Morning at Monte Vista

Mustang

Becca and I went around to the east side of Tortugas Mountain for a fairly longer hike than the one we did yesterday.  Although there were two vehicles in the Monte Vista parking lot we saw nobody while hiking near the mountain.  Because I was a little warm the past two days wearing my Marmot PreCip jacket I left it at home this morning.  No regrets.  My long-sleeve Craghopper shirt and ExOfficio trousers were the perfect outerwear.  I'm not sure why, but the Beckster seemed kind of spooked out there today; she was constantly looking back in the direction we'd just come and her tail hung straight down for almost the whole way.  I kept asking what was bothering her, but she was noncommittal.

What the mountain's made of

Prickly Pear growing in rock

Closer look

Golden Crownbeard

Tail straight down

Becca on the east side of Tortugas

The trail continues on the far side of the rocky arroyo

Little Barrel hiding under a Creosote Bush

The long road

#2

Back of the mountain

Returning to the trailhead

Chihuahuan Desert living

East side of the mountain

Tortugas's north face