I mustered enough hiking friends to get a small group to hike up Carr Peak at 8am. SteveT, HollyW, TheresaD, SteveD, and Galen all met at the lower Carr Canyon parking lot to carpool in two vehicles. I brought Zeke and drove in my Honda with Steve and Trace. Everyone ele drove with Galen in his Subaru. This was Holly's and Theresa's first time up Carr.
I was a little worried about the cloudless sky and predicted temperature of 80F. That turned out to be less of a concern as we did have strong winds the higher we went. It was quite blustery on top, as we huddled close with our hoods on to keep the wind out of our faces. We stayed on the top just long enough to take selfies. Even Zeke stayed low in the shrubs.
SteveT didn't bag the peak this time. His legs were hurting him. He stayed down 3/4 mile from the top, near the rock outcropping that offers a great view of Carr's hump. He stayed there until we all got back down. From here it was a fast descent for everyone except for SteveT and Theresa. Theresa pulled back to be with Steve. We all waited in the parking lot until everyone was back safely.
I stopped to offer assistance to a family whose Dodge Caravan blew a rear left flat while going uphill. The tire was ripped, and my air compressor was of no help. They needed to be towed back down.
There were no flowers out today. For first-timers Holly and Theresa, though, it was a hike with splendid views in all directions. They can take the memories from today and compare the views to the next time they bag the summit.
Sunday, April 28, 2019
Saturday, April 27, 2019
Barks and Brews, Bisbee
I love having an excuse to visit Bisbee, and what better way that through beer? Drinking craft beer with my dog is a wonderful concept that seems to be picking up in other towns, too.
The event was from 12-5pm with ticket pick-up at the Grassy Park in Old Bisbee, that small city park in front of the train and mining museum. I had bought my ticket last night online to save $5.
I got up early to walk the pack at sunrise. It was a nondescript sunrise. I only did 3.8 miles, knowing I'd rack a few more miles later in Bisbee. Once back home at 7am, I wrote a few reviews for Amazon and then gathered all the recyclables to drop off on my way to Bisbee. I took Zeke.
There were quite a few people in Grassy Park, and quite a few dogs of various sizes as well. Zeke seemed overwhelmed by all the dogs. For $25 I got a VIP card to eight bars and businesses in town that poured Arizona craft beer. Two of the businesses were not even bars, but offered craft beer in cans, poured by green-shirted volunteers. The businesses were all within a mile of each other, which meant one walked a loop in Old Bisbee by the time one finished. What a neat way to walk around and taste beer, especially for someone new to town.
That meant that there were eight businesses pouring two four-ounce samples. That's a lot of beer for one person. Susan couldn't come because she already had a roofer scheduled for her house, so I called Steve to help me out. By my sixth sample of beer I knew I could not safely drive after 16 samples. It took him an hour to get to Bisbee and by then I had already had my samples at the Old Bisbee Brewing Company (OBBC), St Elmo's and The Quarry, bars right in lower Brewery Gulch.
I went to the OBBC first and sat at the bar. "Hi, where are you from?" asked the enthusiastic volunteer when I stepped through the door. Locals seem to ask that question a lot, then act surprised when they find out I'm just from the next town over. Bisbee always has visitors from Phoenix and California, so admitting I'm just from Hereford feels like a let-down to them.
I had the same two beers I had last week after the Bisbee Loop hike, the El Trigo Belgian Witbier and the Pomegranate IPA. But today the El Trigo tasted nothing like the sassafrassy witbier from last week which I liked so much.
St Elmo's was my second stop, right across the parking lot from the OBBC. The event was held in the secondary room where on weekends bands play. This room was crowded! Two beers from Barrio were served, the Roja red ale and their Citrizona IPA. I sat on off the stage area to give Zeke his space. He didn't seem comfortable and wanted to hide under bar stools. I figured he just got tired of getting his butt sniffed by all these strange dogs, that he wanted to sit down and keep other dogs from getting close to him. There were a lot of yappy, springy small dogs here, including two whippet pups.
It was after my fourth sample of beer that I realized I needed help with the rest of the samples. Sixteen four-ounce samples is 64 ounces, or almost 5.5 bottles of beer. I could not drink all that alone, so I called Steve to see if he were interested in coming, and luckily he agreed! It took him an hour, and in that hour I went next door from St Elmo's into The Quarry, where I had my two least favorite beers today, both from Tombstone Brewing Company: Southern Hemisphere DIPA and a Brett Sessions Fruity Berliner. Those were the only choices besides a Barleywine, and I'm no fan of barleywine. The DIPA was just too hoppy, but the Berliner tasted, to borrow Matt Brown (owner of the Tombstone Brewery)'s own expression, "like the brewery dumped acetic acid into the fermenter, added fruit, and called it a day." Goodgawd was it sour!
The Quarry is another popular local restaurant. I hadn't eaten here in years, but now I wanted to wait for Steve to come to go any further on the pubcrawl. I still had five more places to visit. I sat against the wall with Zeke hiding under my bench seat, and watched other people and dogs come and go. There were many participants in today's event, but no one that I recognized.
Steve and I agreed to meet at the OBBC. That's a well-known business and we both have been here and like the beers. I was sitting at the counter drinking a Pilsner and having a bratwurst when he walked in. (I wanted to make sure I had eaten something before drinking any more beer.) We both went upstairs to the sundeck and finished our beers before resuming the pubcrawl. There were plenty of dogs on the sundeck.
The best part of the pubcrawl was the last five stops. Up to this point none of the beers struck my fancy, and certainly not the Tombstone beers. Even the OBBC beers were disappointing. Our next stop was at Pico, a taqueria stand hidden in a small artisan alley. They have good food here, but we just came for the beer. The couple across from us had a black GSD and hailed from Carbondale. Steve went to college there.
I don't even remember what the beers were at Pico's, but the two beers we tasted at the Grand Hotel our next stop, were quite good. "Here, this is a Connie beer" said Steve when he handed me the porter. It was a chocolate porter from Mother Road or Dark Sky Brewery in Flagstaff. I really should have taken better notes on the non-local beers I had.
Kevin and I used to hang out at the Grand Salon when I worked in Bisbee 11 (!!!) years ago. Has it really been that long? Lots of college instructors hang out here, as well as all classes of people from around the world come here when they visit town. The Salon still looks the same inside, but it has new owners and now also serves some organic dishes, but again we didn't eat. It was Steve's first time in the Grand. I have fond memories of this place. I would have gladly ended the pubcrawl here, but we still had two more places to visit.
The Screaming Banshee and Contessa's Cantina were the last two stops, a pleasant ten-minute walk up the street. Both are next to each other with ample outdoor seating. We ended up eating nacho's at the last stop before using up all the chits. We both agreed the pubcrawl was a success, and next year we will try to get a group together and do this. If there will be 16 samples again next year, that's definitely a two-person amount. Most beer tastings only give out five per person, not 16. It was a pleasant two-mile crawl that ended with coffee at the local roasterie.
The event was from 12-5pm with ticket pick-up at the Grassy Park in Old Bisbee, that small city park in front of the train and mining museum. I had bought my ticket last night online to save $5.
