Joshua Tree Nat’l Park (02-28-12)

The Joshua Tree is to the Mohave Desert what the Saguaro Cactus is to the Sonoran Desert.  That’s what it said on the sign. The Joshua Tree is actually not a tree, its a Yucca plant.  They only grow about an inch a year, and can grow to be over 40 feet tall.  I have seen these trees before, but I never realized they were part of the Mohave Desert System.

Hidden Valley trail

What was most impressive to us, in Joshua Tree National Park, was not the Joshua Trees, although they were plentiful and interesting to see, but the boulder configurations.  Every where we turned there were huge rock formations.

 

We checked in at the Visitor’s Center to get a game plan together for the day. We decided to walk several trails- the first one was the short Hidden Valley Trail, where the boulders were so inviting, it was difficult to resist climbing. Somehow, it feels like a Disneyland for adults, although most of the boulders would require some serious rock climbing experience to climb.



The San Andreas Fault line from Joshua Tree



Driving to the top of one of the several mountain peaks within the park,  our view of Coachella Valley was impressive. The San Andreas Fault, which is over 500 miles long and reaches across the state of California, is clearly visible as a line of raised earth along the center of the picture.  It’s a little spooky to realize that the valley is growing by about two inches a year, due to the action of the Pacific Ocean Crust sliding past the North American Crust.  That action is what causes many of the earthquakes in this area.

Lost Horse Mine

Our second trail was longer, 4.5 miles, to the Lost Horse Mine.  It was named the Lost Horse Mine because a cowboy was looking for his horses that had disappeared overnight while he was camping in the area,  when he came across a sign post marking a gold claim.  He bought the claim and over the years, 10,000 ounces of gold were taken out of this area.  There are actually over 300 mines in Joshua Tree National Park, but very few produced any gold.  What we’ll remember about this trail is the fact that we froze our butts off.  At this elevation the temps were in the mid 40’s and the wind chill was probably in the 30’s because it was pretty windy!



time to turn this sucker around



For our next adventure we decided to stay in the truck.  We headed down a road called Geology Trail Rd., an 18 mile auto drive that shows off some of the unique geologic features of the area.  4 wheel drive is recommended, so off we went down the sandy, one way, unpaved road. Unfortunately, the box with the brochures that explain what we would be seeing, was empty, so we took the tour without the information.  Almost halfway through, we realized the sign should have also said “and if you are a dually, don’t bother!”  The road got so narrow, we definitely added some “Texas pin striping” to the truck.  That’s when the shrubbery intrudes so far into the “road” that it scratches down the side of the truck.  When we found a wide spot in the road, we turned around and carefully made our way back to civilization.

All in all we saw a lot in one day, and will try to extend our stay where we are so we can do some more hiking in Joshua Tree.  After doing a drive by one of the campgrounds and hearing Elaine’s opinion about the National Park campgrounds, we have decided that no matter what they say, we don’t fit in their sites.

Vacation mode (2-26-12)

                                                     

     As I type today’s date in the title,

it reminds me that 22 years ago today,

my daughter was born.

Happy Birthday Jess!

What makes this week more of a vacation mode is the RV park we are staying in.  Well, actually, first of all, we are staying in the Palm Springs area, so it just sounds like a ritzy vacation, right off the bat.  As we travel, we usually try to stay in State parks. Not to save money, because a lot of times, the state parks are actually more money than the commercial parks, but more to support the park systems, so they will be able to stay open, and also because we don’t really need all the amenities the other parks offer.  But this week we are staying in a park with 2 pools, 4 hot tubs, tennis courts etc etc. The water for the hot tubs is taken from a hot spring and continuously moves slowly from one spa to the next, as it cools, so each spa is a different temperature.  They do the same with the pools.  At one end of a pool the water enters and as it cools it is pushed to the other pool, so they are also two different temperatures, and the water is always fresh.

