Coyote Mountain

This and the next four:  one of the Coyotes we followed this morning

Becca and I had just started off on the west side of Tortugas Mountain when she turned and looked back; her stare indicated something worth seeing.  And, indeed, she was right; five or six Coyotes were crossing the trail and heading up the western slope of Tortugas Mountain.  Also, there was a young woman hiking toward us on the far side of the Coyote crossing  who had stopped to watch the parade.  From this distance I couldn't tell if she was afraid of the canids, so Becca and I began walking back toward the small pack, which immediately sent them hurrying into the Creosote Bush growth in front of them.  When we came to the woman I said, "It's been a while since I've seen that many together."  Dispelling my concern that she was frightened, she said, "That was nice to see."  Because I hoped to get some decent photos of the Coyotes we followed them up into the foothills.  But as anyone who has ever tried photographing Coyotes on the move knows, it was difficult to get a shot of any one of them stopping long enough for a good image.  One seemed curious about us, though, and it lingered for a bit looking back, probably thinking, "Why are these two lunatics traipsing behind me?"  And then, just as Coyotes often do, they all disappeared into the desert, and no matter how hard I tried I never spotted them again.

Crazy contrail clouds

In the western foothills

Following the trail alongside the western arroyo

A closer look at those yuccas

Sunlight bathing a good portion of the west side

Walk this way

Checking the area #1

Checking the area #2

Three-foot-tall Barrel Cactus

One steep dirt road

This and the next two:  Cactus Wren on an Ocotillo wand

What's for dinner?

Clouds and contrails