Sleepwalking Through a Trek

Perusing the surroundings

I slept really hard last night, and, as a result, I felt as if I was sleepwalking through three-fourths of our morning hike.  Becca was fully engaged in the outing, but I was puzzling to myself:  why is it I often feel better when I don't sleep hard?  I have no answers, but it's no fun trying to wake up when you've actually been out of bed for several hours--especially if you're hiking through the land of thorny dangers.  When we were nearly done with our trek I stopped to put some water on the Night Blooming Cereus I replanted yesterday.  I sure hope the plant can take hold.

The way ahead

Dove on a yucca

Trail to the sky

White-winged Dove on a Torrey Yucca

Huge Torrey Yucca on the side of the mountain

Picacho Peak

The Doña Anas

What a sky!

Powder- or Robin-Egg blue?

This . . .

. . . or this?

Gang of yuccas

Back to Tortugas

Early start west of the mountain

Becca and I took a slightly abbreviated hike west of Tortugas Mountain this morning, but our time out there was extended by encountering interesting people:  Jimmy, Joe, JC and Olivia.  After that it was stretched a bit longer by my decision to plant a section of the Night Blooming Cereus that had broken off from the main plant.  While I was at it two women hikers came over to see what I was doing.  I explained my actions while describing the blooming habits of the Cereus (only flowering one night a year), and both women were fascinated by the information.  Since I had to shower after returning home before going shopping at Target and Albertsons my whole day was thrown slightly off schedule.  I didn't eat lunch until 1:00 p.m.  And everybody knows I eat lunch at 11:30.

Becca scouting the territory

Out near the road that leads to the mountaintop

First look at a Cactus Wren in a yucca

Usually pretty flighty this Wren stayed put for a long spell

Quite a handsome individual

Looking this way and that

It could only hang around for so long

Becca at the crest of the high foothills trail

Ocotillos and sand

Nice vista west of Tortugas

B&W vista

From here to the Franklin Mountains (El Paso, Texas) 40 miles

Interesting cloud formation

Funky Soaptree Yuccas

Mormon Tea budding out

Adiós, Tierra Alta

Early morning, High Rolls

Dr. K, Becca and I packed up this morning for our return to the low desert, but not before we did a last hike on the Grand View Trail prior to heading down.  It was a good trek because the weather was perfect and we ran into no other outdoor enthusiasts.  I got some decent photos during our outing including a few shots of Sandhill Cranes flying in formation.  Whenever we see cranes we think of Bosque del Apache, but these aviators were heading in the opposite direction.  They may have been off course or flying to another sanctuary.

Getting a whiff of something

High country living

You talking to me?

Sacramento Mountains from High Rolls

Looks kind of like a Robin

Robin?

Elk

This and the next three:  Sandhill Cranes

Becca on the Grand View Trail

Heading for the gap

The work of an old railroad crew

Grass lining the trail and Becca at work

Grass and juniper

Sotol (Dasylirion wheeleri), a member of the Lily Family

Alongside the trail

Find the Sagebrush Sparrow

Somebody left a Buffalo Gourd at the midway ramada

Banana Yuccas on a slope

This and the next three:  Townsend's Solitaire (Myadestes townsendi)

Becca enjoying a treat after our hike