Changeover Day

Allthorn

I shortened my solo hike significantly this morning so I could get home, shut down our furnace and switch over to the evaporative cooler.  Before I did that, though, I had to drive across town to Passage Supply Co. to buy new cooling pads:  $87.  Then I brought them home, changed out the old for new pads, put the fan belt on the motor and blower wheel, hooked up the water pump, turned on the water to the reservoir and "fired" the darned thing up.  We now have evaporation-cooled air flowing into our house.  Before the afternoon is over Dr. K will be complaining about how cold it is inside. :)

Mountain biking in the Land of Enchantment

Creosote Bush seed balls

Typical Chihuahuan Desert scene

Mormon Tea flowers

Wooly Paperflower

Soaptree Yucca flower stalks often bend under their own weight

Soaptree Yucca is blossoming all over the desert

Hummer

Definitely a large den

Long view to the Organ Mountains

Whitethorn Acacia

Won't be long now for this Parry's Agave

Same Parry's Agave

Above the high foothills

Ash-throated Flycatcher in a yucca

Waiting to ambush flies

Yuccas

Three stalks on one Soaptree Yucca

Tres hermanas

Desert just beyond the city of Las Cruces

Unhappy camper

Fun to No Fun Ratio

Soaptree Yuccas blooming all over the place

I only enjoyed my trek about 10% as much as I usually do because my trusty hiking companion, Becca, had to stay home with a gimpy leg.  She's much better than she was yesterday, but still hobbling a bit.  Unfortunately for both of us, she'll be taking several more days off of hiking.  I don't want to have her hurry back only to injure her leg more severely.  She sure doesn't like it, though, giving me dirty looks all the while as I apologize profusely to her for not taking her along. :(

Black-throated Sparrow

Little lemon bulb

Lesser Goldfinch

Whitethorn Acacia and the Organ Mountains

Scott's Oriole

Soaptree Yucca flowers

Late-blooming Claret Cup Hedgehog Cactus

Mockingbird

Chihuahuan Raven

Goldfinches

Cholla flowers

Desert Willow

Desert Willow (Chilopsis linearis)

Mexican Bird of Paradise

Desert Willow flowers and buds

Limping Along

Not quite a quarter of the way done

About a fourth of the way through our hike this morning Becca began limping fairly badly, enough so that I turned around immediately, put her on the lead and walked at about a tenth-mile-an-hour pace.  She's still limping around the house in the afternoon, but with a less-pronounced gimp.  I gave her no afternoon ride today, and I don't plan on taking her on a trek tomorrow.  We'll go day-by-day to see how she progresses.

Does my pit stink?

Grumpy Cactus Wren

Think it's easy perching like this?

Parry's Agave making progress toward blooming

Same Parry's Agave

I believe this is an immature Cooper's Hawk

This and the next three:  Blind Prickly Pear flowers

Final two:  Cholla blossoms

The Transition Begins Again

Eager to get going

The transition I'm referring to in the title is that from cold to hotter temperatures--all over again.  For the past few days our weather approximated that of late fall or early winter, but now we're headed back up the temperature scale.  Low 80s for starts and high 80s at week's end.  Undoubtedly I'll have to convert over from the furnace to the evaporative cooler real soon.  The cold snap was quite a surprise for so late in the month of April.  Becca and I had a very nice hike west of Tortugas Mountain this morning, running into only one other outdoorsy person toward the end of our trek.

View to the Organ Mountains

Soaptree Yucca flowers

Soaptree Yucca blossoms

Becca on break

Buds, spent buds and a flower

Soaptree Yucca flower stalk

Sun through Soaptree Yucca blossoms

A type of Sandwort?

Closeup of flower

Lesser Nighthawk in flight (very difficult to photograph)

Spot the Lesser Nighthawk

Desert Marigold

Crossing the Crosscut Trail