Warm and Slightly Humid

Not quite blending in

Becca and I got an early start this morning on a short hike west of Tortugas Mountain.  Today is shopping day for me and I never like to get to the stores too late.  It was strangely warm and humid out in the desert, and I was able to get away with wearing just my Marmot PreCip jacket over a long-sleeve shirt.  I had ExOfficio hiking trousers on, too, so don't get the wrong image in mind.  We didn't see many other outdoor enthusiasts, and our only encounters were with a mountain biker, a woman hiker and her dog, and a man at the trailhead parking area who was just starting out.  It looked as if it might begin raining at any moment during the trek, but no precipitation ever fell.  A major cold front is rolling in later today, and the wind has already intensified.  Temperatures will be dropping from the mid-60s to around 50F by Thursday.  It seems desert winter isn't quite over yet.

Becca leads the way

Across the Mesilla Valley

The weather all the way

Whose den is this beneath the Soaptree Yuccas?

Practice poles at the Lineworker program grounds

Ocotillos

How's this for steep?

Picacho Peak (4959 feet in elevation)

Fernie and Louise

Doña Ana Mountains

Flank of Tortugas and the Organ Mountains

There's Picacho Peak again

Part of Las Cruces and the Robledos

♫ Oh how I wish that it would rain ♫

Tre amici