I got up early to walk the pack at sunrise. It was a nondescript sunrise. I only did 3.8 miles, knowing I'd rack a few more miles later in Bisbee. Once back home at 7am, I wrote a few reviews for Amazon and then gathered all the recyclables to drop off on my way to Bisbee. I took Zeke.
There were quite a few people in Grassy Park, and quite a few dogs of various sizes as well. Zeke seemed overwhelmed by all the dogs. For $25 I got a VIP card to eight bars and businesses in town that poured Arizona craft beer. Two of the businesses were not even bars, but offered craft beer in cans, poured by green-shirted volunteers. The businesses were all within a mile of each other, which meant one walked a loop in Old Bisbee by the time one finished. What a neat way to walk around and taste beer, especially for someone new to town.
That meant that there were eight businesses pouring two four-ounce samples. That's a lot of beer for one person. Susan couldn't come because she already had a roofer scheduled for her house, so I called Steve to help me out. By my sixth sample of beer I knew I could not safely drive after 16 samples. It took him an hour to get to Bisbee and by then I had already had my samples at the Old Bisbee Brewing Company (OBBC), St Elmo's and The Quarry, bars right in lower Brewery Gulch.
I went to the OBBC first and sat at the bar. "Hi, where are you from?" asked the enthusiastic volunteer when I stepped through the door. Locals seem to ask that question a lot, then act surprised when they find out I'm just from the next town over. Bisbee always has visitors from Phoenix and California, so admitting I'm just from Hereford feels like a let-down to them.
I had the same two beers I had last week after the Bisbee Loop hike, the El Trigo Belgian Witbier and the Pomegranate IPA. But today the El Trigo tasted nothing like the sassafrassy witbier from last week which I liked so much.
St Elmo's was my second stop, right across the parking lot from the OBBC. The event was held in the secondary room where on weekends bands play. This room was crowded! Two beers from Barrio were served, the Roja red ale and their Citrizona IPA. I sat on off the stage area to give Zeke his space. He didn't seem comfortable and wanted to hide under bar stools. I figured he just got tired of getting his butt sniffed by all these strange dogs, that he wanted to sit down and keep other dogs from getting close to him. There were a lot of yappy, springy small dogs here, including two whippet pups.
It was after my fourth sample of beer that I realized I needed help with the rest of the samples. Sixteen four-ounce samples is 64 ounces, or almost 5.5 bottles of beer. I could not drink all that alone, so I called Steve to see if he were interested in coming, and luckily he agreed! It took him an hour, and in that hour I went next door from St Elmo's into The Quarry, where I had my two least favorite beers today, both from Tombstone Brewing Company: Southern Hemisphere DIPA and a Brett Sessions Fruity Berliner. Those were the only choices besides a Barleywine, and I'm no fan of barleywine. The DIPA was just too hoppy, but the Berliner tasted, to borrow Matt Brown (owner of the Tombstone Brewery)'s own expression, "like the brewery dumped acetic acid into the fermenter, added fruit, and called it a day." Goodgawd was it sour!
The Quarry is another popular local restaurant. I hadn't eaten here in years, but now I wanted to wait for Steve to come to go any further on the pubcrawl. I still had five more places to visit. I sat against the wall with Zeke hiding under my bench seat, and watched other people and dogs come and go. There were many participants in today's event, but no one that I recognized.
Steve and I agreed to meet at the OBBC. That's a well-known business and we both have been here and like the beers. I was sitting at the counter drinking a Pilsner and having a bratwurst when he walked in. (I wanted to make sure I had eaten something before drinking any more beer.) We both went upstairs to the sundeck and finished our beers before resuming the pubcrawl. There were plenty of dogs on the sundeck.
The best part of the pubcrawl was the last five stops. Up to this point none of the beers struck my fancy, and certainly not the Tombstone beers. Even the OBBC beers were disappointing. Our next stop was at Pico, a taqueria stand hidden in a small artisan alley. They have good food here, but we just came for the beer. The couple across from us had a black GSD and hailed from Carbondale. Steve went to college there.
I don't even remember what the beers were at Pico's, but the two beers we tasted at the Grand Hotel our next stop, were quite good. "Here, this is a Connie beer" said Steve when he handed me the porter. It was a chocolate porter from Mother Road or Dark Sky Brewery in Flagstaff. I really should have taken better notes on the non-local beers I had.
Kevin and I used to hang out at the Grand Salon when I worked in Bisbee 11 (!!!) years ago. Has it really been that long? Lots of college instructors hang out here, as well as all classes of people from around the world come here when they visit town. The Salon still looks the same inside, but it has new owners and now also serves some organic dishes, but again we didn't eat. It was Steve's first time in the Grand. I have fond memories of this place. I would have gladly ended the pubcrawl here, but we still had two more places to visit.
The Screaming Banshee and Contessa's Cantina were the last two stops, a pleasant ten-minute walk up the street. Both are next to each other with ample outdoor seating. We ended up eating nacho's at the last stop before using up all the chits. We both agreed the pubcrawl was a success, and next year we will try to get a group together and do this. If there will be 16 samples again next year, that's definitely a two-person amount. Most beer tastings only give out five per person, not 16. It was a pleasant two-mile crawl that ended with coffee at the local roasterie.
Monday, April 22, 2019
Easter Monday
Today is the last day of my Easter reprieve and it couldn't have ended any nicer.
Kevin had to get up for work, and I quickly followed to get another walk in before the heat of the day set in. Just like on Friday, I walked the maintenance road with the pack. Wind-swept altocumulus clouds, those high but puffy streaks of clouds seen in the spring mornings, promised a colorful sunrise. It smelled of rain, but no rain was forecasted for today. That was supposed to happen on Wednesday, so today's cool temperatures were a surprise.
I usually get out of the way when I see someone walking toward me on my route. Today I was taken by surprise when an elderly man appeared coming toward me as I neared the northern loop of my route. I'd seen him many times before in the distance, and always called the dogs to follow me into the desert so that the pack wouldn't startle the man. It turns out that he is a dog lover and wanted to meet me and chat with me on previous occasions, but I'd always disappear into the brush.
His name is Don and walks with a tall walking stick that's muffled with a tennis ball on the bottom. He lives nearby. His old Husky had to be put down two years ago, and Minnie reminds him of his old dog. She walks like his old dog. (Minnie waddles). All dogs ran up to Don to sniff him out. They approved of his smell and together we walked a block and introduced ourselves to each other and then we parted ways as I continued south for that final mile, down to the stockpond and then to the car.
I didn't do much else after my morning walk. The clouds continued to form and a gentle, cool breeze flowed all day long. The cool temperature was quite a surprise. We even had a colorful sunset, but by then I was busy writing reviews and didn't bother with gazing outside.
It was a beautiful, quiet way to finish Easter.
Kevin had to get up for work, and I quickly followed to get another walk in before the heat of the day set in. Just like on Friday, I walked the maintenance road with the pack. Wind-swept altocumulus clouds, those high but puffy streaks of clouds seen in the spring mornings, promised a colorful sunrise. It smelled of rain, but no rain was forecasted for today. That was supposed to happen on Wednesday, so today's cool temperatures were a surprise.
