Flying Objects

At a bend on the east side of Tortugas Mountain

Not sure what was going on at the Sunset Area side of Tortugas Mountain this morning, but it was as crowded as I've ever seen it:  the parking lot jam-packed and cars lining the entrance road on both sides.  Later, when we were about halfway through our trek on the Monte Vista side of the mountain we heard voices in the upper elevations.  I couldn't see what I was taking a picture of, but I used the 65X telephoto feature on my camera to get the image you see below:  young guys all dressed alike hiking along one of the upper trails.

We saw a man and woman trekking at ground level behind the mountain, but they were the only people we encountered down low.  In the skies above we saw crows doing aerial maneuvers, and later I spotted a dragonfly who obligingly landed on a twig for me to photograph.  Becca and I did our normal hike on the east side, and it felt much hotter out there than yesterday morning, though the humidity seemed lower.

This and the next 3:  Crows doing acrobatics near the mountaintop

Heading west behind the mountain

Sotols

Taking a fairly long break

Yuccas and the Organs

Look who I spotted overhead (Blue Heron or Sandhill Crane?)

A Sandhill Crane?

Southeastern flank of Tortugas

Still on break

There she is

You can see the loop trail around the mountain

This is a separate single-track away from the mountain

This and the next:  Organ Mountains

This is what pushed us to the far side of Tortugas

Dragonfly #1

Dragonfly #2

This and the following:  Barrel Cacti buds and flowers