Copper Canyon

Copper Canyon is a steep, narrow and short canyon on the south end of the Huachuca mountains.  The trail is an old mining trail that takes one to the mine just 0.75 miles up the hill.  It's shaded by mature Live Oaks and pines.  During the monsoon the creek rushes downhill.

Taking three dogs there was my goal today.  Hansel needed his run and the two other dogs turned out to be Fritz and Zana, since they were the three dogs that stayed in the yard when I fed the pack their morning chicken.

It was a hot day today, registering 97F at the hottest.  I thought Copper Canyon would be lush and cool when I got there at 2pm with three anxious and panting dogs.

I was hit immediately by the dry heat.  I didn't bring water on the hike for us since I expected water in the lower mine. I only had a bucket of water in the car. I was surprised to see the drainage was dry.  I struggled up the steep, rocky canyon and stopped a few times.  The only consolation is knowing the trail is less than a mile long. At least a dry heat is not as bad as the humid heat the eastern part of the country is experiencing.

There were no wildflowers except for a few firecracker plants. I was expecting more flowers after last week's rain.  There was no evidence that we got two downpours a week ago.  Our next rain is due Tuesday-Wednesday.

We got relief at the lower mine.  There was water in that mine.  It was clear water until all three dogs rushed into the pool, lapping and rolling and being dogs.  This water was our destination and I rested here a bit while the dogs took dips in the water and munched on grass. A cool breeze came down from above.  This is a pretty spot when the water is running.

We walked up to the upper mine but that one was dry.  So we turned around and walked down the way we started.  The pack ran up and down the hillside but never strayed.  Hansel and Fritz would dart on ahead with Zana right behind them.  They always came back when I called.  The mine water definitely refreshed them and they were full of energy now.

Since the mining trail is less than a mile long one way, I continued walking south past the road for a quarter mile to at least get two miles in.  We rested in the shade of a live oak by the car before going back home up the forest road, up and over Montezuma's pass driving no faster than 15mph.  It's a scenic drive with views of the international border just two miles south. Google was right when it said it was an hour drive from my house to the trailhead. It's 32 miles from my home.

All three dogs jumped in the trough once we got back home.  Only Fritz got out once I went back inside.  Hansel and Zana stayed outside until they dried off.  Fritz was tired, curling up right next to me for the next two hours while I did my evening routine of listening to the news and going through social media.

I got a text from my boss:  be at work tomorrow.  Oh shit, that's right!  I thought we started on Wednesday like we always had in the past.  I had planned on driving to Tucson one last time.  Bill and I were supposed to hike Carr Peak on Wednesday, weather permitting.

Well, so thus ends my summer vacation.  I got most of the plans I had made completed. I got the fence put up, all the plants put in the ground, and the yard slowly cleaned up.  There's a lot more I still need to do, though.  I'm sure I can get a lot more done once this heat subsides and cooler temps prevail.

Back to the Lehner Kill site TH

The morning began with a quick stop at the old lot.  Thursday mornings are trash pick-up and there is still a lot of work to be done at the old site. Right now it's a lot of garden debris and pulling out new palo verde seedlings.   I can try to replant them on my new land but they would need some indoor potted help for a few weeks.  My southern-facing "office" would make a good grow room because of its constant warmth.

One older jogger recognized me as I walked down my street.  "You're the German Shepherd Lady!" and she added that she always thinks of me when she jogs past my old lot.

I stayed at the site until shortly after trash pick-up at 7:50am and then drove home to do some gardening.  I need to get as much planted before school starts back up again next Wednesday and the soil is already drying out again. 

Today I decided to start walking earlier and took three dogs back to the Lehner Kill site trailhead. We walked part of the newer mountainbike loop. I took Zana, Gretel, and Fritz.  Zana was due her turn and the other two got freebies.  We started at 5:53pm and it was still 89F, according to Strava.

I wasn't sure how well Zana would be around Fritz, since both took off on me back in March.  She is always so full of energy. I watched them both carefully, and always called them back to me if I saw them running in the other direction.  They did fine.

