Grand View

We spent part of Sunday hiking the Grandview Trail outside of High Rolls, New Mexico. The views were outstanding.

White Sands National Monument in the background.

The terrain was very reminiscent of that around Santa Fe.

Becca always enjoys her trips to the mountains.

What glorious country!

Five Photos of a Woodpecker

A Ladderback Woodpecker working a Desert Willow here on the grounds of the Chihuahuan Observation Center.

Sunny West-Side Hike

Old-Timer Soaptree Yuccas, the city of Las Cruces in the background.

Becca on break.

Desert crowd.

Narrow, but fast-running arroyo in the foothills.

Tortugas Mountain West

A sunny day, looking toward the northern reaches of the Organ Mountains.

Wispy clouds over the rocky slopes.

Desert flora, the Organs in the background.

Morning Ramble

A cool morning with a slightly overcast sky on Tortugas's west side.

Rapidly flowing waters have exposed bedrock over the years.

Barrel Cactus still blooming in early September.

The observatory at the top of the mountain.

Check out the tongue.

Tortugas in Sun and Shade

A shot of Tortugas's west flank from the saddle.

Light and shadow on the long western flank.

Ocotillos bathing in sunlight.

The tortoise of Tortugas Mountain.

Tortoise II.

Under the Overcast

The morning was cool when Becca and I started off, and the overcast gave a benign look to the desert.

We paused briefly at the side of the road to take in the distant mountains.

Nothing goes unnoticed by Old Eagle Eyes.

Scoop-of-ice-cream cloud.

Grizzled old Yucca.