The Snake River Canyon and the San Carlos Apache Reservation

The drive through Show Low was rather flat, but then turning on SR71 south and the terrain quickly changed. I was now in the White Mountain Apache area. The terrain became more hilly as I drove further south, with expansive vistas on either side. None of the area I drove through was burned in last summer's fire.

Small Apache villages were on the western side of the road, villages consisting of plain adobe or brick homes with messy yards, dirty children and loose dogs. Rusty vehicles adorned the otherwise plain yards. I felt awkward driving through these settlements, as if I were gawking at their misfortune. I was taught not to stare.

The further south I drove, though, the hillier the terrain became. By the town of Cibecue the canyons on either side broke open again, and eventually I was in Arizona's second grand canyon, the Snake River Canyon. I didn't have a special recreation permit from the Apache tribe (it's $20/day) so I couldn't even stop near the water and give the dogs a water break. I was allowed to stop at overlooks and gaze far down into the steep canyon. Rocks around the rest area were spray-painted over and there was plenty of trash everywhere, but I picked up none of it.

I had hoped to be able to drive around the town of San Carlos on the reservation before it got too dark. I was here in April 2009 after taking an anthropology course on Arizona tribes via the local college. The San Carlos Apache tribe were my choice, and Kevin and I went there for a weekend of exploring both the San Carlos and White Apache tribes. I remembered so little of the town, other than the original settlement was flooded over when the nearby dam was built. The homes were all run-down then as they were on this quick drive-through.

I wanted to meet some Apache, though, but I felt awkward approaching them. One gal was jogging along Reservation Road 6, another group had a street-corner diner going, several kids were playing outside the Boys and Girls Club, and an old drunk stumbled down the street. I had to stop and ask the family cooking enchiladas on the street corner where the nearest gas station was; the woman directed me to AZ70 and the town of Peridot, where there's now an Apache Burger rest stop on a hill top.

I stopped at the Apache Burger and ordered a cheeseburger platter. I could see the sun set, and nearby Mt Graham silhouetted in the darkening sky. My time on the rez was short this time. I stopped at the neighboring Basha's where aisle signs are in both Athabaskan and English. A stray black Lab female dog sauntered around the parking lot looking for hand-outs. I gave her a chicken jerky strip but she darted off and toward AZ70 before I could give her a second strip. Luckily traffic was stopped for a red light or else the poor dog would have been killed.

Now where to? The weather in Globe was predicted to be much warmer than in Holbrook. I didn't want to pay for a campsite, or get a hotel room, so I looked around town. At first I walked through Old Town and its historic Broad Street. A few years ago the Kelly's Broad Street Brewery was on a corner here, but this time the place was closed. In fact, the entire street was barren, except for a small theatre across the street there was not much else in the form of life. I knew now that my socializing was over for my road trip. I now had to figure out a place to stay for the night.

At first I parked in a dark corner of an America's Best Hotel. Men were coming and going to and from the nearby convenience store and the dogs barked at each man walking past me. Then a white sedan with a young couple pulled up near me. They weren't doing anything but waiting. That made me uneasy because they were parked in such a way to have clear view of me. After letting the dogs out to pee I drove off, and so did the sedan.

I then opted for a space in a parking lot where other RVs were parked. In this case it was the WalMart on the west side of town. At first I was too far away from the RV crowd and in direct line-and-sight of teenagers walking across the lot. I wasn't crazy about all this weird nightlife
but then joined a line of full-sized trucks, large SUVs and a few RVs for the night. A few more had joined this line after I was asleep.

Petrified National Forest

"Do you have any rocks in your vehicle?" That was the first thing the blonde booth attendant asked me as I entered the Petrified National Forest from the southern entrance. I didn't expect that for my welcoming remark, but indeed I had many small sandstone pebbles in my van's door cupboard. I had to hand them all over to the blonde so she could place them in a clear plastic bag, seal it and return it to me. All rocks and debris are prohibited from being gathered and collected from within the national park.

My morning started out cold when I let the dogs out at 6am for their pee break. I was up too late and missed the free hot breakfast offered next door at Suzie's Cafe; I got there at 9:15am and the grumpy server was not willing to grant me a pass. I was upset with myself as I could have used a hot breakfast since I paid for that with my hotel room. I had cold chocolate donuts, a cola and some other junk to hold me over.