Gretel, as usual, stayed close to me, always stopping and looking back at me and not continuing walking until she saw me walk.  She's gotten so good at understanding hiking etiquette.  When I call the dogs, she's always the first one back to me.  I only have to worry about her around other dogs and strangers.

This loop isn't as long as the straight-out route I took yesterday, but I didn't feel like extending my walk today. Views from the mountainbike route are expansive and one can see far into the river plain. This area was also burned by the fire four years ago.  No massive wildflowers either, other than nightshade and coyote squash.

We went straight to the San Pedro River which at this location is deep enough for them to swim in.  We stayed a bit here, then went south on the trail to our usual swimming hole.  

This section is heavily overgrown and at one point came across a rattler that warned us.  I didn't see the snake but heard it loud and clear.  "GRETEL!" I yelled, as I saw her sniffing the area from where the rattling and hissing sound came from.  She moved back right away.  Whew.

Otherwise it was a dull hike that was more fun for the dogs than me.  Views of the mountains and dead cottonwoods, however, are always a plus.

Total distance was a mere 2.6 miles.  I'm sure the dogs did a bit more than that. 

We were home by 7:15pm.  By 8pm I took Wolfie on his three-mile solo hike.  He does so well when he's alone, and his recall has gotten better this past year.  The route I like is either the three mile or extended 3.8 mile route through the 'hood on mostly dirt roads.  The puddles from the storms earlier this week are still around on Burro Drive, but they have gotten smaller. 

Two days of good rain

Monday and Tuesday afternoon brought us two strong storms that flooded my front yard and caused water to rush down the street.  The water softened the ground for me to plant the last of the pots I needed put in the ground.  I enjoyed the cooler temperatures.  

Hopefully some of the blue palo verde seeds I put in the ground this morning will germinate and grow into trees.  Their yellow flowers in the spring will add color to the dull mesquite everywhere. Palo verde are my favorite desert tree. My next goal will be to plant red and yellow Birds of paradise all around the front yard.  The seeds won't be harvestable until the fall so I have another year to wait for blooms in my yard. I will also thin out the weak trees up front.

Today I wanted to take the dogs down to the river to see the water level, but I didn't get motivated to leave until almost 6pm.  By then that only allowed for a good hour of walking, so I opted to go to the Lehner Kill site parking area and walk the mile to the river.  The trail here doesn't get muddied out like other trailheads.  It's 13 miles from my place, so a little longer to get to than the Ramsey Rd trailhead, but I figured the Ramsey Road section would need another day to dry out.

I brought Hansel, Gretel and Fritz again.  They are a good team. Gretel always stays near me and the two boys chase each other through the tall grass.  They know where the water is and run on ahead.

The fire that burned the field here four years ago must have been very hot as the false sunflowers that would crowd out the field have not grown back.  The only flowers I saw were nightshades.  The field is now tall grass with a few mesquite still around the spring.  I was hoping to see some wildflowers!

When we got to the water I was surprised at how low it was.  There was fresh evidence of a flash flood, but most of the riverbed was muddy with a stream in the middle.  The dogs still enjoyed their refreshment, though, and I always enjoy this trio having fun chasing each other.

The only excitement I had was walking up to a tarantula.  The first one this season.  I'm glad I saw it in daylight and not at night.

We managed three miles and it was already in dusk when we got to the Honda.  Sunset was at 7:21pm.  If I had left the house 40 minutes earlier, we could have gotten four miles in. My bad.  At least it was a pretty sunset and it was cool.  We are expecting the heat to return by Thursday with no rain again until Monday.

A housefire on Hargis Ranch Road was visible from the trailhead that had just started at around 7pm.  By the time we were on our drive home, two CCSO vehicles sped north on Palominas Road and four more sped east on Hereford Road.  At least the heavy rains have saturated the ground so there was no fear of the fire spreading.

I later took Gretchen out for her two-mile walk at dark. It was true dark as we are in new moon status with a waning crescent due to rise at 4am. She found a dead hare in the road and insisted on taking it with her.  That poor critter was locked in her mouth for 1.5 miles.  Gretchen never let go of it until we were back on our driveway.

