Cholla On A Desert Hill

I drove south on the interstate today and got off at an exit new to me to just drive around and explore. I found myself pulled into a dirt driveway marked "Do Not Enter" and saw a US Border Patrol surveillance area sign. I was probably about 15 km from Mexico.

But when I took my eyes off of the signs, I realized that I was surrounded by hills covered by jumping cholla cactus. This sight really stuck me because there are only two small barrel cactus and some scrobby trees besides the cholla in this rugged desert terrain.

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Imagine what it must be like to cross the border illegally and have to traverse terrain like this when the temperature is above 100 degrees and the sun is relentless.