I drove quickly through town to check out the Wigwam Motel, small motel rooms built to look like wigwams but are otherwise just very small hotel rooms at $56.25 in the off-season. This motel for some reason is a big attraction off Route 66. Classic cars are parked outside each wigwam, property of the hotel owner's brother. There were plenty of people stopping by this place like me to take photos.

Dogs are allowed in the Petrified National Forest but they must remain on leashes and on the maintained trail. There are over seven miles of trails in this park, with two of them over two-miles long. The first stop for me coming from the southern entrance was the Long Log Trail connected to the Agate House trail, together combining for a 2.6-mile trail on mostly asphalt. Sadie pulled the entire time, making the trail unenjoyable. After that I opted to keep the dogs in the cooler van--it was already 74F when we entered the park at 10am--foresaking exercise for both the dogs and me. I couldn't enjoy the park as much as I had planned.

The various fossilized logs in this area are truly amazing, and the soil make-up with its diverse colors even more impressive. But after 23 miles of just driving and short overlooks, there's not much to see or do in this park with dogs tagging around. And, again to my anger, I did not see one Native American employed at this park. And this park is within the Navajo reservation! The National Park Services has got to hire more Native Americans since so many of the national parks are in or near Indian reservations. It doesn't require a biology major from Idaho to work as park booth attendant.

I tried to enjoy the park despite my anger at the NPS. I stopped at every rest stop where I could park safely and I walked a few of the trails without the dogs. There were plenty of people on the asphalt trails, and plenty more RVers cruising through. The road that travels north-south allows for no pulling over to photograph the landscape. Parking is only allowed in the rest stops along the way.

Christopher told me I had to see the Blue Mesa, an area of fascinating buttes on the northern side. He was right about making sure to see this. This also had a one-mile trail that looped downhill, but I didn't want to torture the dogs with the hot asphalt. I took a few panoramic shots and left, stopping again at the Painted Desert at Kachina Point (where there is a lodge) before leaving the park. Kachina Point is popular at sunset where the waning sun casts golden hues across the landscape. 

My presence in the park was a mere four hours long, although I could have easily stayed longer to hike all the trails had the dogs not been with me. This is not a very friendly park, but National Park Service rangers are seldom friendly anyway, since their primary job is to be law enforcers. Perhaps the rangers at this park take lessons from Yosemite park rangers on how to act disgruntled and rude.

I was glad to get out of this park, although I also left a tad disappointed. Yes, the park has some beautiful vistas that deserve further exploration, but when will I have the chance to return to this place?

The northern entrance/exit of the park comes off I-10 and back into Holbrook. I drove south on AZ77 for close to 50 miles, fighting fatigue since I had had no caffeine, which took me to Show Low. It was another straight but uphill climb to the town that last summer was on the edge of the horrific Wallow Fire, Arizona's largest wildfire with over 538,049 acres total burned; 15,407 acres in N.M. It started on May 29th in the Bear Wallow Canyon by two negligent cousins, Caleb and David Malboeuf, who went hiking but didn't properly extinguish their camp fire. High winds quickly spread the fire in a northeasterly direction. They had tied their two dogs to trees nearby, and these two dogs became the fire's first victims. At least 32 homes were destroyed and five were damaged. The men were slapped on the wrist with a $10,000 fine and up to a year in jail just this past Tuesday in federal court, a rather cheap fine considering it cost millions to suppress this fire.

Winslow and Holbrook, AZ

Friday evening, March 24, 2012

AZ87 climbed to over 7000' elevation before it leveled off across a wide open high mesa plain of low juniper trees. I was now in Navajo County. I could see the San Francisco Peaks around Flagstaff to my west as the sun lowered in the horizon. Was I going to be able to see the corner in Winslow, Arizona before sunset? I didn't race to reach the destination, but seeing it in daylight prevented me from having to overnight in Winslow. I discovered there isn't much else to see in that town besides the "corner" which the music band the Eagles made so popular in their song "Take it Easy."

AZ87 enters Winslow from the south, just a block from downtown but also within eyesight of some rather dilapidated buildings. A "Ron Paul" sign was painted over a closed-down gas station, perhaps a remnant from the last presidential election in 2008. I saw plenty of squalor in this town and not much else; finding the "Standin' on the Corner" park would be quite a feat.

I drove down the main street going one-way west before turning around and catching a directional sign. The sun was now casting its copper glow over some of the buildings and I had to find my destination fast. Luckily a "Arizona Route 66" sign was in the intersection of where I needed to be. I parked the van on the southside of the street, left the windows down far enough for the dogs to see me, and photographed the little corner from several angles. Two other couples also came and went in the 15 minutes I was there. The park was silhoetted by the waning sun, casting deep shade which I had to open wide via my fast lens for detail.