I usually get out of the way when I see someone walking toward me on my route. Today I was taken by surprise when an elderly man appeared coming toward me as I neared the northern loop of my route. I'd seen him many times before in the distance, and always called the dogs to follow me into the desert so that the pack wouldn't startle the man. It turns out that he is a dog lover and wanted to meet me and chat with me on previous occasions, but I'd always disappear into the brush.
His name is Don and walks with a tall walking stick that's muffled with a tennis ball on the bottom. He lives nearby. His old Husky had to be put down two years ago, and Minnie reminds him of his old dog. She walks like his old dog. (Minnie waddles). All dogs ran up to Don to sniff him out. They approved of his smell and together we walked a block and introduced ourselves to each other and then we parted ways as I continued south for that final mile, down to the stockpond and then to the car.
I didn't do much else after my morning walk. The clouds continued to form and a gentle, cool breeze flowed all day long. The cool temperature was quite a surprise. We even had a colorful sunset, but by then I was busy writing reviews and didn't bother with gazing outside.
It was a beautiful, quiet way to finish Easter.
Easter weekend
It was a quiet four-day weekend for me. I walked the dogs at sunrise and then gardened in the warmth. It was our first hot weekend, with more to come.
I had no hikes planned during this mini-holiday. Instead, I started the monumental task of cleaning out the garage. It's been long neglected. The cats use the garage as their sanctuary, away from the loud, clumsy dogs, and gave me the stink eye the entire time I came in to do a cleaning session. It's going to take me the rest of this month to go through everything. Time to cull the stuff.
I walked the dogs early on Saturday since I knew it would be the only time I could that day. The highlight of the weekend was going to Tucson on Saturday afternoon for a dinner and play at the Arizona Theatre Company. I won two tickets from Yelp-Tucson thanks to my helpful reviews. Kevin declined to go with me ("It's way past my bedtime!") so I went with Steve, who knows how to have a good time without spending much, and I like that. We left town at 3pm, got to Tuscon by 4pm, and immediately went to two selected brewpubs to taste their beer. We wanted to knock out a few more brewpubs while in town.
It turns out there are five brewpubs in downtown Tucson, all within walking distance of each other. Three of them, Thunder Canyon, Puebla Vida and Ten55, are within three blocks of each other. We had already been to Thunder Canyon last year, so this time we tried the other two. We parked on Ochoa Street, three blocks north of the theatre, and walked. This was new territory to me and even I was momentarily disoriented using my GoogleMaps. Would my Honda be safe here? I was a block away from the main streets.
It was already in the upper 80s when we got to the Old Pueblo, so entering the cool taproom of Puebla Vida brewpub was refreshing. It's a small space, but three napping dogs were taking advantage of the cool air inside. We sat at the counter and each had one pint. The Hefeweizen I had was one of the best in town. Steve's dark German lager, Hecate, was less impressive. Service and ambiance was nice, and I do want to go back and try other beers.
Ten55 was our second brewpub, located just around the corner from Puebla Vida on Congress. This place brews on the premise and also serves a variety of sausages. We ordered a currywurst with chimicurri sauce on top. The sausage didn't taste much like curry to me, but we both liked the taste of the chimicurri spices.
The rest of the evening was well timed. We showed up at the box office at 6pm to pick up our tickets, had our dinner at Janos at the Temple which is located in the same building as the theatre, and then went inside at 7:20pm to watch the play, which started promptly at 7:30pm. Our meal was filling, but the meats were on the dry side. I enjoyed some of the gourmet salads more.
The play, "Things I know to be True" is an Australian play written by Andrew Bovall. All the actors came from the MilwaukeeRep theatre, where this play premiered in March. The play was well-acted, but the themes were quite depressing; it's not a play I'd recommend to anyone with family issues as it covers infidelity, control, parental disappointment, death.
We got back to our area after 10pm. IT was a long day for me, but I enjoyed my time in Tucson. I like that town and its low-desert aromas we don't get here in Sierra Vista because of our higher elevation. It's a different world in Tucson. I wish it weren't so far away, though. Sometimes I want to be in a big city without having to drive 90 minutes to be in one.
I had no hikes planned during this mini-holiday. Instead, I started the monumental task of cleaning out the garage. It's been long neglected. The cats use the garage as their sanctuary, away from the loud, clumsy dogs, and gave me the stink eye the entire time I came in to do a cleaning session. It's going to take me the rest of this month to go through everything. Time to cull the stuff.
I walked the dogs early on Saturday since I knew it would be the only time I could that day. The highlight of the weekend was going to Tucson on Saturday afternoon for a dinner and play at the Arizona Theatre Company. I won two tickets from Yelp-Tucson thanks to my helpful reviews. Kevin declined to go with me ("It's way past my bedtime!") so I went with Steve, who knows how to have a good time without spending much, and I like that. We left town at 3pm, got to Tuscon by 4pm, and immediately went to two selected brewpubs to taste their beer. We wanted to knock out a few more brewpubs while in town.
It turns out there are five brewpubs in downtown Tucson, all within walking distance of each other. Three of them, Thunder Canyon, Puebla Vida and Ten55, are within three blocks of each other. We had already been to Thunder Canyon last year, so this time we tried the other two. We parked on Ochoa Street, three blocks north of the theatre, and walked. This was new territory to me and even I was momentarily disoriented using my GoogleMaps. Would my Honda be safe here? I was a block away from the main streets.
It was already in the upper 80s when we got to the Old Pueblo, so entering the cool taproom of Puebla Vida brewpub was refreshing. It's a small space, but three napping dogs were taking advantage of the cool air inside. We sat at the counter and each had one pint. The Hefeweizen I had was one of the best in town. Steve's dark German lager, Hecate, was less impressive. Service and ambiance was nice, and I do want to go back and try other beers.
Ten55 was our second brewpub, located just around the corner from Puebla Vida on Congress. This place brews on the premise and also serves a variety of sausages. We ordered a currywurst with chimicurri sauce on top. The sausage didn't taste much like curry to me, but we both liked the taste of the chimicurri spices.
The rest of the evening was well timed. We showed up at the box office at 6pm to pick up our tickets, had our dinner at Janos at the Temple which is located in the same building as the theatre, and then went inside at 7:20pm to watch the play, which started promptly at 7:30pm. Our meal was filling, but the meats were on the dry side. I enjoyed some of the gourmet salads more.
The play, "Things I know to be True" is an Australian play written by Andrew Bovall. All the actors came from the MilwaukeeRep theatre, where this play premiered in March. The play was well-acted, but the themes were quite depressing; it's not a play I'd recommend to anyone with family issues as it covers infidelity, control, parental disappointment, death.
We got back to our area after 10pm. IT was a long day for me, but I enjoyed my time in Tucson. I like that town and its low-desert aromas we don't get here in Sierra Vista because of our higher elevation. It's a different world in Tucson. I wish it weren't so far away, though. Sometimes I want to be in a big city without having to drive 90 minutes to be in one.
Friday, April 19, 2019
Good Friday walk at sunrise; full moon in Brown Canyon
Today marks the first weekend of very warm temperatures through Easter. I got the pack up early and took them on a sunrise walk on the maintenance road (the road is still the fastest way to get the dogs to a walking area). A few cirrus clouds along the horizon promised some color for sunrise.