  The weather here has been hot for this time of year, so we took off for the San Jacinto mountains and the small town of Idyllwild. The temperature difference was awesome, making the day perfect for exploring and shopping. Even though there was a lot of snow on the ground, the weather was perfect for a picnic. It wasn’t great for hiking though, so we didn’t get to do any of that.

Idyllwild  seems like a typical mountain chalet town with a lot of places to stay, small shops and restaurants, and an active town center area.

The views from the top gave us a great overview of how the nearby Palm Springs area is nestled among all the surrounding mountain peaks.








Yesterday we headed for the hills again, but this time we took the Palm Springs aerial tram, and we were accompanied by Paul’s brother and sister-in-law, and their friend Chris.  Each tram holds up to 80 people and I was definitely jostling for a good position so I could get some pictures.


The floor of the tram actually rotates so by the time the 10 minute ride to the top was over, I was able to see a full 360 degrees around me.  Pretty cool.
There are two trams that run at the same time, one going up while the other is coming down, so they counter-balance each other.

 

Once we got to the top there was plenty to do.  There are several restaurant options, hiking trails, and sledding opportunities for the kids.  We walked for a bit on one of the trails but mostly they were snowy and icy, so we didn’t go too far.  It’s the first time I’ve ever seen people actually hike with snow shoes.

 

Of course a few snow balls were thrown, but mostly at the trees.

Before saying goodbye, we all went back to the trailer for Enchiladas (and possibly some Margaritas).

Meandering around Arizona (02-20-12)

Well, Sedona was disappointing, but only because the weather was so cold we didn't really see it. Pretty much every morning there was fresh snow on the nearby hills. We spent one day driving over the mountain to visit my aunt and cousin, and passed two snow plows headed in the other direction. There were some icy spots but not too bad at that point. However, by the time our visit was over, we could see the precipitation that had already started again in the higher elevations, so we took the slightly longer way home and avoided it.

We gave up on waiting for the weather to warm up and left earlier than planned. We had plans to meet Elaine and Robert in Quartzsite on Saturday, which gave us two days to kill, so we went to an Escapees park near Wickenburg AZ. It was somewhat warmer there, due to the lower elevation, and we were able to explore the town of Wickenburg.



 We happen to hit it right for their Gold Rush Days, which is like a local county fair. There was a classic car rally, numerous craft booths and carnival rides. The local ice cream parlor had live music, so we listened as we ate. Wickenburg is pretty historic but the admission fee to the local museum was too steep so we took the cheap way out and wandered around looking for the strategically placed mannequins. Each one "tells their story" via an audio box that you push a button to activate.
Saturday we landed in the desert at Quartzsite and waited for our friends to arrive. They found us with no problem, and in no time we were sitting around, catching up on the latest news. It doesn't take too long to set up in the desert, with the wide open spaces you just stop where you want to be, and there is nothing to hook up. We just have to disconnect the truck, which doesn't"t take too long.

Paul has wanted to check out a place called Palm Canyon, that sounded intriguing to him, so the next day we all packed a lunch and took off. These palm trees are in the crevices of the rock and the sun only hits them for a short time during the day. Luckily we happened to be there when it did. In the end, it was a short hike into an interesting canyon, and a pleasant way to kill a day. We also walked around downtown Quartzsite a bit, investigating the venders that are still here. 

After that excitement, we spent the next day relaxing, doing nothing but talking. Elaine and Robert have never been to Quartzsite and wanted to see what it is all about, and actually, sitting around in the middle of the desert socializing all day is a pretty good idea of what people come here for.  Of course there are the vendors and the RV show, but mostly I think people come here for the friends and the camaraderie.  Naturally, we did go to Silly Al’s for pizza, but then we came straight back and got a campfire going.

Paul and I were originally going to head to Joshua Tree National Park with Elaine and Robert, but we made a last minute change.  We are in Desert Hot Springs for a week so I can get some physical therapy.  In the meantime we are getting our mail forwarded so we can get our tax information sent off.