A small souvenir shop across the park played Eagles music. A replica red flat-bed Ford was also parked at the corner. The building behind a bronze guitar player was just a facade. The corner was a cute tourist site, but there wasn't much else to see in Winslow besides the run-down buildings along Route 66, which ended just east of town. I had to get back on I-10 and travel east to Holbrook, in the blinding sun reflecting off the metallic sides of semi-tractor trailors in the right lanes.

I passed through another small town called Joseph City before entering Holbrook. By now the sun was down and neon lights brightened the aura of this small railroad town. This town is also the southern terimus for the Petrified National Forest 18 miles away, my destination for tomorrow. It was 7pm and I had some time to have dinner and find a cheap hotel to stay warm in as tonight's low was forecasted to be 38F.

There are several very nice and affordable restaurants in Holbrook. I saw an Italian place, several Mexican restaurants, an American diner. There was even a theatre showing "The Lorax" with a queu outside. This was definitely a happening town compared to Winslow!

I finally settled for "Joe and Aggie's American and Mexican diner" across the street from another Mexican diner. Both places looked busy, and I chose Joe's because I was able to park the van off the Main Street and still see my dogs safely from inside.

A blond waiter, Christopher, served me. I ordered a chicken enchilada entree which also came with sopapilla, chips and salsa. I had one beer. The bill was just under $15 and I was stuffed! Christopher was also a good waiter who let me look at a catelog of things to see in the area. Originally from the Phoenix area, he moved to Holbrook allegedly when the van he was in died in the area nine years ago and he's been in Holbrook ever since.

I enjoyed my meal. I was at Joe's from 7:40pm to 8:30pm; the diner closed at 9pm as did most other places in the area. Where to go from there? Christopher gave me a few pet-friendly hotels to check out, but the first one, the "Globe Trotter" off Route 66, which had a German woman behind the counter, told me dogs were only allowed "if they sleep on the floor." Knowing the needs of both Sadie and Sieger, I opted to check elsewhere. That elsewhere was a mile north at the "American Best Motel" and a ground room for easy access. After spreading all the extra sheets and blankets I had in the room, I let the dogs in for the night, and both quickly took claim to the bed.

I was up until 2am watching the news, listening to the story of the recent gunning-down of an unarmed black teen in Florida, Trayvon Martin, by a neighborhood volunteer watchman, George Zimmerman (himself a Hispanic). the senseless murder is getting a lot of blacks to walk in protest across the nation, and the majority of people want Zimmerman arrested and charged with murder. I personally need to see more evidence before I pass judgment.  Why did Zimmerman attack Martin?  Was Martin armed?

Fossil Springs Trail

Friday, March 24, 2012

I slept warmer the second night. I was showered and out of the park by 7am. I had planned on leaving the area after breakfast at Harold's, and spent some time before its 8am opening to photograph some of the local stores.

My breakfast was a spicy burrito. I sat alone, near the bar, and looked around at the wall art. The owner is clearly a Steelers and Red Sox fan. Several locals sauntered in and sat at the bar for coffee to watch ESPN. I can see why Gordon recommended this place as it caters to both locals and tourists.

My server, Lisa C, was friendly but slow. She was never fast enough with the coffee, which I seemed to doused rather quickly. Maybe the restaurant limits drinkers to three cups? The burrito was good, though, and gave me the energy I needed for later. Harold's is a place I'd come back again.

My next destination was the Four Peaks Wilderness. That required driving south for ten miles, taking Loop 101 east and getting off on AZ87. This is the only way to get from Cave Creek to Payson, Pine and Strawberry. Once I found a dirt road toward that area, I quickly learned that the western side of the wilderness is for OHVs; hikers have to enter via the eastern side which was now too far away. I didn't want to waste daylight and drove further north, toward Strawberry and the Fossil Springs trail. That is a trail I noted two years ago when I was last in the area.

I was now leaving the hot desert floor and entering the cooler elevations. Today's high was expected to hit 86F in Phoenix. My van registered 74F when I left the valley. An hour later and in Strawberry, it was 64F and perfect for an early afternoon hike. North slopes along the Mogollon Rim here were still covered in snow, although the snow was melting fast and leaving muddy tracks in the dirt road from earlier drivers.

