tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-357231232024-02-03T09:30:38.463-07:00Art's Desert Exploration BlogHiking in the Sonoran desert, with photographs of saguaros, lizards, birds, scorpions, flowers, other desert flora and fauna, mountains, rocks, sunsets, etc.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09495771485593181492noreply@blogger.comBlogger766125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35723123.post-3647908029292236992018-12-26T18:54:00.000-07:002018-12-26T18:57:48.127-07:00The Wave Cave<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A new trail has appeared in the Superstition Wilderness. It goes to the cave pictured above. I think you can figure out how it got its name.<br />
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I'm pretty sure there wasn't a trail up there when I first started hiking in that area about 12 or 14 years ago. The Wave Cave trail splits off of the Carney Springs trail. I was on the Wave Cave trail 2 or 3 years ago. I didn't follow it up to the cave back then because I didn't know it went up there and it wasn't an official trail then so there wasn't any signage.<br />
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The Wave Cave is in the canyon just to the right of the Three Sisters. I think the official trail is supposed to start at the Lost Goldmine trailhead on Peralta Road. I parked in a small lot before the Lost Goldmine trailhead that avoids a lot of pointless ups and downs and twists and turns before you get to the trail going up to the Wave Cave. Always capitalizing "Wave Cave" is making me feel a little like Trump (read his tweets). I have this strange urge to build a wall.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQZA7fg8rtrg7wqF2nmO0E_Z3HrG19afjSp2F75YUTxUIbkrzRXH2tLcchRywzE3yq0gHt9ZaStFaLc5kMGC74JSbOnSv0qtFrd_llSTYvwYlvnZ3Uzw8J0HWrrIOK2B39nJSa/s1600/7Z0A5139_40_41_fused.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQZA7fg8rtrg7wqF2nmO0E_Z3HrG19afjSp2F75YUTxUIbkrzRXH2tLcchRywzE3yq0gHt9ZaStFaLc5kMGC74JSbOnSv0qtFrd_llSTYvwYlvnZ3Uzw8J0HWrrIOK2B39nJSa/s320/7Z0A5139_40_41_fused.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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My truck is parked behind that black SUV in the small lot at the intersection of the 2 "roads". The hike was less than 4 miles and about 800 feet of climbing. It gets pretty steep towards the end. My GPS tracker says it's a 1000 foot climb but it also says that I was zipping around the mountain at 160mph when I was standing in the cave. Those things just don't work in caves.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09495771485593181492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35723123.post-85091892325086681372018-06-22T15:40:00.000-07:002018-06-22T15:40:27.722-07:00Harvester Ant Mystery<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>Cottony stuff around a Harvester Ant mound</i></center>
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After 15 years I still come across stuff in the desert that I've never seen before. A couple of weeks ago I saw what looked like the stuffing out of a child's stuffed toy. I was close to a road, so that seemed like a reasonable explanation. I saw a couple more patches of the cottony stuff further from the road, though, and also noticed that it was just around Harvester ant mounds. I also noticed some ants carrying the stuff. I couldn't figure out where it came from, though. Were the ants doing their spring cleaning and this was garbage that had collected in the mounds all winter?<br />
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<i>Scenic area</i></div>
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I pondered the possibilities as I wandered around but couldn't come up with any reasonable explanation. I was about to find out what it was, though.<br />
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<i>Closeup of agave flowers on a stalk that fell over.</i></div>
