Feb. 23, 2026

I walked part of the brittlebush trail but mostly went cross country as it was impossible to tell where the trail was. Although it was winter, it was still above 80F. There were plenty of creosote bushes with white fuzzy seed pods, a few brittlebushes that were in bloom and the Palo Verde trees were looking quite green. This area also had several tall saguaro, buckhorn and hedgehog cholla cacti. Winter is the best time to visit this monument. I found numerous chunks of quartz and a bunch of spent ammo shells that I thought might make a cool art project.