The two-mile dirt road to the trailhead almost didn't look passable in my van, but I drove to the trailhead anyway and found the last spot open. All the other vehicles were full-sized trucks or SUVs. It was 12:45pm when we started the hike, and after talking to two guys who had just returned, brought extra water. The trail to the creek is four miles downhill and most of it is exposed except for the northern sections that were still covered in snow in the higher elevation. That snow, albeit melting fast, gave the dogs the water they needed.

We made it to the creek just after 2pm. There were several other men already there, and two more quickly followed with their horses. I stayed away from them so that the dogs wouldn't be bothersome. Both dogs splashed around in the silty water, water that was coming down from the muddy mountainsides. I expect this creek to crest days from now.

I expected to see a springs but instead saw this overflowing creek that cascaded over small rock ledges. What a lovely place to just sit and enjoy the water. I can see why this is a popular hike, perhaps too popular as the forest service has debated closing the Fossil Creek wilderness and instead limiting the daily visitors because of all the trash they leave behind. Trash at the creek wasn't bad; I only found one glass bottle which I carried back out with me.

A group of eight young men came at 2:30pm. At first Sieger barked ferociously, but he stopped right away when I approached them so that he could smell them and see they weren't the bad guys. That did the trick, as Sieger quickly played with some of the guys, and even hoped to get a treat from any of them. I gave the guys their space (they surely were hoping I'd leave!) and by 2:45pm made the uphill hike back to the trailhead. I expected it to be long and hot and allotted myself two plus hours to finish this, but instead made it under 90 minutes and even passed up a trio of men along the way. We were back at the van by 5:30pm and immediately drove off. There were still plenty of vehicles in the lot, but I didn't stick around to see who the owners were.

I wanted a headstart with what remaining daylight I had. My next destination: Winslow, which from Strawberry, AZ was just 74 miles north and a little over an hour away on AZ 87. This required me to go non-stop and climb higher in elevation, driving through a rather unhealthy-looking Coconino National Forest where melting snow left behind pools of water amongst the strands of dead and diseased pines along the way.

Go John Trail and Cave Creek a second time

Thursday, March 23, 2012

It was a peaceful night in the campground. I heard no loud noises from anyone. Even the dogs slept soundly, although I had to get up at 3:30am for a potty break. It was a chilly night for me! The red stuff sack that I thought contained a winter sleeping bag instead contained winter fleece clothes. Both dogs did well in the van, each taking an upholstered seat for themselves. It wasn't until I was officially up at 6:15am that the dogs clammored for attention.

My plan today was to hike a trail inside the Cave Creek Regional Park early, before the morning heat, and to go from there. At 6:47am we were on the Go John Trail, the most popular trail in the park according to park recommendations and just under five miles. It starts and ends at the trailhead parking lot. It's a hilly desert loop around two hills and wide enough to accompany equestrians, runners, mountain bikers and hikers. Saguaros, jojoba, jumiper, mesquite, sage, cholla and prickly pears dot the landscape. In wet weather there are three creek crossings, but on Thursday morning the creek was bone dry. We did this hike clockwise, tackling an immediate uphill in the shade. I kept the dogs on their leashes until we were away from the parking lot.

We passed an early-morning jogger coming the opposite way. Another man and his dog passed me up. The rest of the hikers came the opposite direction toward the end of the hike. Sieger still barks at people and doesn't quite understand "No!" yet.

Chollas glistened in the morning sunlight. Several were in bloom. The desert spring aromas of creosote, sage and jojoba were evident. This part of Arizona always begins blooming much earlier than our little southeastern corner of the state, where we are at least 2000' higher in elevation. Saguaros gleaned copperish in the growing sunlight. Once the sun was high enough, the warmth quickly came as well, but by then we were near our end of the trail. We took 2:10 hours to finish this trail. The parking lot was quite crowded when we got back to the van at 9am and I am glad we were finishing and not starting this hike by then. I returned to the campsite for a quick shower, listening to a mother-young daughter talk in the stall next door. The Cave Creek Regional Park is a nice campsite and the price is just right, although it does cater more to the RVer.

I spent two hours at the Desert Foothills Library waiting for my monthly Amazon newsleter to be released. I updated my usual internet sites and read up on the local attempt to keep Black Mountain, a mountain with two main minerals: phyllite and argillite on its western side; the eastern side is granite. This mountain, which rises to just around 3000 feet, is shared by the towns of both Carefree and Cave Creek. The Black Mountain Conservancy wants to preserve what's left of the mountain from further development.

