Forced Detour

Barrel cactus

We knew right away this morning that we'd have to alter our usual route; a Jeep was parked at the trailhead where we start.  The guy who drives the Jeep is sometimes out there with his large dog so we chose to drive further along the upper flatland road to hike down LDR.

However, when we started down LDR a woman was coming up forcing us to bushwhack eastward in a loop that would eventually bring us back to the road after she'd passed.  We couldn't continue down the dirt road, though, because we spotted several other people on it just past the Tellbrook Arroyo.

We decided to bushwhack to the west of LDR, which delivered us into very interesting unfamiliar territory.  We trekked all the way down to the Tellbrook Arroyo, followed it westward for a bit before looping back through the desert and climbing a steep hill to the spot where we'd parked the CR-V.  Altogether we covered as much distance as we do on our regular hike.

Tellbrook Arroyo looking east

Tellbrook with heelers

Tellbrook Arroyo looking west

Tree in Tellbrook Arroyo

Mom always liked you better

Double barrel with mutation

Barrel cactus fruit

This & next:  Tortugas and the Organs

The "O"s

Soaptree

This & next:  barrel cactus vista

Barrel cactus with mutation

Long way to the Organs

Barrels and Soaptree

Running against the wind

Soaptrees and barrels

Soaptree and barrels

Willow was a bad doggy today

This & next 2:  Soaptrees and the mountains

Last 2:  Tortugas Mountain Observatory and Soaptree