Saturday Shuffle

1st 3:  the "O"s loose on a ridge

Because we changed over from our evaporative cooler to the furnace yesterday the temps are rising; we're supposed to be 79F today.

Dr. K is not complaining about the heat, though I suspect she was a bit overdressed for our trek in the desert today.

We did our usual route with the "O"s off lead most of the way.  With the exception of one minor hiccup they behaved excellently on our hike this morning.

This & next:  thick haze/smoke?

Descending into the lower desert

Ballerina/you must've seen her/dancing in the sand

Check out the length of these fishhooks

Wise men

Another look at the haze

This & next 3:  Barrel cacti

Hedgehog Cactus

This & next:  Soaptree Yucca dried seed pods

Alien

Before alien transformation

Willow and Frio

The rest:  Heelers going and coming

 

Warming Again

From LDR-A arroyo

44F at the start of our hike this morning, plenty of sunshine and no breeze.  I wore only a vest beneath my Marmot PreCip, which I wouldn't have gotten away with a few days ago.

We followed our normal route today; I wasn't in the bushwhacking mood.  At the beginning of the trek we saw the Basset people crossing the desert slightly north of the Tellbrook Arroyo.  It doesn't seem as if they descended LDR-A because Willow didn't go bonkers picking up Basset hound scent as we went down the road.

This & next:  same view, different zoom

Follow the leader (Willow)

Frio (looking half awake) and Willow

 

Bushwhack A+

Starting our bushwhack

Three-fourths of our long hike this morning was spent bushwhacking; we crossed the desert from the west out of LDR-A arroyo, crossed both the right branch and left branch arroyos, climbed to a saddle between hills and crested the northernmost hill.

From there we all spotted a coyote bushwhacking through the desert from west to northeast.  The canid had already spotted us before we caught sight of it.  Both Frio and Willow were transfixed by God's Dog, but didn't pursue because we were several hundred yards away from it.  I got some fairly decent photos of the critter.

We then proceeded to bushwhack back to the left branch arroyo from which we completed our regular trek.  It was a very good outing in pleasant weather conditions today.

Eastward across the desert

This & next:  Soaptree Yuccas

The long view of Tortugas and the Organs

Fools on a hill

About 250 feet above the desert floor

Willow and Frio

The "O"s spot something moving below

The coyote that grabbed the "O"s' attention

This & next:  Trickster had already eyed us

Coyote has a bite

This & next 3:  in hunting mode

This & next:  Fishhook Barrel Cactus

The "O"s enjoying the bushwhacking adventure

The hill we climbed

 

Samhain

Early morning view of Tortugas and the Organs

A bit warmer when Dr. K, Willow, Frio and I started our hike this morning:  35F.  The steady sunshine and lack of breeze made it quite comfortable.  We'll continue to warm up this week.

We did some bushwhacking in the desert east of LDR-A arroyo today, crossing toward the Organ Mountains until we intersected with the left branch arroyo.  From there we followed our normal route for the rest of the trek.

Bushwhacking to the northwest

Lone Soaptree

The gang

Morning moon

Another long view of Tortugas and the Organs

Looking west

Three wise men

Small barrel and small prickly pear

Prickly Pears and Soaptree

3-foot Barrel Cactus

Willow and Frio

Frio and Willow

One-and-a-half barrels

Soaptree and the mountain

This & next:  the "O"s

Part of the ancient Soaptree Yucca