Humid Hike

We got a lot of rain last night, and the air was thick with humidity this morning. Things are still pretty lush in the desert. Here's Dr. K in the Outback.

The old observatory on Tortugas Mountain against a turquoise sky.

Arachnid architecture.

Ocotillos on a rocky slope.

The new observatory on the mountain.

Harbinger

These clouds are a good indication that more rain is to come.

Yuccas stand at attention in the early-morning sun.

There's a lot of moisture in the atmosphere in order for clouds to tower like this.

Damn, that's a pretty picture.

Away From the Mountain

Becca always sees stuff I don't see.

That's one small shadow on the mountain.

The water ran fast in this arroyo the past few days.

A close-up view of another arroyo where the water ran heavily.

Rainy Days

Clouds blanketed the Organ Mountains this morning.

A long view of the blanket clouds.

This is the adolescent Western Diamondback Rattlesnake that Becca walked up to and sniffed. Fortunately, the snake didn't get agitated.

The clouds make the mountains more mysterious.

The lush Chihuahuan Desert.

West Side Whirl

A yucca eclipsing the morning sun.

Prickly Pear Cactus in the mountain foothills.

Ocotillo confusion.

An old Yucca in the westside foothills.

High Desert

We spent most of the morning in the high desert near High Rolls, New Mexico.

The Sacramento Mountains are beautiful.

Early Morning Hike

The trail leading to the top of Tortugas Mountain was completely in shadow early this morning.

A very spiny Yucca.

Ocotillos in the early-morning sunlight.

A rocky cactus garden on the western slope of Tortugas.