Tuzi-who? and Déjà Vu

Tuzigoot is the site of the ruins of a Sinagua Indian village, which was an active village for several hundred years, reaching it’s peak population in about 1300 AD.  When archeologists began to excavate the ruins in the 1930s, they had no name for the project.  A Tonto Apache working on the dig suggested  “Tu Zighoot”, the Apache name for “crooked water” because of the nearby river.  The name was adopted, but was spelled incorrectly and mispronounced, resulting in“Tuzigoot”, which has absolutely no meaning at all.

The village consisted of many attached rooms, each of which housed one family.  The rooms were built with stone and mud walls with a combination of wood timbers, reeds and clay for the ceiling.  Instead of doors, the rooms were entered by climbing ladders and coming in through the roof.
   There are many of these villages in the Verde Valley, all of which were built on top of hills, presumably so that the surrounding flat land that was suitable for farming would not be wasted.
The history of this place is so ancient that archeologists and scientists can only guess at why the population left this area in the 1400s.  There is no current Sinagua population left, so their story did not survive the years.


Jerome



   From Tuzigoot we could see the town of Jerome in the distance and since it was early enough in the day we decided to wander over there.  As we drove up the winding hill towards the town, I realized that we had been here before, although neither of us remembered that we had.  I think we were here in 2002 when we took the kids on a trip to Arizona.



Paul and the Ranger looking down Little Daisy, a 1900 ft deep mine shaft.

 Jerome is an old mining town, still surrounded by mountainous piles of tailings, the byproduct of ore mining.  This is a well known “ghost town” that has a larger population now (600) thanks to tourism.  Paul and I wandered the town, poking our heads into many of the small stores, and ate lunch at restaurant in a building that was built in 1898 and still has the original bar stools.
The town we’re staying in is Cottonwood, about 15 miles or so from Sedona, which is one of the places we’ll be exploring in the next few days.  We knew the weather would be coolish here and we were right.  It's downright chilly and the weather forecast isn't looking any better.  The high on Tuesday is supposed to be in the 30s.

Apache Junction, AZ (2-7-12)

  The last week has been busy. I got my cast off on Monday-and am now sporting a brace for the next month or so.  The wrist hasn’t fully healed yet, so I can’t use the hand for much for a while.  Paul and I also had our annual physicals Tuesday, so we got that out of the way.

   I said we were going to try and find Table Mesa trail again before leaving Lake Pleasant, and I am happy to say we were successful on our second attempt.  A lot of the trail was along an old road, but once we started gaining elevation, the views of Lake Pleasant were awesome.

 

At the top of this mesa were the ruins of some Indian dwellings. You can see what’s left of one of the walls in this picture.  Unfortunately for me, the last 10 feet were a killer, so this is as close as I got.  I’m not up for rock scrambling yet.  We didn’t see anyone else on the 6.5 mile trail- I don’t think many people hike this one. It was nice to have the solitude especially since our next hike was on one of the most crowded trails we’ve been on!

We hiked with Elaine and Robert (and about 200 other people) on the Wind Cave trail.  It was a 6 mile hike with a fair amount of elevation gain. Elaine had hurt her ankle, so we decided we would both have a good excuse if we didn’t make it all the way up, but we had no problems and enjoyed our lunch once we made it to the top.

I often debate with myself how much information to put in the blog about the trails we hike.  Sometimes I want to put information/data in so I will be reminded later how difficult or long a trail was and how much elevation gain it had.  I don’t track the information anywhere else, but the other day Paul was buying new hiking boots and we were saying that we had no idea how many miles I have hiked in my boots, so we’ve decided to keep a spreadsheet of our hikes with all the pertinent details.  Don’t worry, I won’t post the spreadsheet here!

Between Elaine and Robert and Paul and I, we have spent time in quite a few different Phoenix area RV parks in the last week or so.  The other day they finally caught up to us at Lost Dutchman State Park.  There are a lot of programs and activities here, and the other night we all attended the Moonlight and Music program.