The old maintenance road

Woke up to drizzle and cooler temperatures.  It was Gretchen's turn for a walk.  She is one dog I don't trust off leash as she has horrible recall.  The only place she's off leash is in the backyard, and then she doesn't go out very often if the other dogs are out there.

I walked east on my road.  There was no sunrise due to the rain clouds, but the breeze was invigorating.  I added an additional mile to the walk before turning around.  Gretchen walked well today and I think it was the prong collar that helped.  She didn't lunge at the desert hares, although I could tell she wanted to.

I've been using down time lately to get plants in the ground. That was my summer goal this year.  All this rain recently is helping as the soil is now saturated.  Most homes here don't landscape.  They use their land for livestock or workshops or junk piles.

But one house does stand out. I noticed one house with a landscaped front yard on this walk, east of Moson Road.  It's the only house with landscaping!  So I won't be the only homeowner here with flowers and cacti and fruit trees.  My yard still needs a lot of work, but I'm making progress.  Give me a few years when most of the seedlings start showing.

The four-mile walk did Gretchen good.  She rested once back home, but I could tell she tensed up a bit when I let the other dogs back in.  The other dogs always seem to like attacking her, and I'm always watching out for her.  I protect her more than she protects me.

In the afternoon I went out again with three dogs (Hansel, Gretel, Fritz) to walk the old maintenance trail that was a staple of mine until the house fire.  I could let the dogs run down the road to the end and back for two miles. Getting there from our old house was a mere three miles.  Now it's more like eight miles.

I wanted to see what wildflowers were blooming.  The maintenance road always had lots of wild senna and zinnias blooming during the monsoon.  I like both flowers for their bright yellow flowers and long blooms.  You can't buy them in garden shops as they are considered weeds.

But sadly the maintenance road is now closed off past the national forest warehouse.  It's now private property from there on down!  What a bummer.  The ATV trail now has a name so that means it will get graded, expanded and paved. My only option now was to walk back and let the dogs roam in the grass near the state road, although it's very rocky and I was on the lookout for snakes.  What used to be an easy two-mile walk up and down the road was now a 1.3-mile walk. We are losing our open spaces.

I found one senna in bloom.  I plan on being back in the area to harvest some seeds this fall.  I'll be the only house on the road with yellow senna but it should be able to grow as it's in native soil and only five miles from its original growth.

 

The San Pedro River (after Sunday's rain)

We got heavy rains Sunday evening, our best rain yet this season.  I had just gotten back from Tucson. Yesterday I spent two hours gardening to plant more trees in the damp soil.  I stopped when the humidity got too high for me. 

Today I opted to take Zana and Gretel to the river to check the water flow.  If there was any water across Ramsey Road, it would be dried up by now.  That last mile of Ramsey road is a narrow dirt road that crosses the Big Wash.

The dogs were eager to get out and run.  Zana was due a walk anyway (so is Hansel) and both girls did great staying close.  They seem to understand "stay with me!"

The rain brought out some color and some wildlife.  I counted at least ten millipedes on the trail, as many red velvet mites, darkling beetles, and on our return walk, a nesting box turtle!

There was no flowing water in the San Pedro river, but the mud in the wash and then at the tributary was proof that there was a bit of a flashflood Sunday evening.

I started out walking south in the wash, but the soft mud got too treacherous.  The mud was taking over my Keens and making walking difficult.  We turned around to walk north instead, and stopped only when we came to our first mudhole just past the big log jam.

The mudhole was ideal for Zana, who didn't hesitate to roll around in the cool refreshment.  Gretel was more refined and only jutted her snout in the mud

At least they got two miles on the return hike to dry up some.  And then once home, I forced Zana in the back yard so that she could jump in the trough and get some of the mud off her. 