From the library at 12:30pm I drove east on the Carefree Highway, which quickly turns into a dirt road east of the town. This road then bends to the north and into the Tonto National forest as the elevation gains and conifers come into existence. This is a cooling contrast to the typical desert flora found in lower elevations.

It didn't take long to find the Cave Creek Trail #4. It's just north past the main campground, and the parking lot offers overflow for RVs. Several other cars were already parked here. We began our hike after 2pm as the trail immediately gained in elevation and resembled a mountain scramble instead of a riparian trail as it's advertised. I packed water in my backpack, but kept the load to a minimum because I figured the dogs would have creek water to drink from.

And that is what happened, but the first two miles were dry. The trail looked like both a fire and flood swept through as so many dead trees lined the creekbed. The last fire, the Cave Creek Complex Fire, started by lightning on June 21, 2005, resulted from the combination of the Bronco and Humboldt fires and burned 248,310 acres (USFS 2005). The damage and especially the flood damage along the creekbed still lingers, as many dead sycamores now stand leafless. The shade that I expected from old website photos just wasn't there for the most part.

I met a group of about ten women hiking back to their cars at 3pm. They had hiked the entire ten mile trail and were now three miles from finishing. "It gets better down the trail, this is the boring part" said one woman, and with that I continued further, past a second creek crossing where it indeed became more scenic as the northern Sonoran desert with its saguaros popped up along the hillsides.

This is what I wanted. The dogs were off the leash now as we rested at a creekside, I on a boulder in the water and the dogs chasing each other through the water. My water sandals came in handy! Sieger likes to splash around the water, bite it, and then take off after Sadie, and Sadie seems to enjoy the chase. But soon another man and his yellow retriever showed up and a barking session began. The dogs went back on their leashes as we hiked another 1/4 mile, to give the other man his leeway and the dogs their space. Only the late time by then made me turn around but I would have enjoyed hiking longer. We hiked at least six miles total, making our cumulative miles today well over 12 miles. That is more than enough for both dogs.

There were many people already camping out nearby. One campsite was still being graded by the forest service. We walked out the way we came, only changing course toward the road that last mile to avoid that dry uphill. No other traffic bothered us. I gave each dog more chicken jerky treats when we were back at the trailhead picnic area. My van was the lone vehicle standing.

The sun was setting low as I returned to civilization and Carefree/Cave Creek. Instead of eating out I bought some food at the Cave Creek Safeway, where the dogs each had four hotdogs and I saved another pack for tomorrow's hike. I checked out Harold's Corral but John Corbett was performing and there was a $20 cover charge. Corbett is a country singer who first became popular from his acting in "Northern Exposure," a drama series I never followed in the 1990s. A lot of fat bikers in leather and bandanas waited outside to come in. The Taphaus across the street also looked busy with as many bikers.

My evening was much like the night before: I returned to the same campsite, paid my fee, and settled in for yet another quiet night with the dogs. A few more RVs had come in during the day, but there was plenty of spots still open in the Overflow area. The large group that the booth attendant told me about the day before apparently never showed up. For being so close to a metro area, the sky was impressively clear; I could see Venus and Juniper in the sky as they are now moving away from each other.

By the second night the energy from both Cave Creek and Carefree got to me. Despite its upscale crowd, I like the area. The people are friendly enough and there's plenty of good, affordable places to eat.







More later

Springbreak roadtrip through central Arizona

The snow storm last weekend delayed me by a day, but I managed a nice roadtrip with Sadie and Sieger across central Arizona. I fulfulled several things I wanted to do from my Arizona bucket list: hike Cave Creek, hike the Fossil Springs trail, Stand on the Corner in Winslow, AZ, visit the Petrified National Forest and a few other surprises. I left Wednesday morning and returned Sunday afternoon at 3:20pm. I took the two younger dogs, Sadie and Sieger, with me. This gave the two older dogs, Sammy and Sara, some alone time with "Dad."

I really lucked out with the weather. And I'm glad I did this trip clockwise rather than counterclockwise as I had originially planned because the weather in the valley kept getting hotter and the weather in NE Arizona warmed up enough by the time I got there Friday night. The nights were chilly but not cold.

I will divide my story in six parts: Cave Creek, Fossil Springs trail, Winslow and Holbrook, Petried National Forest, San Carlos Indian Reservation, and Globe and the Pioneer Pass south of town.

