Familiar Places

Continent cloud

Starting at 7 a.m. I spent nearly 2 1/2 hours exploring the desert west of Tortugas Mountain, heading into familiar places I'd been unable to take Becca to during the last year of her life.  These spots were like old friends, and I took way too many photos of them--116 to be exact.

There were people closer in to the mountain, and I ran into one friendly guy not long after starting off from the Sunset Area; but I bumped into no one in the outback, although I did see Barry and Renee in the distance hiking west on one of the dirt roads.

I marveled at the vast number of flowers still blooming in the desert, many in the major arroyos I trudged through west of the mountain, both "washes" having their source on the mountain's sunset side.  Although it was a good morning for a desert hike, I was a bit hot and sweaty by the time I finished.  We're supposed to top off at 90F today.  Can we please drop out of the 90s soon?

High foothills trail

Flank of Tortugas and the Organ Mountains

Bouquet

Closer look at the bouquet

Velvety Nerisyrenia (aka "Bicolor Fanmustard")

Road west

Desert Cottontail resting peacefully

Where bushwhacking gets you

Old Soaptree Yucca

Wide arroyo

Desert Marigolds and Soaptree Yuccas

Pretty far west of the mountain

The Medusa of Ocotillos

I like the light in this one

This arroyo runs out of Tortugas Mountain (center left)

Desert Marigolds

As a kid I was afraid of dragonflies; now I like when they come near me

Heading east up the arroyo toward the mountain

Another view of the arroyo

I was in the Crow Patrol as a Cub Scout

Shady spot in the arroyo