Yesterday was adventure day- we set out early and followed the Apache Trail. The trail follows an ancient Indian migration route through the Superstition Mountains, and most of it is a twisty, windy, very narrow dirt road. It’s an all day adventure because there are so many things to stop and see along the way. 

Our first stop was at the bar in Tortilla Flats, (population: 6).  Since it was our first stop of the day, we opted for coffee instead of an “adult beverage”.  The seats at the bar are saddles, and the walls are papered with one dollar bills, most of which contain a message written by the donator.

 

There were numerous places to pull off the road to enjoy the views, and more campgrounds along the way than we expected to see.  There are also 3 lakes- this one is Apache Lake.

 

Roosevelt Lake is the largest lake along the trail, and the road we were on was originally built to bring in supplies to build the Roosevelt Dam.

After passing the dam, we soon came upon the Tonto National Monument, which consists of the remains of some ancient cliff dwellings.  They were inhabited by the Salado Indians from about 1050 to 1450 A.D.  It’s always amazing to me that these ruins still exist today, and even more surprising that we are allowed to walk through them.


Our final stop of the day was at a Mexican restaurant for dinner. None of us felt like going home to cook, so we enjoyed this particular stop a lot.  Plus the food and company were great!  Elaine and Robert have left today for their next stop, which is Picacho Peak, one of my favorite hikes.  We plan on meeting up with them again in a few weeks as we all make our way towards California.

Hiking again (01-29-12)

                                                                          I’ve finally reached the point where I feel somewhat comfortable hiking again, although not the trails we originally intended to hike.  I had to do more research to find trails that are less difficult and don’t involve boulder scrambling.

We started off slowly with a 3.5 mile trail in Lost Dutchman State Park.  There was a fair amount of elevation gain, so it was still a work out.

Everywhere you look around here, there is another pretty view. 

That hike went well, so we tackled a more difficult hike the next day-the Ballentine Trail. It was more of a challenge, to say the least.

We started off among the Saguaro Cacti.  When most of us think desert, we think barren, but the Sonoran Desert is full of life and is very green at certain times.  The beautiful Saguaro (pronounced Sah-wah-row) can live to be about 200 years old and doesn’t start growing arms until it’s about 70 years old. Their root system is just beneath the surface and extends out up to 70 feet, to collect what little moisture there is in the ground.

  This picture shows a little bit of why this trail was challenging.  Paul is standing near the top of the rise. It was a 7.5 mile trail, with 2000 ft of elevation gain.

The views from the top made it worth it.  This area is appropriately called Boulder Flats, since it was strewn with huge boulders.  Paul climbed around them, I didn’t. 

The other day we moved from Mesa, where we had been staying in a “4 star” RV Resort, to Lake Pleasant Regional Park. The best part about the resort was that we had a grapefruit tree on our site, and could pick as many as we wanted. YUM! Our trailer is the one in the middle of the picture. This is the kind of place we really like to stay.

We debated trying to get the boat out to take advantage of this beautiful lake, but the coolish (it hits the low 70s but only for an hour or so, then it gets cool) weather and the fact that its a two person job to “deploy” it, changed our minds.

We tried another hike at Lake Pleasant, but not every hike turns out the way we want it.  After driving 7 miles down a primitive “road” to get to the trailhead, the road dead ended at the water’s edge, with no way to get across.  The road was an interesting trip, making us glad our truck has 4 wheel drive, and very high clearance!

We haven’t given up on that hike- we have better directions and we’ll try it again tomorrow.

In the meantime we are enjoying visiting with friends and family.  Yesterday we visited with Elaine and Robert, our friends from England.  Since they are hikers too, we combined the visit with a 7 mile hike.  As usual, when with friends, I don’t take many pictures.  I’ll try to do better with that in the next week or so.  We have plans to see Robert and Elaine several more times in the next week or so, as we are all staying in and around the Phoenix area.  Tonight we are having dinner with my cousin Linda and her husband. Looking forward to that- we don’t see each other very often!

The other night we had one of the most spectacular sunsets we’ve seen in a very long time, and we see some great ones!