The dogs seem to enjoy the early morning walk. There's still a chill in the air that cools the skin, and that all dissipates shortly after sunrise.
I only went three miles because I wanted to conserve some energy for the full moon hike later in Brown Canyon. I was off work today (through Monday!) for Easter, but Kevin had to work.
The predicted high for today was 86F and it felt it. I had the meetup set for 5:30pm, still light and still warm, and I didn't even need to pack a sweater. I just wore my flannel shirt with a t-shirt underneath it.
Seven people showed up! There was Bill, HollyW, Theresa and her step-daughter Wendy, SteveT and Trace, and EricS. This was a great group, as there were no slackers nor any whiners. We started promptly and walked the canyon clockwise, the same direction most mountain bikers ride this.
We didn't have any mountain bikers today. What we had instead were two loud ATVs that weren't even supposed to be on the badly-rutted Brown Canyon Road. We told them so, but they blew us off saying they had permits to be on that road. Another dog walker holding on to his young German Shepherd Dog, told us the same thing. We made way for the two ATVs, but we all bitched about the noise and the inconvenience. Apparently the ATVers did not want to pay heed to the NO MOTORIZED VEHICLES sign at the start of the dirt road.
All that aside, it was still a pleasant walk. We stopped a few times to let the slower walkers catch up. Bill seemed anxious and went on ahead; he knows where I take people to watch the moon rise and didn't worry about him. He's still a speed demon. But then we never saw him again.
This was Wendy's first time in Brown Canyon. Coming down to spend the summer with Theresa and to help her out around the house, she was in awe of the canyon's beauty. The sun was dipping down behind the mountains and casting us with a cool, deep shadow, but we could still see the trail. She thoroughly enjoyed the walk.
We made it to the planned overlook a minute too late. The moon's halo was already announcing its rise behind the mountains, so I stopped the group where we were to watch the moon rise. We were about .1 mile from the boulders where we normally sit and chat while the moon's getting ready, but today I forsook the boulders because we would have missed the moon rise over the mountains otherwise.
The moon rose promptly at 7:23pm. We stood and watched for five minutes before I guided everyone down the rocky hillside to get back to the main road. There was no sign of Bill. He would have seen the trail of flashlights coming down the hill had he been at the boulders. There was no sign of his motorcycle in the parking lot, either, so I just assume he power-walked the route and then watched from Ramsey Canyon road and then took off.
There was no breeze once the sun set. I was comfortable in what I wore.
Four of us ended the evening with a visit to the Bonedry taphouse. We sat outside on their new patio and chatted. Wendy kept telling us how beautiful it is here. She lives in Portland now, and that's a pretty area, too, I told her. We all had two beers each. Theresa was eating on an empty stomach so I brought out the popcorn and peanuts which guests can help themselves to. She told us about life on a Montana ranch, and being the youngest of 13 children; her stories are full of humor. She's a delight to listen to.
The dogs seem to enjoy the early morning walk. There's still a chill in the air that cools the skin, and that all dissipates shortly after sunrise.
I only went three miles because I wanted to conserve some energy for the full moon hike later in Brown Canyon. I was off work today (through Monday!) for Easter, but Kevin had to work.
The predicted high for today was 86F and it felt it. I had the meetup set for 5:30pm, still light and still warm, and I didn't even need to pack a sweater. I just wore my flannel shirt with a t-shirt underneath it.
Seven people showed up! There was Bill, HollyW, Theresa and her step-daughter Wendy, SteveT and Trace, and EricS. This was a great group, as there were no slackers nor any whiners. We started promptly and walked the canyon clockwise, the same direction most mountain bikers ride this.
We didn't have any mountain bikers today. What we had instead were two loud ATVs that weren't even supposed to be on the badly-rutted Brown Canyon Road. We told them so, but they blew us off saying they had permits to be on that road. Another dog walker holding on to his young German Shepherd Dog, told us the same thing. We made way for the two ATVs, but we all bitched about the noise and the inconvenience. Apparently the ATVers did not want to pay heed to the NO MOTORIZED VEHICLES sign at the start of the dirt road.
All that aside, it was still a pleasant walk. We stopped a few times to let the slower walkers catch up. Bill seemed anxious and went on ahead; he knows where I take people to watch the moon rise and didn't worry about him. He's still a speed demon. But then we never saw him again.
This was Wendy's first time in Brown Canyon. Coming down to spend the summer with Theresa and to help her out around the house, she was in awe of the canyon's beauty. The sun was dipping down behind the mountains and casting us with a cool, deep shadow, but we could still see the trail. She thoroughly enjoyed the walk.
We made it to the planned overlook a minute too late. The moon's halo was already announcing its rise behind the mountains, so I stopped the group where we were to watch the moon rise. We were about .1 mile from the boulders where we normally sit and chat while the moon's getting ready, but today I forsook the boulders because we would have missed the moon rise over the mountains otherwise.
The moon rose promptly at 7:23pm. We stood and watched for five minutes before I guided everyone down the rocky hillside to get back to the main road. There was no sign of Bill. He would have seen the trail of flashlights coming down the hill had he been at the boulders. There was no sign of his motorcycle in the parking lot, either, so I just assume he power-walked the route and then watched from Ramsey Canyon road and then took off.
There was no breeze once the sun set. I was comfortable in what I wore.
Four of us ended the evening with a visit to the Bonedry taphouse. We sat outside on their new patio and chatted. Wendy kept telling us how beautiful it is here. She lives in Portland now, and that's a pretty area, too, I told her. We all had two beers each. Theresa was eating on an empty stomach so I brought out the popcorn and peanuts which guests can help themselves to. She told us about life on a Montana ranch, and being the youngest of 13 children; her stories are full of humor. She's a delight to listen to.
Wednesday, April 17, 2019
Of being rich
We were expecting rain late yesterday but it didn't come. Instead, it rained overnight. I was hoping for a good rain, enough rain to soak the ground so that I could pull weeds before going to school. Alas, there just wasn't enough rain for that, but it sure did give the pre-dawn hours that lovely aroma of sage and creosote that I love so much.
I walked the dogs early for a sunrise hike. The clouds had mostly cleared so there wasn't much drama, nor much color, as we walked the maintenance road for a 3.2-mile hike. This seems to be the ideal distance for Minnie, who enjoys dipping into the stockpond in the end.
That stockpond and the dogs' sandy feet create quite a mess in the Honda, though. Ugh. It never ends!
Later in the afternoon, in a social studies class of 7th graders, I ended up chatting with one young girl about hiking. "Why are you wearing hiking clothes?" she asked. This is the first time in over ten years anyone has ever asked me about my clothing choices for school. Yes, I wear a lot of hiking pants and shirts because they are very comfortable.
"Because I am an avid hiker and often hit the trails right after school"
"I love hiking, too" she said. She is only the second or third teenager I've met who loves being physically challenged outdoors. So I told her about my six-week road trip to Alaska two summers ago, and how that road trip somehow has changed me, made me more aware of nature's beauty. I don't even remember how I got started on that topic, but she just looked at me and said "Wow, you must be rich!"
