Wednesday, December 30, 2020

Dixie Peak, Phoenix Mountain Preserve

https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/arizona/dixie-peak-trail

https://www.visitphoenix.com/things-to-do/outdoors/biking-hiking/phoenix-mountains-preserve/

I didn't sleep well overnight.  The cold got me up a few times, and I was anxious for daylight so that I could get started

Today's hike was in the Phoenix Mountain Preserve and 40th Avenue, on the preserve's north end.  I began just before 7am. People were returning from their pre-dawn hikes with flashlights on their heads.  Night hiking is popular with Phoenicians; they are used to daytime heat so they tackle the trails at dawn.

I wanted to do the 6-mile loop trail but somehow got disoriented, so I decided to hike up 2428' Dixie Peak since it was there, a straight, wide and very rocky trail  that doesn't develop character until it begins switchbacking steeply up to the peak, a peak carved out of schist rock and studded with palo verde trees and fishhook cacti.  The lower trails are popular with mountain bikers but this peak is not one of them.

It was in the low 50s when we got started.  The full moon was setting as the sun rose, but it rose behind a mountain and stayed in the shade for the entire hike.  I'm sure the dogs didn't mind that part, but I was chilled the entire time.  The shadow of the mountains kept me cool.  I was done with the 4.3-mile hike before the sun got high enough.


This was a busy trail.  When I got to the top I walked into two people meditating, so I quietly went around them, took some photos of the valley with Piestewa and Camelback Peak in front of me. Both peaks are taller than Dixie but are closed to dogs.  Between Dixie and the other peaks are elegant foothill homes.

On the return walk I took a parallel trail back, trail #8, so that my dogs wouldn't bother other hikers and then returned to a very crowded parking lot.  It was 9:40am, too early for beer but just in time to stop by the Costco off Cactus Road where I stocked up on dog jerky.  When I got done with that chore, OHSO in Paradise Valley was open and visited my third OHSO brewpub, having the same meal I had before.  I like the biergartens this brewpub has.

My server today, a tall, lanky "Garrett" who smiled with his eyes, was very attentive.  He even praised me for how well the dogs behaved.  "I can't believe how well-behaved your dogs are, this is awesome!" he said.  Perhaps my dogs were the only ones who had completed a 4-mile hike before lunch and now just wanted to relax?

My trip to this OHSO was my last event planned for Phoenix before beginning the drive back to Hereford.  Traffic was dense when I neared Tucson, so I stopped briefly at the Button Brew pub off Ina Road.  It was one of the few breweries I still hadn't visited (because the patio is not dog friendly).  I stayed only long enough to have a fruity wheat beer, but I was not comfortable on the heatless patio.  By then I just wanted to get back home anyway, and I arrived home just as the full moon rose over the Mule Mountains.

***

Global cases 83,218968  

Global deaths 1,820,925

US cases 20,216,939 (+241,393)

US deaths 350,778 (+4022)

AZ cases 512,489 (+5267)

AZ deaths 8718 (+78)

CA cases 2,267,290 (+36,315)

CA deaths 25,387 (+432)

PA cases 636,749 (+8565)

PA deaths 15,780 (+335)


