A Big Shock

Becca (left) and Clover

I had a real shock this morning as I was hiking west of Tortugas Mountain along the outer loop trail:  coming around a sharp bend in front of me and heading in my direction was a dog who seemed, for a brief moment, to be Becca.  A second later I realized it was Clover and her guardian Lisa.  When they stopped to say hello I explained that Clover (Becca's smaller doggelganger) had given me quite a start, and I told Lisa that we'd had to say goodbye to Becca this past Wednesday.  Lisa immediately gave me a hug while Clover jumped up and leaned against me for a pet.  Lisa is such a nice person, and Clover has become a great companion to her and her husband Don.  We talked a good while about various topics before parting company; but that momentary feeling of seeing Becca out in the desert really stuck with me during the rest of my extended trek.

This and the next:  just west of Tortugas Mountain

Across the Mesilla Valley

Foothills trail

House Finch enjoying old yucca fruit

This and the next 4:  looking southeast over the mountain

Heading toward the low desert west of the mountain

The trail I just descended

This and the next:  sandy section just west of Tortugas

Chinchweed (Pectis papposa)

Rugged peaks

Look what I found in the middle of the desert

This and the next:  Desert Marigolds

This and the next:  Nipple Beehive Cactus

View to the west

This and the next:  someone's been eating the Nipple Beehive blooms

Barrel Cactus buds

Black-throated Sparrow

Trail back up the mountain

Along the way up

This and the next 2:  Barrel Cactus buds (and nearly bloomed flowers)

This and the next:  still a lot of fruit on this Prickly Pear Cactus