Thunderbird Conservation Park Day 2

This morning it was pretty crowded at Thunderbird Conservation Park; not surprising given that it's the start of the weekend.  Dr. K, Becca and I managed to find an area that wasn't too crowded, but we had quite a few encounters nonetheless.  One chance meeting with a young family was amusing.  Mother, father and two small kids were accompanied by a cute dog who was very curious about Becca.  While the two hounds sniffed the air in each other's direction one little girl said of Becca, "Is that a coyote?"  The mother said, "That isn't a coyote."  Dr. K and I were quite disappointed because we always thought Becca was a coyote.

The ramadas at the park are built to last

What looks to be two Saguaros

is really one

Typical Sonoran  Desert scene

Stubby arms

Beautiful Palo Verde tree

Multi-limb Saguaro

Thunderbird Conservation Park

A type of pincushion cactus

Dr. K, Becca and I are out visiting Tim and Fran (my brother and sister-in-law) in Glendale, Arizona.  This morning the three of us went for an early hike in Thunderbird Conservation Park, which is almost surrounded by the city.  It's a beautiful urban park, but like all urban parks in large metro areas it is heavily used.  We'll go there tomorrow, too, but it's sure to be even more crowded on the weekend.

Saguaros in the park

A fallen Saguaro

Enjoying the Sonoran Desert

A rocky mountain trail

Baby Saguaros, probably twenty-five years old

City of Glendale, Arizona

Hot-air balloon time

Tuesday Toddling

We didn't go very far this morning, but we took our time getting there.  Met up with JC on the way back and did a lot of jabbering with him.  We like to talk about college basketball because we're both Wildcats fans; he roots for Kentucky and I pull for Arizona.  I'm also a fan of the University of Texas-El Paso, where I taught for years.  Later in the morning I took the Jeep, gassed it up, then went shopping at Target and Albertsons--two of my favorite hangouts.

That's Becca's "I see a Jackrabbit" stare

Contrails to-or-from El Paso

Breezy and Cold

It was 29 F when Becca and I set off this morning, and a pretty hefty breeze made the temperature feel even colder--especially in the shadow of Tortugas.  When we broke into the sun, however, we warmed up quickly.  By the time we met up with JC on the west side of the mountain the breeze had died significantly and the hiking weather felt quite comfortable.  

Back of the Mountain Sunday

At the southeast side of the mountain

Dr. K, Becca and I did a long hike out of the Monte Vista side of Tortugas Mountain.  We saw other outdoor enthusiasts during our trek, including three mountain bikers who sat abreast of each other on the trail yapping away.  Becca gave them a wide berth, and one of the guys said, "Who's your friend?"  I laughed and said, "That's Becca."  For a minute I thought he was going to ask me for her phone number.  Good thing he didn't; we don't let Becca date.

The trail behind Tortugas

Organ Mountains from the southwest corner of Tortugas

Buggy Whip (aka "Ocotillo")

Saturday's Long Trek

This and the following image:  the sky starting out

It was fairly crowded around the mountain this morning, though Becca and I only ran into a few people in the outback.  The guy jogging with his two dogs didn't even notice when they left his company and made a beeline over to Becca and me.  They were very friendly, though, and it was a pleasant encounter.  The weather was beautiful out there today, but it's supposed to change later on as a result of the storm system that blasted California the past two days.

Soon to cross paths with a solitary hiker

Things are beginning to clear

Soaptree Yucca

Surveying the terrain

Looking back at Tortugas and the Organ Mountains

How quickly the sun changes perspective

We ran into these three a few moments earlier

Becca watches the three jog away

The sky on finishing up

A Few Stragglers

The first straggler pilgrims we saw this morning were two guys who told me they'd missed the pilgrimage by a day.  One of them was carrying a four-foot wooden cross.  Later, when we ran into JC (who is not a pilgrim) we saw a small family of people heading for the mountaintop, and a man and woman further down also heading up the mountain.  Seems to me that if you're hiking up Tortugas to commune with God or the Virgin Mary you can do it whenever you want.  Every once in a while somebody drives a vehicle where it's not supposed to be, like the pickup truck pictured below.  I couldn't tell if it had broken down, but it definitely looked abandoned.

Somebody ran out of road on the high foothills trail