Tuesday, December 29, 2020

South Mountain Park, Phoenix: making my own loop hike

This mountain range is the reason I came back up to Phoenix for two days. I wanted to see more of it and explore the more remote parts of it. I stopped for my cappuccino at McDonald's off Central Street and drove the winding 5.5 miles up the dark road at 5am, with just the full moon shining above. It stayed dark for quite a while once I parked to enjoy the lights. Sunrise was slated for 7:22am. There were a few cars already parked at the Dobbin's Lookout tower, but many more came just before the scheduled time
Dense grey clouds prevented a bright sunrise.  A cold front had moved in, but it didn't bring the rain that was originally forecasted.  It brought cooler, damper temperatures, though, and I was getting chilled waiting for the sun to rise with about 20 other impatient peole, including a couple who had moved here from Wisconsin who drove up Summit road to see the sunrise but not to hike.  We chatted a bit.  They praised me for having two well-behaved dogs.
Once the sun was up, people scrambled to their cars and drove off.  I stayed behind because I wanted to hike a loop from the Holbert trail.  Finding the trail was harder than I thought, but once I realized that the trail started from the old stone cabin and then winded downhill, I opted to continue on the loop via the H trail. a trail that connected with the Maricopa trail near the radio towers.  This was the highest peak in the mountain range covered with saguaro, barrel cacti and cholla.   
The trails here are rocky and winding.  I got myself on a secluded trail, meeting people only on that last mile back to the car.  The dogs were mostly offleash and this way they weren't bothering anyone.  At one point Gretel took off chasing after a coyote, crossed the street and I thought for sure she would get killed by that animal.  She, like Minnie, barks when she runs after her prey.  She did come back to me, tongue hanging out and panting.  We crossed the street to continue on the trail and heard the yelping of coyotes.  Had Gretel chased after the mother dog?
What I thought was a trail turned out to be a wide wash.  The Maricopa trail continues downhill and away from the Dobbins lookout tower, so I opted to take the wash back.  I was violating park policies by going off trail, but this wash proved to be very navigable.  We hopped over rocks, walked in sand, and ducked under palo verde branches.  The wash took us back to Summit Road, which I took, picking up a few tossed beer cans along the way.  
The last half mile was the same as the first half mile, going up the steep Holbert trail back to the stone cabin and the car. We had hiked just under four miles.  I had wanted to hike more in this cool, overcast weather, but I was fine with the mileage as I knew I'd do a few more miles in the afternoon.
The dogs were tired and happy to nap in the car.  The grey clouds were making way to clear skies and sunshine, so we timed our stay in the mountains just right.  It was time to get back down into the valley, but I wanted to check out a few more trailhead parking areas.
Next time I come here I will hike the Buena Vista trail to Hidden Valley.  I stopped by there to see the trail head.  It was mostly mountain bikers and kids with their families today, but the views go toward the north and west and would make a great sunrise hike.  It would mean another early start to beat the heat and guarantee a parking spot. I could do the Fat Man's Pass again from a different angle.
I stopped at the Scorpion Gulch ruins near the park entrance, walked around to take pictures, and then began my brewpub tour.  I googled "brewpub" and about 60 showed up on my search.  I had plenty to chose from and I chose the PHX Beer Co off Washington street. Dogs are not allowed in the taproom, but I was parked in the shade and the 60F temperature was just comfortable for the dogs who were napping anyway.
I have had beer from this place before.  The White Chocolate Sonoran and the Mystic Climber coffee stouts are topnotch.  I walked in as the second customer but left as it got busy.  I had other places to check out anyway and have lunch before my next hike.

My second stop was at the OHSO-Arcadia location.  OHSO has four brewpubs in the greater Phoenix area and this is my second one.  I like the beers it brews and I like the company's dog tolerance.  I walked in and my biggest choice was where to sit: in a booth or at a counter?  I chose a sunny counter but I probably should have picked a booth so that the dogs wouldn't be bothered by other dogs walking past.  I had a very tasty cranberry-orange hefeweizen and a juicy BBQ chicken sandwich before heading out to the nearby Papago Park.
I have been here before a few times.  I was here with Sadie many years ago, exploring holes in rocks and other sandstone depressions.  I can't do that with two dogs, though.
Today I opted to walk the 5K trail around the red sandstone boulders,  The sun was ready to set and the near full moon was rising.  I had about an hour of daylight left and I needed all that I could get. The waning sun cast some nice rays over the sand.  The park closes shortly after sunset and I wanted to make sure I got the 5K done on time.  I was rushed to finish, yet there were people still standing on the tops of the rocks as it got dark.
I lost the trail and ended up only doing 2.3 miles, cutting a whole mile off.  How did that happen?  I can only surmise that that last mile is the boring mile that goes around the golf course.  Oh well, I got to see the best part of this park.  There were still plenty of cars in the lot as I drove off and headed to Scottsdale.
The old town here is quite scenic, but I stayed in the business center.  I rested for two hours near town center, leaning back in the car and listening to the news.  The Transportation Security Administration is reporting record air travel not seen since March.  People are no longer taking the virus seriously.  They want to be with family and friends.
My last stop of the night was checking out the Goldwater Brewing Company.  This place was on my list (as was the Scottsdale Brewing company; that will have to come in January.)  They make a very tasty prickly pear ale that I had a few years ago.  It's a light beer great after a hike.  I had already had my quota of beer for the day, so I took it easy.  It turned out to be a nice visit.  I tried the award-winning brown ale, the Machine Gun Teddy.  It won bronze at the 2017 Great American Beer Festival.  The taproom was busy the entire time.  Not bad for a Tuesday night.