No, I am not rich, I assured the girl. The biggest expense was gasoline (and then beer and food at the brewpubs along the way). Vancamping saves one so much money. For many people, the lodging is the most expensive part of traveling. But it shouldn't be. I know it's not always feasible with a family of small children to camp out in the wilderness. It was just me and two dogs and we slumbered in the van for all but ten days because we had room and we were happy that way.
The girl's words got me thinking, though. My sister is rich, but she is unhappy and desperately looking for love. I am not rich, but I am rich with memories, memories of days in the wilderness, or days with friends and family. I have done a lot of traveling in my lifetime, from across western Europe to western North America. I can not pass on my memories to my children. When I die, the memories die with me. All I can do is write those memories down here.
Ironically, my sister Iris' 56th birthday is today. I wonder how she celebrated. Was she alone, or with friends? Did her (estranged) husband call her and wish her well?
I walked the dogs early for a sunrise hike. The clouds had mostly cleared so there wasn't much drama, nor much color, as we walked the maintenance road for a 3.2-mile hike. This seems to be the ideal distance for Minnie, who enjoys dipping into the stockpond in the end.
That stockpond and the dogs' sandy feet create quite a mess in the Honda, though. Ugh. It never ends!
Later in the afternoon, in a social studies class of 7th graders, I ended up chatting with one young girl about hiking. "Why are you wearing hiking clothes?" she asked. This is the first time in over ten years anyone has ever asked me about my clothing choices for school. Yes, I wear a lot of hiking pants and shirts because they are very comfortable.
"Because I am an avid hiker and often hit the trails right after school"
"I love hiking, too" she said. She is only the second or third teenager I've met who loves being physically challenged outdoors. So I told her about my six-week road trip to Alaska two summers ago, and how that road trip somehow has changed me, made me more aware of nature's beauty. I don't even remember how I got started on that topic, but she just looked at me and said "Wow, you must be rich!"
No, I am not rich, I assured the girl. The biggest expense was gasoline (and then beer and food at the brewpubs along the way). Vancamping saves one so much money. For many people, the lodging is the most expensive part of traveling. But it shouldn't be. I know it's not always feasible with a family of small children to camp out in the wilderness. It was just me and two dogs and we slumbered in the van for all but ten days because we had room and we were happy that way.
The girl's words got me thinking, though. My sister is rich, but she is unhappy and desperately looking for love. I am not rich, but I am rich with memories, memories of days in the wilderness, or days with friends and family. I have done a lot of traveling in my lifetime, from across western Europe to western North America. I can not pass on my memories to my children. When I die, the memories die with me. All I can do is write those memories down here.
Ironically, my sister Iris' 56th birthday is today. I wonder how she celebrated. Was she alone, or with friends? Did her (estranged) husband call her and wish her well?
Sunday, April 14, 2019
Old Bisbee Loop (4.2 miles)
I woke up tired from yesterday's hike. I think dehydration is to blame; I didn't drink enough during the hike and now my muscles are tight. Zeke seems to be fine, though.
Today's hike was led by EricS from the SVHikers meetup. He didn't start the hike until 10am. That meant I could walk the pack at sunrise and then relax in the early morning, which is what I did. Temperatures were forecasted to be in the upper 60s, so just comfortable enough on a high desert trail void of much shade. I looked forward to this hike as it had been a while since I hiked this loop around Bisbee. I like Bisbee and always enjoy a good excuse to go there.
I took Zeke only. People were already mingling in the parking area. Susan and her dog Allie were there, even Steve with his Trace, but he ended up doing his own hike once the group got started. HollyW was also there. Another hiker, Jon, brought his 8-month old Golden, Chance, along. Chancee group was very playful so Zeke hung out with Allie instead. A total of ten people hiked this trail, and most were new hikers to the group, including a young New Yorker who was worried about not being in good enough shape for this hike.
My last time in Brewery Gulch was in February when I hiked up Mural Hill with Minnie, Sadie and Zeke to explore a side trail that ended up on ridgeline bordering Zacatecas and Wildcat canyons. I walked through a burn area, which was the Wildcat fire from the previous October. I was curious how the area had regrown. I had warned people to wear jeans to prevent getting poked by blooming catclaw along the trail. It turns out the catclaw along the steep section had been charred by the fire and most shrubs hadn't developed new shoots from their roots. We all wore heavy jeans unnecessarily.
I was also curious about water. Would there be any in the canyon? There was some water trickling in the upper Gulch area, but once in the canyon, the water was gone. I had to stop at least twice to give Zeke some water.
My biggest surprise was the lack of lush grass growing in the burn area. I expected to see new grass growing. Instead, I saw some catclaw come back, and plenty of purple verbena, but not much else. Even the poppies, prolific in town, were absent here.
I chatted mostly with Susan, Holly chatted with Jon, and Eric picked up the rear with new gal Rebekah. That made me the hike leader for the faster people, all who had never hiked the trail before. I made sure we all stopped at the first saddle to wait for the slower people to catch up. This saddle still bears hotspots from the fire. The dead mesquite that ten years ago still provided shade for me is now gone. Firefighters widened the path and cut back a lot of the catclaw.
This would have been a hot hike if it had been in the 80s. It came close, though. Some of the shadier oaks along the way offered cooling shade that was noticeably cooler. Even Zeke took advantage of any shade along the way. Once we got to the second saddle overlooking Heartbreak ridge, it was all exposed and the faster hikers went on ahead.
This was Allie's first group hike and she did very well. She didn't run off to prance on imaginary prey. She stayed by Susan. She will turn into a great hiking dog with more group training.
It took us just over 90 minutes to do this loop. We had no real slow hikers. I was relieved to be back in town, among the quirky people and the many poppies. There were poppies everywhere! Even in rock cracks.
Steve showed up as we got back to the cars. We all went into the brewery but he ended up going home. Rebekah went to another place by accident, but we had seven people show up for beer and chat! I enjoyed talking to all these new hikers, and listened intently to Jon's story about his pet water buffalo.
I had two really good beers today. The first one was a sweet Belgian witbier, El Trigo, that tasted as if it had sassafras in it. (Ingredients listed coriander, not sassafras though). The second one was a pomegranate IPA served in a 12-ounce tulip. I'm starting to like some of the fruitier IPAs. However, the beer and the lingering fatigue/dehydration from yesterday's hike quickly tired me. When I went to pay and learned that my credit card was declined and I had to pay with cash (imagine that!), I worried that my card had been compromised. I told Eric I would not join the rest of the gang at the Screaming Banshee. I didn't have any more money on me and now I was worried I'd be too tired to drive.
I ended up pulling over along the San Pedro river to take a rest. That rest turned out to be a 30-minute nap. Then, when I got home, I went straight to bed where I fell asleep until 5:30pm. I woke up thinking it was Monday morning!
Today's hike was led by EricS from the SVHikers meetup. He didn't start the hike until 10am. That meant I could walk the pack at sunrise and then relax in the early morning, which is what I did. Temperatures were forecasted to be in the upper 60s, so just comfortable enough on a high desert trail void of much shade. I looked forward to this hike as it had been a while since I hiked this loop around Bisbee. I like Bisbee and always enjoy a good excuse to go there.
