Before the Baths

First 7:  yellow desert

It was a hard slog for the three of us this morning, hot, humid and difficult trekking conditions--large stretches of LDR are so sandy it's like hiking along a beach.  Willow and Frio with their four-wheel drive seem to navigate the sands much better than me.

We saw nobody else out there today, not even any vehicles parked at the Tellbrook/Sonoma Ranch corner lot.  It takes a special kind of derangement, I guess, to be out hiking on such a day.

When we got back it was time to prepare for bathing of the canines.  Frio went first, and although he doesn't over-react to a bath he isn't exactly the most cooperative subject.  Willow, on the other hand, is a near-perfect participant in the cleaning process; she stays perfectly still while we thoroughly bathe her.  We now have temporarily clean Heelers, and I have an aching back.

Ocotillo on the southern ridge above First Arroyo

Sphinx Moth larvae having another go round

Frio and Willow on the road back

This & the next:  Black-throated Sparrow

Stingleaf and the Organ Mountains

 

Awfully Pretty, Pretty Awful

This & the next:  Ocotillo leaves turning yellow

The desert was absolutely beautiful this morning; Willow, Frio and I couldn't stop commenting on the vibrant yellow of the desert floor.  We did that all the way up to Second Arroyo, where we popped in for a drink and short respite.

There was a price to be paid for access to such a glorious desert:  the heat, humidity and absence of wind made it almost unbearable for a trek.  Add to that misery the omnipresent insects that seem to thrive on bugging us mammals, and you get an idea about how awful it was out there.

Nevertheless, we all deemed it a necessary sacrifice for the opportunity to experience the desert glory first hand.

Ocotillo and Prickly Pear

Desert Marigold

This & the next:  Datura

Chinchweed

Willow and Frio

Frio and Willow

Morning moon

This & the next 5:  the yellowest I've ever seen this desert

Last 2:  White-winged Doves

 

After a Hot Hump Day Hike

On the upper flatland road

After crossing the Tellbrook Arroyo this morning Willow, Frio and I decided to bushwhack in an area we've explored before in order to determine what the beauty quotient was.  The desert is very beautiful now, so the off trail trek was worth it.

After drinking water in the shade of a Mesquite Tree we took a long pause out there while I tried to get a good photo of a Sphinx Moth; they were everywhere. They were also very difficult to photograph as they zipped from flower to flower.  The 10th image here is the best I could do under the circumstances.

The only saving grace for three hot hikers today was a constant breeze that provided a degree of evaporative cooling; but we were sure happy to reach the CR-V and crank up the air conditioning for the short ride home.

House Finches

Exploring an arroyo

Frio and Willow

Golden Crownbeard

Frio and Willow

This & the next 2:  views inside an arroyo

Failed to capture an image of the Sphinx Moth (upper left)

This & the next:  Barrel Cactus blossoms

Bushwhacking out

 

Hump Day Heat and Humidity

This morning's moon

It was nearly brutal out there this morning:  heat, humidity and not even a breath of breeze.  And the omnipresent bugs were out in full force, bugging us as soon as we exited the CR-V and bugging us until we climbed back inside our vehicle after a long, hot trek.

We saw Pamela and Terry when we were headed back on the long dirt road.  Haven't seen them in weeks; she said they were hiking trails out around the Organ Mountains.

Willow, Frio and I were happy to hop back in the CR-V for an air conditioned ride home.  I think we're supposed to hit a high of 98F today.  Can't wait for cooler temps.

Ocotillos

Yellow desert floor from a distance

This & the next 2:  Datura

This & the next:  Golden Crownbeard

This & the next:  Chinchweed

Small dead tree

Willow and Frio

Soaptree Yucca

Heelers in First Arroyo

Chihuahuan Earless Lizard

White-lined Sphinx Moth at rest

Desert Palafox

This & the next 2:  I think these are Cliff Swallows

Mr. Frio on the window seat