Sierra Vista Norte, Soledad Rocks Trailhead

Soledad Rocks

Becca and I headed to the Sierra Vista Trail Norte this morning, the section whose trailhead starts beside the Soledad Rocks.  I wanted to cross over to the rocks to take some closeup photos, but just as we were approaching the trail leading to the outcrops a red Jeep Cherokee pulled in.  I decided that we'd go there after our hike down to Black Mountain if the red Cherokee was gone, but  six vehicles were parked in the same area when we came back, and a group of people were climbing the rocks.  We'll do it another time.  Despite the crowd we encountered only one other person out on the trail, a runner headed north--not bad for a Sunday trek in the mountains.

Yuccas on a mountainside

Becca sees something

Soledad Rocks, Organ Mountains behind

More of the Soledad Rocks

Sotols alongside the trail

Sotols

A bit of offroading near the Soledad Rocks

Sky through rocks

Becca auditioning for a movie role

Heading north on the trail

The view north

Might be a nice place to live

Village of Talavera from the Sierra Vista Trail

Lots of ups and downs on this trail

Long view of the Organs

Closer view of the Organ Mountains

Artsy tree shot

Through the grass

High grass

Sotols on a rock outcrop

Another Sotol

Becca in the arroyo beside Black Mountain

I believe these are Chinaberry trees

Down the arroyo

Some air traffic

Looking back at the Organs

This perspective looks more pastel-like

Rock and trees

Rock and trees 2

Rainbow Hedgehog Cactus

Bird tree

Sparrows on an Ocotillo

Different kinds of aviators

Steep climb here

Tres amigos

People climbing on Soledad Rocks

A Cold, Blustery Morn

On a deeply rutted road west of Tortugas Mountain

It was just under 40F when Becca and I started off west of Tortugas Mountain this morning, but it felt much colder because of persistent wind with strong gusts.  I kept my gloves on during most of the hike, only removing them to take photos; and I didn't shoot many images because of the cold.  We did see some hearty outdoor types in the desert despite the weather:  a few mountain bikers and a couple of runners.  One runner was wearing only shorts and a t-shirt, and I did not envy him, though I did recall from when I was running years ago that it's possible to become overheated even in cold weather.  Despite the adverse conditions Becca and I spent ninety minutes trekking around the desert.

Hiking on the west side of the mountain

Torrey Yucca and Ocotillos

A look west down Geothermal Road

A little closer look

Soaptree Yucca and distant Picacho Peak

A different Soaptree Yucca

Ninja mountain biker?

Soaptree Yucca with old, fallen trunks

Dirt road out of the arroyo

Closer look at the road

Becca headed south on the road out of the arroyo

Shooting for perspective in a relatively flat landscape

Taking a shortcut between dirt roads

Two mountain bikers tackling the steep road to the top of Tortugas