I took Zeke only. People were already mingling in the parking area. Susan and her dog Allie were there, even Steve with his Trace, but he ended up doing his own hike once the group got started. HollyW was also there. Another hiker, Jon, brought his 8-month old Golden, Chance, along. Chancee group was very playful so Zeke hung out with Allie instead. A total of ten people hiked this trail, and most were new hikers to the group, including a young New Yorker who was worried about not being in good enough shape for this hike.
My last time in Brewery Gulch was in February when I hiked up Mural Hill with Minnie, Sadie and Zeke to explore a side trail that ended up on ridgeline bordering Zacatecas and Wildcat canyons. I walked through a burn area, which was the Wildcat fire from the previous October. I was curious how the area had regrown. I had warned people to wear jeans to prevent getting poked by blooming catclaw along the trail. It turns out the catclaw along the steep section had been charred by the fire and most shrubs hadn't developed new shoots from their roots. We all wore heavy jeans unnecessarily.
I was also curious about water. Would there be any in the canyon? There was some water trickling in the upper Gulch area, but once in the canyon, the water was gone. I had to stop at least twice to give Zeke some water.
My biggest surprise was the lack of lush grass growing in the burn area. I expected to see new grass growing. Instead, I saw some catclaw come back, and plenty of purple verbena, but not much else. Even the poppies, prolific in town, were absent here.
I chatted mostly with Susan, Holly chatted with Jon, and Eric picked up the rear with new gal Rebekah. That made me the hike leader for the faster people, all who had never hiked the trail before. I made sure we all stopped at the first saddle to wait for the slower people to catch up. This saddle still bears hotspots from the fire. The dead mesquite that ten years ago still provided shade for me is now gone. Firefighters widened the path and cut back a lot of the catclaw.
This would have been a hot hike if it had been in the 80s. It came close, though. Some of the shadier oaks along the way offered cooling shade that was noticeably cooler. Even Zeke took advantage of any shade along the way. Once we got to the second saddle overlooking Heartbreak ridge, it was all exposed and the faster hikers went on ahead.
This was Allie's first group hike and she did very well. She didn't run off to prance on imaginary prey. She stayed by Susan. She will turn into a great hiking dog with more group training.
It took us just over 90 minutes to do this loop. We had no real slow hikers. I was relieved to be back in town, among the quirky people and the many poppies. There were poppies everywhere! Even in rock cracks.
Steve showed up as we got back to the cars. We all went into the brewery but he ended up going home. Rebekah went to another place by accident, but we had seven people show up for beer and chat! I enjoyed talking to all these new hikers, and listened intently to Jon's story about his pet water buffalo.
I had two really good beers today. The first one was a sweet Belgian witbier, El Trigo, that tasted as if it had sassafras in it. (Ingredients listed coriander, not sassafras though). The second one was a pomegranate IPA served in a 12-ounce tulip. I'm starting to like some of the fruitier IPAs. However, the beer and the lingering fatigue/dehydration from yesterday's hike quickly tired me. When I went to pay and learned that my credit card was declined and I had to pay with cash (imagine that!), I worried that my card had been compromised. I told Eric I would not join the rest of the gang at the Screaming Banshee. I didn't have any more money on me and now I was worried I'd be too tired to drive.
I ended up pulling over along the San Pedro river to take a rest. That rest turned out to be a 30-minute nap. Then, when I got home, I went straight to bed where I fell asleep until 5:30pm. I woke up thinking it was Monday morning!
Saturday, April 13, 2019
Hidden Pasture, Little Rincon mountains (7.6 miles o/b)
This is the hike I had been looking forward to. I love this magical place off Mescal Road, but hiking here is best done in cooler, overcast weather because of the rocks and the exposure. SteveA from the Huachuca Hiking Club led this hike, a day earlier than last year at this time. Nine people showed up: Barry, JimA, SteveA, RodC, Carol and Roz (both did this last year), Jean and Tim and me with Zeke. This time I left Sadie at home due to her age. We had to ford the creek three times before we got to the trailhead. That first fording was a bit scary in my Honda.
We started the hike at 8:45am. It was in the mid 40s and near-clear skies.
Clouds slowly formed as we got into the hills. I didn't bring a wind jacket because the forecast now said no rain, but it was chilly for me when I stopped. I had to keep moving, and in these rocky granite hills, it's not easy to move fast. The trail fades out after a mile and only the occasional cairn marks the way. Every step is calculated because one bad slip and you are either getting poked by agave or making face-to-rock contact. A search-and-rescue would be hard on both rescuers and victim.
This is now my third time in Hidden Pasture. We hiked the same path as before, but this time we had water in all the pools. We rested at the pools, enjoyed the view, and watched frogs climb up the rock from the water.
The water in all the drainages was good news for Zeke, who despite the water was also getting warm from the sun. I'd dunk his orange bandana in the water to keep him cool, and encouraged him to take shade breaks. He did great otherwise, except when he took chase to five cows which left him panting for a while when he returned. One of those cows had diarrhea, too, marking the trail as we moved uphill. That cows can maneuver up these rocky hills is impressive.
We came across wildflowers, but not massively so. Yellow monkeyflowers grew in the wet areas and now penstemon were along the trails. The hillsides did look greener than usual.
We had our lunch at 11:30am near a high point on the trail, a mile from Hidden Pasture which we could see from this point. Zeke was ready to rest at that point. He was so tired, he didn't even eat his beef rib. (He waited until the drive home to crunch down on it)
Barry, Jean and Tim had not done this hike before. Barry was busy taking pictures, and Jean and Tim, who moved to Tucson from Seattle, were also impressed with the area. Jean and Tim, though, did not go all the way to Hidden Pasture. They turned around and went back to the pools and waited for us. Tim cut overgrowth out along the way and both set up additional cairns, making our return hike much easier.
It's a steep hike down to Hidden Pasture from the high point. I was exhausted now. Jim, Rod, Barry and I went to the old dam overlook but didn't stay. The rest stayed under the shade of an oak and then we went back the way we came. I got poked by an agave which drew blood. Later I fell directly on hard granite going downhill. Any thoughts of continuing up to the ridgeline to see the Benson skyline were abandoned, although Steve did say it would make a nice overnight camp-out.
We spread out on the return hike, with the faster hikers up front. I wanted to get ahead only because I was tired now. The constant rock hopping wore me out! Hiking to Hidden Pasture is definitely not for wimps.
It took us over six hours to hike 7.6 miles. We were all tired when we got to our vehicles. No one showed a desire to eat out afterwards, so it was just Zeke and me at Taco Bell in Benson. I was famished and thirsty and couldn't wait to get to Sierra Vista to eat. I was also too tired to walk the other dogs, but promised them I'd take them on a sunrise hike tomorrow. Hopefully my right knee won't be too swollen from that fall I took.
(Group photo by Steve Anderson)For more information on this trail: https://hikearizona.com/decoder.php?ZTN=1440
Friday, April 5, 2019
Forest Preserves of Cook County, Illinois
My stepmom Carol's 75th birthday is April 6th. Her niece Jill and Jill's mom Ruth threw her a birthday party for Saturday. I decided to fly in in the last minute and celebrate with her. Afterall, one turns 75 only once and there were moments over my Christmas break in Indiana that I didn't think she would make it much longer. I wanted to surprise her.
