Cold Weather Scare

Hedgehog Cactus

20F with an 11F wind chill when I watched the morning weather report on TV.  An hour or so later when I set off for Tortugas Mountain the temperature had warmed to 24F.  Those conditions probably accounted for the absence of any other outdoor enthusiasts by the time I reached my destination.  No vehicles in the Sunset Area lot and none parked along the entrance road where I left Whitey the CR-V.

It felt cold starting off, but the wind had abated and the sun was shining brightly.  About halfway through the trek I was able to lower the hood on my coat, remove my ear band and take off my gloves.  Never even felt chilled after that.

Put a lot of mileage on my boots today, much of it spent bushwhacking far west and just west of the mountain where I saw absolutely nobody.  Didn't see anyone on my way back in, either, and there were just two vehicles in the Sunset Area parking lot and two parked behind me when I returned to Whitey.

Soaptree Yuccas and Ocotillos west of the mountain

Cooper's Hawk

Not a pineapple, but a Hedgehog Cactus with a Soaptree Yucca hairpiece

Telephoto squash

This and the next 6:  same old Soaptree Yucca

This and the next 3:  Torrey Yuccas

This and the next:  wide arroyo west of Tortugas Mountain

This and the next 2:  Yuccas and the Organ Mountains

This and the next 2:  looking southwest across the Chihuahuan Desert

Delicious Barrel Cactus fruit

Really tall Ocotillo and Soaptree Yuccas