Total distance was just under 4.3 miles

The rest of the day went peacefully.  I had a 1:20pm appointment for Gretchen's vaccines at Dr Jackson's.  I arrived early in case we would get stuck in a storm as rain was forecasted for 2pm.  The office is closed an hour for lunch so I walked her for a half mile along the multiuse path until they opened at 1pm.  

Gretchen now weighs 58 pounds.  She only gained one pound since her last rabies shot three years ago.

Once home, I did another mile for her while the clouds started forming.

Another deluge then happened at 5pm which lasted a few hours of steady rain.  My plants are going to be loving all this rain!

High winds and rain

I had a Yelp event I was invited to at a small chocolate shop in Tucson.  Today was the last day for me to attend.  I had been holding off all week due to the triple-digit heat.  My Honda doesn't cool very well when the outside temperature is nearing 100F/

High winds and heavy rain were forecasted for 6pm on the Weather channel.  I took this forecast seriously and knew I needed to leave for Tucson by noon and be back home before any rain fell.  I left all dogs at home so that they wouldn't suffer in the heat.  I tend to eat out while in Tucson to try something new in town. and they would be uncomfortable during the day on a shaded patio while I ate.  So they stayed home

Everything went well.  The chocolate shop was two blocks from a recycling station behind Ward 6 Council Office I use near Speedway avenue.  I didn't have much, but I did have glass bottles from dogs walks that I had picked up that needed to be dropped off.

The chocolate event went well.  The chocolate treat was very good, but very filling.  I only ate half the cup and saved the rest for the next day.

I stopped at Opa's Best Greek for a late lunch and then drove back home.  It was too hot to even walk the perimeter of Reid Park.  It was still 89F!

Neither the chocolate shop nor the Greek restaurant had plug-ins for my dying phone.  My camera phone was dead by the time I took off for the drive back.

The sky to the southeast was clouding up on my return drive home.  It was 5:45pm as I entered SR90 going south.  I could see a bright area in Sulphur Springs Valley thinking it was light shining on an area.  It was, but the area was a dust storm moving in.  I found that out an hour later.

I stopped at Walmart to look at plants and get some chicken for the dogs.  My phone's emergency alert system went off at 6:20pm warning about high winds and rain.  By the time I left Walmart at 6:29pm the winds were blowing hard but I ran to my Honda as fast as I could to avoid getting stuck in any rain.  I wanted to get home before Moson road was closed to flooding.

The dust darkened the sky a light, then dark grey. It began raining just as I was getting ready to turn south on Moson.

There are three dips on Moson Road that can cause flooding.  The first one is a half mile on Moson by mile marker 5. and the second one, an actual wash, a mile farther south.  I drove the speed limit carefully.  A work truck with its lights flashing red was ahead of me.  I followed it closely until I turned on my street.

The area around my mailboxes was flooding.  There was one more dip before I got home.

The rain by now picked up in intensity.  I parked by the front door and waited for a lull in the rain before going inside.

The dogs were happy to see me as shortly after my arrival, the storm broke out with lightning and thunder and this rain persisted for 45 minutes.  I was glad that at least I was home for the dogs during the worst part of the storm.

And all this without being able to photograph any of it.  Later I saw friends' posts of dust clouds moving over the valley.  I missed a photographic event!

Drive-thru rabies clinic

I opted out of a hike with the hiking club up Miller Peak to instead drive to Tombstone with Gretel for her rabies vaccine.  She was the last dog that needed a current vaccine.  The Tombstone Small Animal Shelter sponsored a drive-thru, cash only rabies clinic and I figured that would be perfect to my very reactive Gretel. 

I walked Wolfie at 7am to the mailbox and back (two miles), had an iced coffee, and drove off at 8:20am to Tombstone with an excited Gretel. I was expecting a long line of cars, but the four cars ahead of me went surprisingly fast.  The workers manning the stations were fast, efficient, and friendly.  I filled out paperwork while waiting and I quickly made it to the front.  The DVM gave Gretel her vaccine from the passenger side as she leaned into the car.  I held Gretel's head and comforted her.  And then we were off.  What a deal for $20.  My certificate is hand-written, though, so if I lose this original, I won't be able to retrieve proof online.

