Hot Side of the Mountain

Moon crazy this morning

The Monte Vista area is on the hot (eastern) side of Tortugas Mountain, and this morning, when Becca and I started off from there, nothing offered any relief from the heat--no breeze and no clouds to partially shield the brilliant sunshine.  We did our normal Saturday hike, nonetheless, running into a few other outdoor enthusiasts while we were there:  a jogger and several mountain bikers.  When we were on the final leg of our trek we even saw a man and woman hiking the loop trail closest to the mountain.

As much as Becca and I enjoy our morning outings we were both glad to get back to Whitey the CR-V, climb inside after a long quaff of relatively cool water, and crank the air conditioning up full blast on Max refrigeration.

Behind the mountain

Sotol sun

Sotol sun in B&W

Different perspectives on the same Sotol

Sotols

Becca spots a mountain biker on the main loop trail

Happy in the shade

Her favorite yucca shadow on this narrow side trail

There she is

Leading the way to the lower desert

Pausing to check out the surroundings

Lower still

This and the next 2:  Creosote Bushes and the Organ Mountains

Moon over Tortugas

Creosote Bushes alongside a steep arroyo

Another B&W

Mountain biking the loop trail

Sotols still in bloom