 




Monday, December 28, 2020

Heading up to Phoenix for two days

I wanted to do another hike and brew roadtrip to Phoenix over my Christmas break and chose Monday through Wednesday because the weather forecast predicted rain and a coldfront coming through tonight through Thursday.  I just wanted an overnighter, much like what I did before Thanksgiving.  I have the same areas planned for hiking: South Mountain Park and the Phoenix Mountain Preserve.  I want to try out more of the OHSO breweries (there are four in the area) and the Goldwater Brewing Company.  I'm sure there will be a few non-planned visits, too.  I will spread the brewpubs out over the day so that I am not impaired.

I walked Sweetie, Gretel and Zeke at sunrise and then walked Hansel just before driving off.  I left food out for Willie and made sure the cats were ok.

I finally left the house at 1:20pm with Zeke and Gretel and the back of the Honda filled with recyclables.  Gretel wasn't too pleased with sitting on cardboard. Gas at our local gas station has now risen from $2.08 to $2.14. 

The one thing that scared me a bit were the winds.  It howled all day, with gusts up to 30mph.  The I-10 passage between Tucson and Phoenix is known for its blinding duststorms, and for one brief moment I was surrounded by blowing sand as I drove over an overpass.  But then visibility returned and the rest of the drive was normal.

I stopped at sunset at the Casa Grande Mountain Park right off I-10 to let the dogs run a bit and give them a chance to relieve themselves.  This was a well-planned stop.  There are always cars in the lot, but I never come across others on the trail.  We just did a quick two-miler and left as the sky broke out in pretty pastels. 

It was definitely colder this time in Phoenix than in November.  My first stop was at Wicked Brews, an unplanned stop on the south side of Phoenix as I pulled over for a quick break.  I sat with the dogs on the patio but probably should have left them in the car as we were all chilled,  Even the fire pit didn't help much.  I had two local beers that were both good, but pricey: the Sonoran White Chocolate ale and Helluva Mele Kalikimaka Porter, both were good, but the bill was $15.

I made it to downtown Phoenix by 8pm.  I had no plans, wasn't even sure where I was spending the night, and while driving through downtown on my way to the AZ Wilderness Brewpub, discovered the Greenwood Brewery with a spacious outdoor patio.  It turns out the place opened in July and is owned by a businesswoman.  I parked up front, kept the dogs in the car, and had a flight of five beers, all which were very good.  I'm glad I stopped by, but now need to visit the place during the day, after a hike, and preferably on a warm day. 

Sunday, December 27, 2020

The pups' first hike up Carr Peak with Zeke


What a beautiful winter day it was, with highs in the low 70s and partly cloudy.  I putzed around in the morning, walked Sweetie and Hansel, then drove off with Zeke, Gretel and Hansel after noon to hike up Carr Peak.  I had originally wanted to leave Hansel at home, but he's too slick for me: he pushed his way out and joined the other two.  The pups like car rides!

This later time proved ideal as that allowed most of the crowds in the mountains to disperse.  My alternate plan was to take the pups up Thompson Ridge if there were too many people on the trails.