I left late enough on Wednesday to miss all the traffic around Tucson and Phoenix. Traffic flowed nicely through both metro areas. There were plenty of wildflowers blooming along the road. My route was I-10 to the Cave Creek exit on I-17. This really is the "North Valley," the suburbs of spacious homes, horse corrals and desert foothills. The average elevation is 2500'. I arrived at 3pm and right away took a space at the Cave Creek Regional Park for the night. Campsites were full but I got a spot in the Overflow area for $17. This was actually a great deal as it was cheaper and away from the kids in the campground that may have bothered the dogs. We had our peace and quiet.

I had never been in this area before and I should have done my homework better, as I wasn't sure where to get to the Cave Creek riparian trail I had read so much about. It's a 10-mile trail in the northern foothills. I learned that there are several options for trailhead access.

I ended up driving around Carefree and Cave Creek in the late afternoon, two neighboring upscale 'hoods with upscale bars, roadside art and well-dressed tourists. Tall saguaros dotted the hills, and warnings signs for javelina and horses were noticeable. My first impression of the towns themselves were (besides its huge well-landscaped adobe-like homes on hilltops), their abundant animal clinics, several of them 24-hour operations. This is no doubt for the wealthy horse owners, but why can't Sierra Vista have its own 24-hour animal hospital?! It's not like we don't have horses down here.  Gasoline sold for $4.03 at one Circle K station.

My senseless driving around dead-end roads frustrated me. I finally decided to hike along the "Jewel of the Creek" nature preserve on Cave Creek at 4:30pm. This is on Spur Cross Road, a dead-end dirt road on the north end of the town. This is the most southern access point to Cave Creek, which here is a small creek that meanders around boulder one can hop across. That gave us just enough time to stretch out our legs and explore the area before it got too dark. There were still several cars parked in the trailhead parking lot, along with an older man, Gordon, who started with me and showed me a way around the creek along the Dragonfly trail. This trail is a 4-mile loop hike but we only did about two miles on it as the other half was on an exposed, dry hill. This was also snake country and I watched out for snakes.

The smell of creosote and sage filled the area. Aaah, spring is blooming here! So did the smell of horsepoop as I got back to the parking lot. The older man, Gordon, who had showed me where to go, was still sitting in his truck. Was he waiting for me? We chatted a bit, and he turned out to be a charming 74-year-old man from New Zealand who's lived in the US over 50 years. He made his wealth building homes, but the recession "forced me into retirement" he said, since people aren't buying big homes right now and many homes are in foreclosure in the North Valley. As a young man he travelled around the world for 3.5 years, met his English wife in Canada, got married there,had a daughter born there, then moved to the US where his son Michael was born. Michael is now in the USAF and stationed in the Gulf.

I could have talked more with Gordon but it was getting late. He knows the local history and is very proud of his neighborhood. He hikes the trails and knows of plenty more to go on nearby.

We chatted in the parking lot until 7pm. A coyote had strolled by, howled at the horses, then scurried off. He later reappeared even closer to my van, which got the dogs barking. Coyotes, javelina, Gila Monsters all make this area their home; it seems self-destructive to want to claim this land for private homes. There are also horse trails along the roads for the locals to ride on, and many of them are dressed in western wear to impress the tourists.

The dogs were resting in the van when I decided to have dinner at the Taphaus Brewpub in Cave Creek. It's a huge barn-turned-restaurant that advertises 60 beers on tap. None of the beer is brewed on the premise. I had a chicken sandwich with one pint of Taphaus Pilsner at the bar. It's a mild pilsner brewed in Phoenix. I would have had a second beer but I still wanted to drive around. A lone singer entertained the Wednesday night crowd singing Dylan and other folksongs. The place wasn't too crowded at all. That's why I'm surprised I got such slow service.

I got back to our campsite by 8:30pm. I let the dogs out one more time before setting in for the night. This was Sieger's first road trip and he did quite well.

I got to see Jupiter and Venus in the western sky again, as they slowly move apart from each other. Despite the lights around me they were clearly visible on an otherwise clear night sky. It was a quiet night. No kids screamed, no dogs barked, no neighbors stayed up late playing music.

https://www.azutopia.com/easy-hikes/jewel-of-the-creek-hiking-trail-loop/

Ash Canyon in the snow

The big winter storm, the biggest this season, is now over. It rolled in Saturday afternoon with rain, cold temperatures, and today the snow and sleet and graupel came back. Many of my friends complained of the cold, but to me this means the mountains have enough water to stave off a wildfire for at least a month.

I took the dogs up this favorite canyon of mine because of the seclusion. Carr and Miller were already crowded with ATVers and young families. Ash is notorious for being more remote and with no designated hiking trails anymore. The most I'd see would be USBP agents (which I did come across) or other lone hikers. I heard ATVers higher up the road and later saw their tire tracks, but didn't come across anyone along the trail.

