention

¡Vamonos!

Looking southwest at the east side of Tortugas Mountain

Doña Ana Mountains

East to the distant Organ Mountains

Closer look

Golden Crownbeard (Verbesina encelioides)

Golden Crownbeard (Verbesina encelioides)

House-size boulder from the other side

North side of the mountain

Yuccas on the northern slope

Anthurium (Flamingo Flower) growing in our patio enclosure