The desert is in bloom!  This is a primrose and the big thrill of the day was seeing (and not photographing...) a Prickly Pear cactus with several fuscia blooms.  Hopefully there will be more but I'm learning that stopping to shoot a pic is worth the extra time.  I'm riding about mid pack.  We all start out in the morning more or less en masse and then find our grooves and riding partners early on, pretty much staying in the same group for the day.