Jury Selection Cancelled

View of the Organs from Tortugas Mountain

My morning hike was rained out today, and I didn't think I was going to have time to do one this afternoon because I had to report for jury selection at the magistrate court at 2:00 p.m.  I arrived about fifteen minutes early, and as soon as I entered the front doors with a few other people the security officer was writing on the white board "Jury selection cancelled."

One woman who went into the building before me was irate.  She said to the officer, "Excuse me, but somebody has to call to give us this information.  I'm a teacher, and I just can't take off work for nothing."  When the female officer failed to respond the teacher approached and said, "I'm sorry to bother you, but somebody has got to call."  I couldn't hear what the officer said, but the teacher backed away, looked at me in frustration while raising her hands and shrugging exasperatedly.  I just shook my head in sympathy, not feeling all that bad about the circumstances.

I got home a little before 2, quickly changed into hiking clothes and drove over to do an hour hike on the Sunset side of Tortugas Mountain.  There were a few other people out there, but the conditions were a bit raw:  cloudy and windy, though the sun did put in a brief appearance at times.

Guy hiking the high trail

This and the next:  snowy Organs

Sunshine highlighting La Cueva Rocks

This high section is part of the trail clockwise around Tortugas Mountain

Organs and the flank of Tortugas

Torrey Yuccas and the Organ Mountains

Heading south on the high trail

The rest:  Yuccas near the mountain