As I write this the sky is clear, it's 30F and the storm's moving over Texas. Tornadoes are likely in Dixie as this cold front hits the warm front off the Gulf of Mexico.

I took Sam, Sadie and Sieger on today's walk. I kept Old Sara at home since she really can't handle more than a mile at a time, and I wanted to walk longer. I packed up the dogs and my camera and hiked up Lower Ash Creek. We ended up walking a loop up the creek and down the road, walking almost five miles. Sieger had a blast.

Weather went from gentle snow to flurries to wet snow, to high winds and deep cold. We were on the trail three hours exploring, and by the time we got back to the van, my hands were cold! I could barely play with my camera's buttons! The van temperature read 35F but it sure felt colder than that.

The burned trees from last year's fire really stick out in the snow. Small parcels of burned trees that were adjacent to the road have been cut down by the forest service. I'm not sure why that was done, but maybe that was to clear the ground for new seedlings.

Perimeter Trail

Beth is back in Sierra Vista and I have a mid-week hiking partner again. Our first hike together since September, we opted for an easy 7-mile hike along the Perimeter Trail, starting at the Carr Canyon Road trailhead for 3.5 miles south to the overlook rock in Miller Canyon. Sadie came along.

Brown Canyon to Ramsey Canyon

Lower and Upper Brown Canyon Trail
Distance: from where I parked, 8.5 miles
Elevation start: 5225'
Highest point: 6500'
Elevation turn-around (Hamburg trail junction) 6225'
High desert terrain

Sadie and I did another near-nine-mile hike and we didn't even start until 11:30am. Weather was beautiful with little wind or clouds. We started this hike from the Ramsey Canyon Road access and parked .7 miles up along the dirt road closer to the ridge. This took some mileage off the overall hike, as otherwise it would have been a 4.9 o/w hike to where we turned around, but it also provides for a more secluded start. There were many cars parked at the Brown Canyon Ranch, where many people park to hike the Lower Brown Canyon trail section.

A gravestone in memory of a passionate equestrian is at the ridge, shaded by a live oak. But the steep and rocky descent is a few steps away. Elevation here is 5225'.

My initial plan, since I started so late, was to go two hours out, two hours back. I had no idea how far that would take me. The first two miles in the exposed lower canyon, among the oaks and mesquite and blooming manzanitas and the dry creek bed were hot and dry and I stopped twice to rest. But once I got going again the landmarks came quickly: abandoned mining equipment, an old foundation, the turn-off to the Panoma Mine, the horse trough, and from there the start of the Wilderness, where neither mountain bikers nor horses are allowed.

I brought both cameras with me. With 12 pounds of water, snacks and the two cameras, my load felt heavy. Sadie drank most of her water from the creek, and there was plenty of that in the middle of this hike.

The Lower Brown Canyon trail, popular with hikers, bikers and horse riders, has two sections: one for hikers, the other for bikers and horses. I somehow missed the turn-off for the hikers, which branches off to the left after a mile and ascends a rocky and steep trail lined with oak. I thought I was lost since I got off the trail briefly to follow Sadie, who ran toward a steep rock slab thinking the shiny rock was water. It was not. I bushwhacked back to the trail and somehow must have found the biker section instead.

Once one gets into the wilderness section where the horse trough is, the trail takes on a more woody and steep character through lush riparian habitat. This is now known as the Upper Brown Canyon Trail and is part of the Miller Peak Wilderness. Horses and mountainbikes must turn around here. Larger oaks and now pines and alligator juniper dot the forests here. Cottonwoods, big-tooth maples and sycamores line the creekside. Yuccas, sotols and plenty of impressive agaves intersperse. This is a beautiful hike in the fall. There is no sign of a forest fire here, and the tall trees provide for cool shade. One of the largest triple trees is here near the mouth of the intermittent waterfall.

The first scenic vista is on an exposed rock slab, with views both of the valley and the granite slot canyon below, which also features a waterfall in the rainy season. This area is ideal hawk and eagle nesting habitat, but I saw no raptors today here. From here on the trail is more of a gradual grade through a shaded oak-pine forest.

A fence separates Brown from Ramsey canyon as the trail reaches a saddle at 6275' and then descends into Ramsey canyon. This is over three miles into the hike. The last time I hiked up here with Kevin in late 2004, there were mounds of backpacks, discarded clothes and lots of trash left behind by illegal border crossers. Today there was no sign of trash anywhere.