My fears were unfounded, though. One car was leaving as I arrived at the Sawmill trailhead just before 1pm.  It was 54F with a slight breeze from the southwest.   I wore cotton clothes, jeans, and my grey hoodie.I was the only one on this trail and didn't meet others until I got on the main trail 3/4 mile up the hill.


I was curious how the pups would be together.  Would they run wild, chase things, and then not come back when I called them? Gretel has already proven herself to stay close to me. Hansel's suture had healed up and he was allowed to run again, but he instead stayed close to me. venturing off trail only a few times and never straying far.  Even Gretel, my adventurer, stayed close.  And Zeke, as always was right by my side.  These three dogs were a good hiking group!


There was no sign of recent rains in the mountains.  Only the spring was dry.  I didn't stop to water the dogs until we got to the peak, and here it was cold and windy.  I stayed only long enough to give the dogs something to eat and to give them some water. The clouds got denser the higher we got, keeping us all cool.  The blue sky at the start was an overcast grey sky at the peak.



I met one  group with three dogs coming down, just as we were in the single track through the aspen grove.  The dogs did well with no barking (another surprise).  The man told me I should take the dogs off leash, but I was unsure of how Gretel would behave.  I prefer my dogs on leash when around other people.

I didn't see much wildlife today.  Deer probably would have made the dogs take chase.  I saw ravens and a few other perching birds, but most were well-camouflaged in the browns and greys of the trees.  Only the pines stood out against the leafless deciduous trees.

The hike took us 3:26 hours.  I got back to my Honda at 4:30pm to a cloudy sky.  I didn't see the near full-moon until I was a mile from home.  Stars were coming out.  I did one more mile with Gretel later on under the moon light, then crawled into bed with a cup of hot green tea.

I used my new Motorola One Action phone to track my mileage and to take photos.  The photos came out ok, but nothing will be as good as what my old Google Pixel 3a did. I also downloaded the Strava app to track my milesage for this new program I signed up for: "Run the Edge" that keeps track of all the walking I do in 2021.  The goal is to walk 2021 miles by year's end.


***

Global cases 81,260,125

Global deaths 1,780,218

US cases 19,573,795 (+169,530)

US deaths 341,138 (+1390)

AZ cases 494,337 (+6106)

AZ deaths 8427 (+15)

CA cases 2,147478 (+52364)

CA deaths 24,241 (+168)

IN cases 493,841(+1820)

IN deaths 7843 (+42)

TN cases 564080 (+14395)

TN deaths 6512 (+69)

Friday, December 25, 2020

A quiet Christmas


We had no plans.  This was our stay-at-home covid Christmas.  Kevin wished me a "Merry Christmas" when he got up early in the morning and that was the only sign it was a holiday.  It took me several years to get over his "no presents exchange," but I'm ok with it now. It's been years since I stayed home for Christmas and with everyone either recovering from covid or in danger with catching it, it is better to stay home.

Yesterday and today were colder than usual.  This morning I stepped outside and noticed it had rained overnight.  This was the rain that had moved in yesterday afternoon; the clouds were visible during my river walk with Susan. (This may be Sadie's last walk on the river) The morning sky was still shrouded in rain clouds, creating a pretty sunrise I enjoyed with Zeke around the 'hood.


We had no dinner, either.  Instead, I drove into town to get some Vietnamese food from My place.  My Place is one of two restaurants that are open every day.  I had kimchi with chicken, Kevin had Mongolian beef.

