High Humidity

Next to the ancient Soaptree Yucca in the left branch

The morning was fairly pleasant today, but the high humidity made conditions slightly unpleasant.  Nevertheless, Dr. K, Willow and I enjoyed our hike which followed the same route we've taken the past several days.  We saw the Basset people crossing Tellbrook Road as we were driving to the trailhead; and they were behind us for a bit until they descended LDR and crossed into the major east/west arroyo heading home.  The hounds were quite vociferous at first.  We saw no one else during our sojourn.

Crossover trail had water running in it

Willow's dopey posture

Looking back on the crossover trail

Three directions

This & next:  Willow relaxing in the right branch

Last 3:  Black-throated Sparrow

 

Workday No More

1st 2:  javelina tracks

Dr. K, Willow and I hiked our regular route this morning.  We didn't see any other nature lovers out there while we explored this section of northern Chihuahuan Desert.  We discovered tracks of a javelina early on, and I was hoping we might spot a peccary or two; no such luck.  There were many muddy areas on the trails, evidence, perhaps, that it rained again overnight.  We did our best to bypass mud, but it was difficult.  Our boots required whisk brooming at home.

Looks like arroyos ran a bit again last night

Tortugas and the Organs

Picacho

Happy ocotillo

San Augustin Peak (center)

Trailing Four O'Clock

Last 2:  Golden Crownbeard

 

Sticky and Stuffy

View from the trailhead

At about 4 this morning the sky started rumbling, and all hell broke loose a bit later; we had an incredible series of thunderstorms that dumped a lot of precipitation.  The amount of rain that fell was evident later when Dr. K, Willow and I went on our daily hike.  It was obvious that water flowed through arroyos with force.  Really high humidity made the atmosphere quite sticky, and the lack of air circulation resulted in a stuffy sensation that felt more like we were indoors rather than out.

Heading down LDR-A

This & next 3:  rainwater ran hard through the arroyos today

Willow on wet sand in the left branch arroyo

Picacho and environs

Right branch arroyo

A young cactus wren

 

Above the right branch

House finches on ocotillo branches

Overcast to Sunny

Juvenile Say's Phoebe

It was completely overcast when Dr. K, Willow and I started off this morning, but the sky cleared early on and we were blessed with a mostly sunny environment.  The light was good for photography, and I got a few decent images today.  We took a long drive after the hike, and I owe the image of the Black-eyed Susans to the yard of a house in a neighborhood we drove through.

Soaptree Yucca

Tortugas and the Organs

Twin-leaf Senna

Slimlobe Globeberry

Willow and Dr. K climbing a hill

Willow looking cute

Black-eyed Susans

Dayflowers

Last 2:  Tortugas and the Organs

 

A Few Pics

Barrel cacti and the long view to the mountains

I took only eleven photos while Dr. K, Willow and I were doing our hike this morning; and I'm not very happy with any of them.  We followed our regular route for the trek, seeing, as were were heading down the middle branch arroyo, several people hiking with dogs along the ridge east of us.  Though all of us were heading north there was little chance of an encounter.  When we got home I had to change the batteries in the master bedroom motion detector.  The Lobat warning bell on the home alarm keypad kept chiming beginning at 5 a.m.  It was a wake-up call I didn't need.

Ocotillos at the crossover trail

Boring

Up the right branch

Hegehog

Last 2:  Tortugas and the Organs from distance