That meant cancelling jobs I had for Friday, Monday and Tuesday and getting flight tickets at higher rates. I managed a non-stop flight early from Tuscon into Chicago-Midway for Friday morning and arrived shortly after noon to a cool, hazy, sulphur-stinky sky. Once I got my white Toyota Camry rental car, I was on my way to Indiana, driving south on IL50 until I reached US30, then driving east to Merrillville and taking Broadway to Crown Point. (I could take the I-294 Tollway, but I hate paying tolls. This way I can also stop at a forest preserve and walk a few miles to walk off the energy after sitting in a cramped plane seat for almost four hours)
I've flown into Chicago-Midway many times now, but this time it all seemed different. The airport is upgrading its eateries, so there is much detour down terminals. Traffic on Cicero Avenue was bumper-to-bumper as I inched southward. It was going to be a long, nerve-wracking drive if I didn't stop somewhere to walk off some tension.
Chicago is the county seat for Cook County, a 5.2-million strong county. To help preserve the meadows, wetlands and swamps near Lake Michigan and to cleanse the industrial air, the Forest Preserves of Cook County was established in 2014 to help preserve the wild flora and fauna in the area. The preserves also help manage the flood zones that occur every spring after heavy snow melt. The woods help clean up the air and muffle the sounds of trains, planes and automobiles. There are several preserves as one drives south of the airport on IL50 (Cicero Avenue). I didn't want to drive out of my way, either, because some of the nicest preserves are west of Midway airport.
My first choice was the Midlothian Meadows, just as the Friday rush hour was beginning to congest. This area is notorious for vehicle break-ins (according to some reviews I read on Alltrails). I noticed people sitting in cars, parked perpendicular to parked cars for a better view of pedestrians. I threw all my belongings in the trunk.
The Midlothian Meadows is a small patch of dense woods to the east of IL50, bordered by Crawford Avenue. There are maples and ash, elm and some oak, but most is dense thickets with vines traveling up the bark. I parked off the large parking area off Crawford Avenue and took the paved trail north. The loop is only 2.6 miles; that would take me 45 minutes. The trail is ten feet wide, wide enough for two bikes, a wide stroller or several joggers. The trail suffers from frostheave in some parts, so rollerblading may not be all that smooth here. Milkweed and other wetland flora thrive here. Sadly, there was also a lot of trash along the trail, from cookie wrappers to beer cans. (Really, people?!)
I could hear traffic along the loop. The quietest section was the northeast section, away from cars and close to the Midlothian Creek, which seems to flood over its banks here. I could hear frogs and the proverbial red-wing blackbirds. Recent snowmelt and rain made this section quite muddy, but it was nice to hear the blackbirds again, even if there were no wildflowers out and none of the trees were leafed out yet. It was still a sleepy landscape of browns, greys and dull greens. The actual meadow for which this parcel of land is named is in the western section of this preserve.
Rush-hour traffic was now in full glory when I tried to pull out of the parking area and resume my drive south. I had to go north, on IL83 (W 147th Street) until I reached IL1. I stayed on that route until I hit familiar grounds with US30. There are more preserves along this stretch of road, including the Thorny Creek preserve which I explored last December, but I continued on my way to Carol's and not stopping until I hit the Plum Creek preserve on the Illinois-Indiana stateline.
This preserve caters to horses, judging by the many horseshoe marks I saw in the mud. The trails here are not paved, but wider to accompany pack animals, dogs, and perhaps mountainbikes. I liked this patch of woods. but there were many muddy sections I had to bypass, and several blowdowns
The main trail in the Plum Creek Preserve is the two-mile interpretive trail. There are shorter trails off the main trail. All trails are blazed with different colors like red and blue. The main trail is blazed with black circles. I heard and saw more frogs and red-wing blackbirds, and there was far less traffic sounds now that we were farther away from Chicago. I would come back to this little place. Dyer, Indiana is across the state line and just my luck, so is the Windmill Brewing company, visible off US30.
I had now walked almost five miles. My daily quota had been achieved. What better place to mellow out than with a few beers in a new brewery. The Windmill Brewing did not disappoint, either. While the Mexican Lager, El Gato Lima, was out, it was available in four-pack cans. I had instead a"Feel Good Inc" milkshake-style IPA brewed with passion fruit, coconut, and vanilla (6% ABV) and an "Orange Memesicle" described as a "milkshake-style IPA with orange cream gummies" (8.2% ABV/30IBU). I never had sweet IPA like these one before. They didn't even taste high alcohol. I really liked them! To top off my visit, the local mascot, a white-brown tabby that is also on the front of the El Gato Lima cans, strolled around the brewery soliciting for backrubs.
It was now 7pm and I had to call Carol to let her know I was coming. She was quite surprised, and in a good way. She had no idea I was coming for her birthday.
That meant cancelling jobs I had for Friday, Monday and Tuesday and getting flight tickets at higher rates. I managed a non-stop flight early from Tuscon into Chicago-Midway for Friday morning and arrived shortly after noon to a cool, hazy, sulphur-stinky sky. Once I got my white Toyota Camry rental car, I was on my way to Indiana, driving south on IL50 until I reached US30, then driving east to Merrillville and taking Broadway to Crown Point. (I could take the I-294 Tollway, but I hate paying tolls. This way I can also stop at a forest preserve and walk a few miles to walk off the energy after sitting in a cramped plane seat for almost four hours)
I've flown into Chicago-Midway many times now, but this time it all seemed different. The airport is upgrading its eateries, so there is much detour down terminals. Traffic on Cicero Avenue was bumper-to-bumper as I inched southward. It was going to be a long, nerve-wracking drive if I didn't stop somewhere to walk off some tension.
Chicago is the county seat for Cook County, a 5.2-million strong county. To help preserve the meadows, wetlands and swamps near Lake Michigan and to cleanse the industrial air, the Forest Preserves of Cook County was established in 2014 to help preserve the wild flora and fauna in the area. The preserves also help manage the flood zones that occur every spring after heavy snow melt. The woods help clean up the air and muffle the sounds of trains, planes and automobiles. There are several preserves as one drives south of the airport on IL50 (Cicero Avenue). I didn't want to drive out of my way, either, because some of the nicest preserves are west of Midway airport.
My first choice was the Midlothian Meadows, just as the Friday rush hour was beginning to congest. This area is notorious for vehicle break-ins (according to some reviews I read on Alltrails). I noticed people sitting in cars, parked perpendicular to parked cars for a better view of pedestrians. I threw all my belongings in the trunk.
The Midlothian Meadows is a small patch of dense woods to the east of IL50, bordered by Crawford Avenue. There are maples and ash, elm and some oak, but most is dense thickets with vines traveling up the bark. I parked off the large parking area off Crawford Avenue and took the paved trail north. The loop is only 2.6 miles; that would take me 45 minutes. The trail is ten feet wide, wide enough for two bikes, a wide stroller or several joggers. The trail suffers from frostheave in some parts, so rollerblading may not be all that smooth here. Milkweed and other wetland flora thrive here. Sadly, there was also a lot of trash along the trail, from cookie wrappers to beer cans. (Really, people?!)