The big news was a bombing in downtown Nashville, which investigators determined was an intended suicide attack by a 63-year-old Anthony Quinn Warner.  He used his old RV as the bomb source and had it rigged to a timer.  The bomb destroyed 42 buildings in the historic art district.  And nature writer Barry Lopez died of prostate cancer at age 75.  He and his wife had to evacuate their home in Oregon earlier this summer which was destroyed by a wild fire. What a sad event to experience while dying from cancer.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/26/obituaries/barry-lopez-dead.html?action=click&module=Latest&pgtype=Homepage


Wednesday, December 23, 2020

Yaqui Springs exploratory hike along the border

This hike/ramble was something I came up with after seeing the wall construction along the international border yesterday, after hiking in Wakefield canyon.  The east side of Montezuma's Peak has been dynamited for a switchback road along the border.  I wanted to get a closer look.  Ellen and Susan came with me.  The only condition I had was that I had to be back home by 1pm so that I could get ready to meet Kevin at 2pm for his birthday meal at Texas Roadhouse.

Susan, Ellen and I met at 9am at the parking lot in Hunter Canyon.  There were already several cars here.  I brought Sweetie, Zeke and Gretel and Susan brought her Allie.   We drove in separate cars to the parking area right on the border on FR 4781, across from a row of parked CAT construction vehicles.  Ellen and Susan had never been here before and depended on me to lead the way.  Temperatures were in the mid 50s, a tad chilly, but I figured the hiking would warm me up and I wouldn't need to wear my hooded sweater.  (I was right)


I had never been to Yaqui Springs before, though, and could only guess on its location based on Google Earth maps.  The map said the springs was right off a spur road coming off the International Border Road, but in reality that "road" was a badly-eroded former ATV trail that is now more of a faded two-track along a ridge.  To avoid trespassing on the construction zone, I took us over and through three ravines, all which surely would be refreshing, shaded areas if there were water running


The eastern slopes of Montezuma's Peak have a fascinating geology unlike other parts of the Huachucas.  One can see high limestone and conglomerate cliffs that leak water after a rain, leaving white mineral deposits behind.  The flora is typical oak-pinon-juniper forest, mixed in with prickly pear, agave, fragrant sage and some cholla.  I'm sure after a heavy rain, these slopes would be even more dramatic. Big conglomerate boulders also dot the lower slopes.  The only trails here are faint paths from animals and border crossers.


I took us toward where I suspected the springs to be, along a ravine that guided us up a dry waterfall.  The dogs explored the rock slopes and even found a few pools of water.  The conglomerate here provides excellent traction as the rock is not smooth at all.  Allie had some difficulty over the higher steps, but we managed to make it 1.3 miles before turning around when we decided the rock was too loose and overgrown.  We could see our cars parked off the road. Perhaps on a day when I had no time restrictions would I want to come back here.




The waterfall we climbed up offers water for the white-tailed deer that live here.  We spotted several, along with many deer droppings, even some old water bottles and sun-bleached backpacks from border crossers.  We were moving slowly up the steep slope, brushing catclaw and cacti out of the way.  Animals that live here are protected not just by the rock canyon, but by living in a national park where no hunting is allowed.




We started our descent at 12:15pm.  Going down the steep slope was easier on all of us, but just as treacherous.  The dogs loosen rocks and cause rocks to pummel down, so we all kept our distance.


I found the official Yaqui Springs on our return walk, a muddy pit surrounded by a rock wall with evidence of recent cattle visits.  The area smelled like a cattle pissoir.  The springs was right off the ridgeline that comes off the border wall.  We took this ridgeline back to the border road to get a closer look of the construction here. The border wall on the western slope of Montezuma's Peak is a metal hedgehog meant to keep cattle from Mexico from traveling north.  This is the area that needed a wall, not the area along the river that already had a wall there.  Will this section be finished before Trump leaves office?


We walked the border road back to our cars.  The dogs slipped in and out of Mexico, totally oblivious to the border.  We had walked just under  three miles when we left,  It was just past 1pm and I got home 30 minutes later to an exuberant Hansel whose cone by now was completely torn to pieces.  That boy was so happy to see me, he wouldn't leave my side.



Kevin and I had a pleasant meal at Texas Roadhouse that was only interrupted when I had to drive home to retrieve his truck key.  For the second time in our marriage, he had locked himself out of his vehicle.  He had called AAA for assistance but got no answer.  Luckily it was only a 30-minute diversion and he was able to drive home.