The day was early and I used my time in Tombstone to walk around with Gretel.  We walked the main street up and down (a half-mile), I looked at some of the outlaw merchandise for sale, then stopped in at the Undertaker Espresso Bar.  I had always wanted to try this place out.

The building indeed was once a morgue and one can request views of the backrooms when it's not busy.  It was busy inside so I sat down on a velvet blue couch and chilled a bit while looking at the menu.  I wanted something non-caffeinated and iced.  A local recommended a refresher, a basic seltzer with flavored syrups.  I had the strawberry-kiwi.

Across from me under the wall menu were two locals.  One was dressed in 1880s regalia, the other was a visibly gay man who had transitioned into a woman.  Her boobs were bigger than mine! She talked loudly to the unwitting customers and gave them recommendations for local gay bars.  She was in a wheel chair as she was missing her right foot.  She wore heavy underliner and her face was covered in tattoos. You could tell from afar she was trans. Her name is Rachel.

But transgendered people have interesting stories to tell and I enjoy hearing them.  What made them want to transition?  How has life been since transitioning?  What made them realize they were gay?  While I didn't ask her anything along those lines, I simply sat back and listened to her loud narratives.  To say she was not proudly gay is an understatement. 

I learned a bit about her just from what she volunteered to announce to all the customers.  She served in the US Marine Corps 1970-1974 as a combat medic. She never finished high sch\ool and went right into the Marines.  She retired two years ago at age 65 and settled here in Tombstone.  She knows all the local gay bars.  She told me Tombstone was a haven for lesbians.

"Tombstone?" I asked, dumbfounded. "It's so MAGA!" I added.

"Oh Honey, This place is full of lesbians!" And then Rachel rattled off the gay bars in the area.  I didn't take note of the one in Tombstone as I don't frequent bars and definitely not gay bars.  The one in Bisbee is well-known, the one in Sierra Vista is not.

I would have enjoyed a longer conversation with her.  I find the lives of the LGTBQ people fascinating as it takes courage to come out, let alone transition. But I had to get back home, drop Gretel off, and then head out to Tucson for a Yelp Event.  I ended up stopping at the San Pedro River and walked the mile along the trickling creek to the graffiti bridge. That's a two-mile easy jaunt that's half-shaded.  This way Gretel could jump into the water when the hot sand got too much for her paws.

Water level here was low so hopefully the rain forecasted for Tuesday and Wednesday next week will help.

Gretel got to walk 2.6 miles today.

A year in my new home

July 9th, 2024 is when I took possession of my new home.  It's been quite a year since.  There are pros and cons with living out in the desert, away from town.

Con 1: Lack of privacy. My 4.4-acre lot sits on the corner of two streets.  The pavement to my street ends there.  What I don't like is how open my lot is; passers-by can easily see my property and watch me garden.  I hate that lack of privacy, so I planted oleanders and pines along the front in March.  In a few years they will be tall enough to block out some of the view.  I will continue to plant more trees to add variety to the otherwise mundane mesquite and catclaw acacia (which I really don't like!)

Con 2:  Lack of camaraderie.  Neighbors here want to be left alone.  They live out here to grow food, raise livestock, tinker in workshops.   I wave at  other dog walkers in the morning, but I haven't had a real conversation with any of them.  The only neighbors I know are Kim and Ken across from me, and people living on the short road behind me since we share the well.

Con3: I suspect my street is a known dumping ground for unwanted animals.  It's also a busy area for coyotes and javelina and rattlesnakes.  I wanted to grow a cactus garden in my front yard, but the javelinas destroyed the various prickly pear there in March.  I want to replant that garden but need a 4-foot fence first around the area to keep the javelina out.  They like to uproot cacti and leave a mess.

Con4: Home deficiencies.  All homeowners have to maintain their property and it can get expensive. The front door seal came undone shortly after I moved in. Within a few months I discovered that the electrical outlet underneath the sink, to which the dishwasher is attached, does not work.  The laundry room's light switch is at the exit door to the backyard and not the entrance door.  I have to turn on the hallway light to use the washer. The white trim facing the west side of the home is peeling.  One of the wooden trims is also warped.  That one is going to be hard to replace because it's right along the front porch.  And, most concerning, the LVP by the back patio is already warped in three planks!

