An OMDPNM Saturday

Getting started on a loop trail

Dr. K and I parked the Jeep at the western entrance to the national monument and hiked the loop trail west of the Organ Mountains.  We spent a couple of hours out there this morning, and the weather conditions were just perfect; we each had to remove two layers of outerwear in order to keep cool.

Not surprisingly the area was fairly crowded with outdoor enthusiasts, and we crossed paths with many of them, mostly of the mountain biker variety.  We saw a few runners as well, and we encountered a solitary woman hiker on our way back to the Jeep.

One of the best parts of this morning's trek was passing through a Torrey Yucca forest on the southernmost section of the loop, which neither Dr. K nor I could remember even though we've hiked that part of the trail in the past.

This and the next:  same 2 Barrel Cacti

This and the next:  more Barrel Cacti

Rocky arroyo west of the Organ Mountains

Ancient mesquite

This and the next:  Torrey Yuccas along the way

How many Barrels?

This and the next 8:  more Torrey Yuccas along the trail

This and the next:  Organ Mountains

High-rise apartment (probably a Cactus Wren nest)

Into the canyon

Village of Talavera and Tortugas Mountain

This and the next:  mountain biking in the national monument