I'm so not into Christmas this year.



***

Global cases 79,235,961

Global deaths 1,747,854

US cases 18,917,100 (+249,102)

US deaths 334,218 (+3769)

AZ cases 473,273 (+6058)

AZ deaths 8179 (+54)

CA cases 2,010.813 (+41,371)

CA deaths 23,638 (+414)

IN cases 476,538 (+4662)

IN deaths 7645 (+64)

PA cases 586,908 (+9725)

PA deaths 14508 (+222)




Tuesday, December 22, 2020

Wakefield Canyon and on to Copper Glance Mine

 Ellen proposed this hike, a repeat of the hike we did the Friday after Thanksgiving.  We had turned around with 1.2 miles to go on that hike because three other hikers with us didn't want to go further.  It was too steep for them. I told Ellen then I would like to come back and finish the hike.  Today was that day.  It was just the two of us.

We met at 0840 at Hunter Canyon.  I was early and explored a new mountainbike trail right off the parking area with Zeke and Gretel, managing a mere half-mile as a sort of warm-up. When was this trail built?  Has it been that long since my last visit to Hunter Canyon?  When Ellen arrived ten minutes late, we all carpooled with her.  She had even put her rear seats down for the dogs and laid a blanket for them.  

The road to the trailhead is badly rutted for a car with a ground clearance under seven inches.  Ellen's Toyota FJ Cruiser Radar can easily manage ruts and boulders in the road.

We went straight on the trail, forsaking the lower mines from the last visit.



We started at at the cattle trough going north on the road.  At 0.6 mile we turned west on an old mining trail, now blocked off by boulders.  That old road continues northwest for 1.4 miles when it stops at a ravine.  We continued up this ravine for 0.25 m, rested a bit, then bushwhacked up and around the hill until we got to the top 0.8 miles later, following game trails. This part was very slow going, up loose and steep, rocky terrain covered by dead grass and pinon-juniper forest. 



It wasn't until we hit a second mass of Jumex cans that I knew we were approaching an old mining area.  Illegal border crossers carry their Jumex juice cans with them on their treks up these mountains, then leave them behind before leaving the mountains.  Jumex is a popular brand in Mexico.



The views to the south opened up nicely the higher up we got.  We had picked a good day for this hike, with highs in the 60s and partly-cloudly skies. I wore three layers on top and never peeled off any layer, never feeling too cold nor too hot.



The dogs held up nicely, too. Gretel was comfortable hiking with Ellen, watching her closely, while Zeke stayed by my side.  Their one big vice was staring Ellen down for treats, even after having their own lunch

We rested at the mine shack at the top.  I fed and watered the dogs here while Ellen went to peed, exploring some mines on her way back.  One mine on our descent looked more like a cave, with a steep drop right at the opening, and three wooden planks across for support. A very faint mining road to this cave took us to this finding.  There is still quite a bit of minerals to be found here if one looks closely, or knows what to look for.



We will come back to this area again, perhaps starting from Sunnysites Canyon to the west.  The roads to this mining area seem to have originated there.  This is a part of the Huachucas I have always found interesting, but seldom get to because of the badly-rutted roads.

We went down the way we went up but going straight down instead of around the hill,  down the ravine and back to the old mining road.  I discovered the remains of a coatimundi, taking its sun-bleached skull back with me.


We hiked a total of 6.97 miles in 4:09 hours and never saw another human. I got home at 3:24pm, just ten minutes ahead of Kevin.



***

Global cases 78,509,297

Global deaths 1,733,650

US cases: 18,684,576 (+193,106)

US deaths 330,824 (+3639)

AZ cases 457,215 (+5870)

AZ death 8125 (+153)

CA cases 1,966,215 (+34,995)

CA deaths 23,288 (+193)

IN cases 471,876 (+3657)

IN deaths 7581 (+143)

PA cases 577,183 (+7770)

PA deaths 14,286 (+227)