I don't remember the last time I hiked Brown Canyon trail this far. Was it with Kevin that one time? The vista into Ramsey is just as beautiful, and when I came across a clearing I sat in the shade of a young oak tree and savored the view, even though it was past 3pm and I needed to think of the return hike. I could hear birds now: mellowlark, bluejays and two red-tailed hawks. Yellow Swallowtails and plenty of bees were also out. I even spotted a grey squirrel. I think spring has started! At 3:20pm I decided to walk a bit further down the trail, and in fact reached the intersection with the Hamburg trail at 3:46pm. Elevation here is 6250'. Had I started my hike today early I could have hiked up Hamburg trail to the Crest Trail. I've yet to do that hike!

There was no water here. I photographed a few trail signs and then made the ascent back at 3:40pm, now enjoying the waning rays of sunlight through the trees. Leaves, rocks, moss and lichen were shining in their late afternoon sun. I took a lot of macro shots here. It took me an hour to get back to the slot canyon and the sun was sinking fast. But I was in no hurry as the descent is always faster than the ascent and I didn't plan on taking many more macro shots once it got too dark. The shadows also emphasized the dead and dying trees here; the color scheme looked more like autumn colors than spring colors.

I met one man walking a westie here, but I let him get ahead of me so that Sadie wouldn't growl and push to run ahead. I never saw the man again. He was the only other hiker I saw on the trail, and he went back via Brown Canyon Road, a dirt road open for hikers near the horse trough.

I took my time enjoying nature. I stopped a lot to photograph scenes. We were in the open canyon by 5pm, and now the faded sun has made this a cooler hike. We got back to the truck at 6:15pm and were back at home at 6:30pm.

Brown Canyon truly is a beautiful canyon, and this hike to Ramsey canyon is now a premiere hike since Miller Canyon has been destroyed as a major habitat.

Carr Canyon Road and Reef Townsite

Now that March is here, I must strive harder to hike every weekend. The hiking club had a walk up Carr Canyon Road today, but I didn't joing them for the 7:30am meet-up. That was too early and too cold for me. Instead I left at 9:40am with Sadie to make it to Reef Townsite.

I did better than expected. Although I was tired, I was never out of breath or felt burning lungs. I parked the truck at the road closure and walked the four miles uphill, stopping at the falls for 30 minutes to give Sadie some water. Several other people came in from behind me, but no one else was on the road going north. We were alone.

It was a mild day. I wore a cotton t-shirt, windbreaker and black jeans. The Jacket never came off, nor did I ever feel sweaty.

The road was in better shape than expected but the forest service has been working on it since the fires last summer. The lower trees were burned, the reef was totally gone, but there was a swath of green evergreens along the road once I got to Reef. I ended up making Reef my turn-around point, but not till I walked around the campsite and looked at some ruins. I had never been back to the ruins before! The FS had repaired all the campsites, replaced the burned wooden tables with plastics ones made from recycled goods. No one was up here so I walked around and read the historical signs in peace. From the ridgeline one could see that Carr Canyon itself was untouched and still very green.

Carr Peak has snow on it, but the trail further north looked burned out and hot. I didn't have the energy to attempt the last three miles uphill as that meant six miles total. Maybe had I left after sunrise I could have done so, but by now I had already done four miles and felt that was enough.

With the upper tree level gone now one can see the hidden trailings, old mining paths and holes all over the area. I had never noticed them all before when the trees were alive! The initial impression is of death and destruction, but a closer look reveals new growth around the oak trees, and new pine saplings as well. The dry winter, however, is keeping the birds away as they need to be where the water is.

I did better than expected for not having done a serious hike in a while. But my mood was still sad, thinking about yesterday's devastating tornadoes in southern Indiana/Kentucky that killed 14 in the Hoosier state. (The storm's now blasting across Georgia.) A friend of a high school friend of mie's Air Force co-worker and friend also died quite unexpectedly at age 48 on Wednesday. (Heart attack?) He was an avid runner once he lost weight and picked up running to maintain his weight. His Facebook page is full of loving comments from friends and loved ones. Having a social media makes death seem more constant, but how right is it to have a Facebook maintained of a deceased person?

So these thoughts went through my head as I meandered around the Reef Townsite ruins. I must say it's a pretty campstie with vistas and privacy and many old overgrown mining trails to explore. In fact, I discovered a few more trails off the main forest road that I had never seen before!