Con5: Missing Willie.  There is no way I could take Willie from the home he's known all his life and move him to my new place.  He would fall prey to coyotes.  I do miss his mew.  I try to leave food for him whenever I stop by the old place.  I hadn't seen him since the house got demolished.

But the good outweighs the bad. Pro 1: Beautiful sunrises and sunsets.  I see the sun rise from my kitchen and patio, and the sun set from my living room.  It's quiet here at night.  I hear distant dogs bark, and when it rains, the croaks of frogs nearby in the puddles.  I'm a mile away from a busy road but don't hear any traffic.   I love the solitude.

Pro2:  It's a shorter drive into town by two miles, with fewer traffic lights to stop me. The only time the drive is an issue is when the main road into town floods after heavy rain and the road is closed for the duration.  It's a two-mile detour south and then west to get to town this way. 

Pro3: The extra acreage.  I want to grow some fruit trees on the southern section of the lot.  Plums and apricots grow well here. I also want to experiment with more gardening.  I want to plant some palo verde from seeds taken from the trees I planted in my old lot.  Palo verde bloom dramatically with their yellow flowers  in the spring and the blooms last a few months.  Right now I have three different varieties  in seed propagating as I write this, along with some mimosa.  Yes, they are messy with their dropped pods, but it's food for the animals here.  At night during my walks I see kangaroo rats and mice flit across the roads.

I went to my old lot to pick up some more stuff, mostly focusing on palo verde seeds and cacti  I might as well as take cacti from my own lot than buy them.  I still have a lot of other work to do on this lot to declare it completely cleaned up of my presence.

I was thinking about Willie as I was collecting seeds, missing his soft mew whenever I called him.  I called out his name a few times but didn't hear anything.  But then he showed up underneath the big palo verde tree!  He is alive!  He's gotta be going on 14 years old now.

Willie stood still.  He didn't mew back when I called him, but he stayed still long enough for me to photograph him. He's starting to look his age,  with some grey in his snout.  His right eye seems to be partially blind now.  It's not as round as the left eye. I'm now going to have to keep some food for him at the old place.  I hadn't left any out for him on my last few visits because I didn't know if he was still around.

Seeing Willie cheered me up for the day.

Garden Canyon Linear Park

The Garden Canyon Linear Park is a 3.5-mile connector trail built by mountain bikers to get from Brown Canyon Ranch House to Buffalo Soldier Trail and SR90.  It's mostly flat.  The views of the Huachucas is the selling point here, with open views in all directions.

I've been on this trail several times now.  It had been a year since I was last on it with Fritz that morning, when I still lived with CC.  I spent last summer house hunting and I had already found the place I eventually settled on by then.

The trail starts out following a wash between two neighborhoods.  It had always been popular with neighborhood kids taking their BMX bikes to practice jumps.  Part of the trail was then "upgraded" with some pavement, benches, and trash bins. 

Bill and I met at 5am by the canal. We didn't see anyone on the trail for the first two miles. We hit the boundary gate with Fort Huachuca and I was blocking the narrow path from a mountain biker who waited quietly behind me before I noticed his presence.

The lack of any rain made this a boring hike as there were no flowers blooming anywhere.  Rain brings out the desert sunflowers. That made me curious about the duckpond off the Nature Trail by the ranch house.  Would there be water in it?

We made the ranch house our destination point, resting just briefly by the windmill to let Hansel jump into a water trough to cool off.  He also  jumped into the duck pond that had been filled with water. The reeds that normally hide the pond had also been cut back. A squadron of javelina darted into the tall dead grass to evade us.

We walked back the way we came.  I cut through the hidden cholla grove to see if the desert wren from last year was again nesting in a cholla.  She wasn't there, but the nest was.  There was another nest nearby.

This eight-mile walk took us three hours.