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The sun had set by the time I returned to the truck. I got a little too close to an ocotillo and it caught my sleeve. I kept walking and when the ocotillo finally snapped free, I was showered with seeds. The seeds are wrapped in a thin white skin and have a fibrous, cottony layer between the skin and the seed itself. The ants had been gathering the seeds (which is what Harvester ants do) and stripping off and discarding the inedible fibers around the seed.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09495771485593181492noreply@blogger.com021861 Apache Trail, Apache Junction, AZ 85119, USA33.538692147083374 -111.3266742693360233.525457147083372 -111.34684426933602 33.551927147083376 -111.30650426933603tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35723123.post-58653853752326947112017-09-04T11:26:00.000-07:002017-09-04T11:26:10.002-07:00The Great American Eclipse of 2017<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-ylLbcMNWho_L_2jMgzN7UGVvl8DWG70rb_ZMj94zr2ariPJ4eLTKvg-3in2RS5pJ8kkramZtC1VQzgKCAMLJZ18oN2CKxgTGD2rSKMjEawVxBe8V01sy8fkXzsOQsEABFXX0/s1600/7Z0A8519_20_21_22_23_fused.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1066" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-ylLbcMNWho_L_2jMgzN7UGVvl8DWG70rb_ZMj94zr2ariPJ4eLTKvg-3in2RS5pJ8kkramZtC1VQzgKCAMLJZ18oN2CKxgTGD2rSKMjEawVxBe8V01sy8fkXzsOQsEABFXX0/s320/7Z0A8519_20_21_22_23_fused.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><i>Totality</i><br />
<P>OK, there it is. Done.<br />
<P>Except it wasn't quite that easy. Driving 1000 miles isn't as easy for me as it used to be. I spent a night in Grand Junction, Colorado both directions. There's a lot of nice scenery along the way and there was very little traffic on the way up there. I was in Riverton, Wyoming for the eclipse, at the home of a friend of a friend of a friend. Jana opened her home to a couple of strangers and made us feel very welcome.<br />
<P><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUMRv4s944sgvmQAeWE_JwKZ4kHBwwZsqcAe-CJRWk4a76CkzQClIN23IcIPUJ_imNP_WO6Bzp37ea9Wy9rvcXdj79O5ws2wuY2gRof0YKNpiuFhIZns0LACqTvYiDQdp0rqBF/s1600/7Z0A8526_27_28_29_30_fused.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUMRv4s944sgvmQAeWE_JwKZ4kHBwwZsqcAe-CJRWk4a76CkzQClIN23IcIPUJ_imNP_WO6Bzp37ea9Wy9rvcXdj79O5ws2wuY2gRof0YKNpiuFhIZns0LACqTvYiDQdp0rqBF/s320/7Z0A8526_27_28_29_30_fused.jpg" width="320" height="213" data-original-width="1565" data-original-height="1043" /></a></div><i>Totality ends</i><br />
<P>I had semi-planned to do some sight-seeing on the way back to Phoenix but I was tired and it was still the height of tourist season at the national parks.<br />
<P><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWUF_CauWjI3gwDqm8qmY_CAM1uLIidX7svFm-MPBa31vKr4eOaM5-JTDLVw9ikeAAEJIhsP2imklfywU-sRHN7rUAXX3k7isJDV-WYQTJSHy2CEgbHEFjU8Q8ACCBFp1tWVOz/s1600/7Z0A8634_5_6_tonemapped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWUF_CauWjI3gwDqm8qmY_CAM1uLIidX7svFm-MPBa31vKr4eOaM5-JTDLVw9ikeAAEJIhsP2imklfywU-sRHN7rUAXX3k7isJDV-WYQTJSHy2CEgbHEFjU8Q8ACCBFp1tWVOz/s320/7Z0A8634_5_6_tonemapped.jpg" width="320" height="213" data-original-width="1600" data-original-height="1065" /></a></div><I>Wilson Arch is right next to the highway just south of Moab, Utah and it's an easy stroll up to the opening.</i><br />
<P><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZJ-xOBhTqT9sV8R6RNfwYAVSP08EUE37NOMpsKkD5JoEMBFpwm4RubK1Hg0-dF_4JyB7u5nuVHkflwjtcptZ9dQZxMGUwWEcp1ExXkXg6RQ3L4cgfPcADv1t8Bsz_5ey8hBaU/s1600/7Z0A8670_1_2_tonemapped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZJ-xOBhTqT9sV8R6RNfwYAVSP08EUE37NOMpsKkD5JoEMBFpwm4RubK1Hg0-dF_4JyB7u5nuVHkflwjtcptZ9dQZxMGUwWEcp1ExXkXg6RQ3L4cgfPcADv1t8Bsz_5ey8hBaU/s320/7Z0A8670_1_2_tonemapped.jpg" width="320" height="212" data-original-width="1600" data-original-height="1061" /></a></div><i>View of the parking area from Wilson Arch. I was going to include a picture of the view in the other direction but I'll let you climb up there and see what it looks like yourself.</i><br />
<P>Arches National Park seems to be one of those places that is jammed with people whenever there isn't 4 feet of snow on the ground. Still, I think I'll try to get in there during the "off-season" and after they finish some of their road construction.<br />
