Cranking Up the Thermostat

In the foothills west of the mountain

Becca and I got an early start on our morning peregrination west of Tortugas Mountain, but it wasn't early enough to beat the heat, which is ON.  I think we're headed for a high of 95F today, with hotter temps predicted for coming days.

Despite the elevated temperature there were other outdoor enthusiasts in the area, though we only encountered one--a young woman mountain biker who we see every once in a while on this side of Tortugas.  Other hikers were too distant to interact with.

Because of the weather conditions I kept the trek pretty short, though we spent quite a bit of time out in the desert, primarily because Becca didn't want to move from her shady spot in the sand (pictured in three of the images below).

Sotol is the source of the alcoholic spirit Sotol, which is similar to Tequila

The small canid prints are probably those of a kit fox

Sleepy and . . .

. . . almost sleepy

"Poster Edges" filter applied

Soaptree Yuccas

Soaptree Yucca fruit

Another angle of repose

Franklin Mountains near El Paso (40 miles south)

This and the next:  Soaptree Yuccas

I think this is a kind of flax, but I can't ID which type

Stick

This and the next 2:  Whitethorn Acacia

This and the next 2:  Cow Tongue Prickly Pear