A Very Long One

Rugged desert west of Tortugas

It was a bit cooler this morning so I decided that Frio, Willow and I would do a longer hike; we ended up doing a really long one that involved trekking all the way to the northernmost east/west dirt road, following it all the way back to the foothills of Tortugas Mountain, heading south to the southernmost east/west dirt road and taking it to the junction with the disused dirt road that leads down to the arroyo we often explore.

On the hill above the arroyo we paused while I considered whether we wanted to follow the arroyo southwest to the major east/west arroyo or head north to intersect with the road leading back to the long dirt road.  We opted for the latter because I wasn't in the mood to slog through the major arroyo which is filled with off-roaders' tire tracks, depressions that make the going really rough.

By choosing the route we did the entire hike was longer, but because it wasn't as hot as yesterday it didn't feel horrible out there; we did stop several times for water, though, and both Heelers were happy to stay hydrated--as was I.

Distant bloomer

Ocotillos west of the mountain

Change of direction

Flowers or coronavirus?  (Threadleaf Sunflower, Fineleaf Hymenopappus)

This and the next 3:  Ocotillo flowers (and friends)

Trailing Four O'Clock

Heeler pals

Soaptree Yucca sending up a flower stalk