Signs of Spring

First you zig and then you zag

Ms. Becca and I got a fairly early start this morning on our trek west of Tortugas Mountain.  The day was quite gloomy at first, overcast with no hint of sun.  But after we'd hiked about a mile old Sol gave a half-arsed effort to shine through.  By the time we were finishing up it was getting pretty sunny, though the forecast calls for cloudy conditions the rest of the day.  When we had nearly reached the trailhead we saw our buddy Jimmy's Tacoma, and when I say "we" I mean WE; Becca can spot his truck a mile away.  She scurried forward to greet him, and after I let her climb the ramp back into Whitey the CR-V he and I spoke for a good twenty minutes or so.  It's always nice to run into Jimmy because we generally have brief, but meaningful, conversations.

This and the next 2:  buds on a Claret Cup Hedgehog Cactus

Hiking along the western flank

This and the next 2:  Prickly Pear Cacti

Fendler's Bladderpod (Physaria fendleri)

Fendler's Bladderpod

This and the next:  same Ocotillo

Say's Phoebe