Colder Than Imagined

First 2:  same little tree

33F at the start of our morning hike with a powerful freezing wind that made conditions pretty uncomfortable for me as we headed down LDR-A.  Good thing I wore my ear band and gloves.  Frio and Willow seemed unperturbed by the weather.

We did our now usual trek, enjoying the sunshine in our section of the northern Chihuahuan Desert.  I was especially pleased when we turned eastward on the east/west cross trail and were temporarily blocked from the biting wind.

For most of the way up the left branch, down the middle branch and back up the right branch we were protected from the frigid gusts; but when we climbed out of Right Branch Arroyo and crested the hill beside the upper flatland road we were again buffeted by the wind.  Fortunately we had only a short jaunt to our waiting CR-V.

The view from far up Middle Branch Arroyo

Heeler respite

All the way up Middle Branch

This & next:  yucca experiments

Looking down Middle Branch Arroyo

Don't make your bed here

Perspective

Barrel Cactus and the mountains

Crown of thorns

Artsy experiment

Frio and Willow in the back of the CR-V