I could hear traffic along the loop. The quietest section was the northeast section, away from cars and close to the Midlothian Creek, which seems to flood over its banks here. I could hear frogs and the proverbial red-wing blackbirds. Recent snowmelt and rain made this section quite muddy, but it was nice to hear the blackbirds again, even if there were no wildflowers out and none of the trees were leafed out yet. It was still a sleepy landscape of browns, greys and dull greens. The actual meadow for which this parcel of land is named is in the western section of this preserve.
Rush-hour traffic was now in full glory when I tried to pull out of the parking area and resume my drive south. I had to go north, on IL83 (W 147th Street) until I reached IL1. I stayed on that route until I hit familiar grounds with US30. There are more preserves along this stretch of road, including the Thorny Creek preserve which I explored last December, but I continued on my way to Carol's and not stopping until I hit the Plum Creek preserve on the Illinois-Indiana stateline.
This preserve caters to horses, judging by the many horseshoe marks I saw in the mud. The trails here are not paved, but wider to accompany pack animals, dogs, and perhaps mountainbikes. I liked this patch of woods. but there were many muddy sections I had to bypass, and several blowdowns
The main trail in the Plum Creek Preserve is the two-mile interpretive trail. There are shorter trails off the main trail. All trails are blazed with different colors like red and blue. The main trail is blazed with black circles. I heard and saw more frogs and red-wing blackbirds, and there was far less traffic sounds now that we were farther away from Chicago. I would come back to this little place. Dyer, Indiana is across the state line and just my luck, so is the Windmill Brewing company, visible off US30.
I had now walked almost five miles. My daily quota had been achieved. What better place to mellow out than with a few beers in a new brewery. The Windmill Brewing did not disappoint, either. While the Mexican Lager, El Gato Lima, was out, it was available in four-pack cans. I had instead a"Feel Good Inc" milkshake-style IPA brewed with passion fruit, coconut, and vanilla (6% ABV) and an "Orange Memesicle" described as a "milkshake-style IPA with orange cream gummies" (8.2% ABV/30IBU). I never had sweet IPA like these one before. They didn't even taste high alcohol. I really liked them! To top off my visit, the local mascot, a white-brown tabby that is also on the front of the El Gato Lima cans, strolled around the brewery soliciting for backrubs.
It was now 7pm and I had to call Carol to let her know I was coming. She was quite surprised, and in a good way. She had no idea I was coming for her birthday.
Tuesday, April 2, 2019
Carr Peak: first summit of the year with Zeke
I thought I was working today and reported to the school, only to be told I had the wrong day. That didn't bother me much, as that meant I had time now to hike up Carr Peak, the first time this year! I couldn't go earlier this year due to the heavy snowfall. (I'm no fan of postholing)
Skies were mostly clear with an expected high of 75F.
I took Zeke and started the hike at 11:10am. The road was clear of all snow but there were a few melted ice piles on the north side of the road above 6000'. There were two cars in the Sawmill trailhead parking lot. It was 61F and breezy, but I didn't put my windbreaker on until that last half mile. I didn't come across anyone until that last mile.
I expected to be slow since I hadn't hiked elevation all year, but I surprised myself. I finished the hike at 2:21pm, needing only 3:10 hours for this. I thought it would take me four hours. It took me just under two hours to make it to the peak; not exactly a PR for me, but not my slowest time. My near-daily walks with the dogs help me maintain some conditioning.
I met an older man coming down. He reported no wildflowers near the peak. He was disappointed in that, but was happy to have made it to the peak. He seemed surprised to hear that I try to bag the peak every month.
The only flowers out right now are the small yellow flowers that like to grow in cracks of rock near the peak. The lack of flowers means that the butterflies out now will have to look hard for that sweet nectar.
The aspens are prebudding with their red tips, but otherwise the entire vista was still brown, grey and dark green. The monochrome landscape made the new pine growth stand out, but otherwise the views were still that of a forest in its winter slumber.
There were some new blowdowns from our March storms, including a few 2011 Monument Fire survivors. I always hate seeing trees that survive a fire succumb to something else like wind or disease. A few young aspens were also blown down, but nothing that obstructed the trail.
The good news is seeing the new growth from 2011 take off. Lots of small pines are thriving in the wet winter we had.
I met a second man, a younger man, near the top. He actually spooked me as I was concentrating on taking a photograph and didn't notice him. He had just summitted and was now on his way down.
The melted snow and rain has allowed water to still flow in the upper waterfall. That was a godsend for Zeke.
The cool breeze in the last half mile was refreshing, as the bright sun seem to have exhausted Zeke. He was happy to be back in the Honda early in the afternoon and lay quietly in the back of the car.
I'm going to do this hike again either at the end of April or beginning of May, and I expect to see a lot of spring flowers then. Right now the mountains are still in the preparatory phase.
I didn't feel tired after this hike. I was able to meet up with SteveT at the taphouse in town, where we updated each other on our life in the last three weeks.
Skies were mostly clear with an expected high of 75F.
I took Zeke and started the hike at 11:10am. The road was clear of all snow but there were a few melted ice piles on the north side of the road above 6000'. There were two cars in the Sawmill trailhead parking lot. It was 61F and breezy, but I didn't put my windbreaker on until that last half mile. I didn't come across anyone until that last mile.
I expected to be slow since I hadn't hiked elevation all year, but I surprised myself. I finished the hike at 2:21pm, needing only 3:10 hours for this. I thought it would take me four hours. It took me just under two hours to make it to the peak; not exactly a PR for me, but not my slowest time. My near-daily walks with the dogs help me maintain some conditioning.
I met an older man coming down. He reported no wildflowers near the peak. He was disappointed in that, but was happy to have made it to the peak. He seemed surprised to hear that I try to bag the peak every month.
The only flowers out right now are the small yellow flowers that like to grow in cracks of rock near the peak. The lack of flowers means that the butterflies out now will have to look hard for that sweet nectar.
The aspens are prebudding with their red tips, but otherwise the entire vista was still brown, grey and dark green. The monochrome landscape made the new pine growth stand out, but otherwise the views were still that of a forest in its winter slumber.
There were some new blowdowns from our March storms, including a few 2011 Monument Fire survivors. I always hate seeing trees that survive a fire succumb to something else like wind or disease. A few young aspens were also blown down, but nothing that obstructed the trail.
The good news is seeing the new growth from 2011 take off. Lots of small pines are thriving in the wet winter we had.
I met a second man, a younger man, near the top. He actually spooked me as I was concentrating on taking a photograph and didn't notice him. He had just summitted and was now on his way down.
The melted snow and rain has allowed water to still flow in the upper waterfall. That was a godsend for Zeke.
The cool breeze in the last half mile was refreshing, as the bright sun seem to have exhausted Zeke. He was happy to be back in the Honda early in the afternoon and lay quietly in the back of the car.
I'm going to do this hike again either at the end of April or beginning of May, and I expect to see a lot of spring flowers then. Right now the mountains are still in the preparatory phase.
I didn't feel tired after this hike. I was able to meet up with SteveT at the taphouse in town, where we updated each other on our life in the last three weeks.
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