Cold, Mostly Cloudy and Windy

West side of Tortugas and heading for the lower desert

Got bad info from Weather.com this morning about the temperature and the force of the wind so, as a result, I under-dressed for a Saturday trek.  It was cold out there, and the gusty wind made it feel frigid.  I needed a heavier vest beneath my Marmot PreCip jacket, a more substantial hat--one with ear flaps--and gloves.  Despite these deficiencies I did a long bushwhack anyway, keeping my hands sheathed in my pockets when I didn't require them for taking photos.

As usual when strong winds push clouds around the desert sky the views were quite dynamic, and I took a lot of photos (48) for such a cold morning.  I saw a few other hearty outdoorspeople around the mountain, but I didn't bump into my buddy Jimmy whose truck was parked behind my vehicle at the side of the entrance road to the Sunset Area.

This and the next 3:  bank of clouds over the mountain and environs

View to the southwest

This and the next 2:  bushwhacking far west of Tortugas Mountain

View to the northwest

Oops

Looking back at the mountains from a ridge

Sky

Long way out

This and the next:  close encounter with an American Desert Hare

"Dry Brush" filter applied

Flank of Tortugas and the Organ Mountains

Coyote in the arroyo ahead of me

My favorite Torrey Yucca

A hearty welcome to the sunshine

Cloudy again already

Clouds and sunshine