<P><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Q6T4XEkEVkicmcmVCSow1tNjNv97KGySmvs2-INetNsydnd9TvzXjsurigHra2usOCEG5gaZWq9Yjx9TMPrxBKtDy5zRzVpS9EqDPy5t2Deo-w3V_FI4nNxSRRNnx7abC1TD/s1600/IMG_2241.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Q6T4XEkEVkicmcmVCSow1tNjNv97KGySmvs2-INetNsydnd9TvzXjsurigHra2usOCEG5gaZWq9Yjx9TMPrxBKtDy5zRzVpS9EqDPy5t2Deo-w3V_FI4nNxSRRNnx7abC1TD/s320/IMG_2241.JPG" width="320" height="213" data-original-width="1600" data-original-height="1065" /></a></div><i>Partial eclipse showing sunspots</i><br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09495771485593181492noreply@blogger.com0Riverton, WY 82501, USA43.0249592 -108.3801035999999842.9321212 -108.54146509999998 43.1177972 -108.21874209999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35723123.post-44671435007020065062017-08-03T09:44:00.000-07:002017-08-03T09:49:06.146-07:00A morning hikeMost people in the Houston, Texas area prefer to mow their lawns in the morning because it's cooler then. The relative humidity is also near 100% at that time. Just looking at the lawn mower had sweat running down my face, so I usually mowed in late afternoon.<br />
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People also like to hike in the morning in Arizona because it's cooler. I've never liked hiking in the morning because it's still hot then and you know it's only going to get hotter. Much hotter. I tried a morning hike recently, though. I volunteered to help put up a sign in Tonto National Forest that depicted the work done to remove salt cedar, an invasive species. We started out at 8 a.m. from the Picketpost trailhead.<br />
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I didn't take any cameras. Not even my cell phone. I only carried a backpack full of water. It was a cloudless day with the high forecast to be over 105F (41C). The leader of the group walked faster than I usually do on hikes but I didn't have any trouble keeping up on the way out. After we were done with the sign we hiked a little further to where the salt cedar had been removed. It was a beautiful area and I knew I'd be back to get some pictures when the weather was cooler. We headed back to the trailhead around 10. It was brutal. The sun was too high to find shade under a saguaro. I had to slow down to keep from overheating. All I could think about was the fact that the temperature was only going up and the only escape was my air-conditioned truck. I guess I'm still not a morning hiker.<br />
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One afternoon a few weeks later it was a little cooler because there were some monsoon storms around. I drove up the canyon east of Superior the check out the waterfalls and on the way back decided to hike out to the sign we had put up.<br />
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<b>Some waterfalls east of Superior.</b></div>
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It was very cloudy so I still wasn't going to get any good pictures. I mostly wanted to be sure I remembered how to get out there since we had deviated from the official trail. When I got close to where the sign was, I heard lots of water flowing fast.<br />
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<b>Water flowing over small dam near Picketpost Mountain</b></div>
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The trail to the more interesting scenery crossed this creek so I couldn't go any further. Maybe I'll be able to get some pictures out there in the fall.</div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09495771485593181492noreply@blogger.com0Grand Enchantment Trail, Superior, AZ 85173, USA33.263900354556142 -111.1668915143554833.237347854556141 -111.20723201435548 33.290452854556143 -111.12655101435548tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35723123.post-57012857014320365232017-07-09T17:11:00.000-07:002017-07-09T21:39:54.990-07:00Apache Leap and a New Gadget<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie7JCjDoe4B6HsmsdKOeLKbl-nxLleuOHJdtOwdGZR9EJi7GxR1YzY0F0-KI1QGh-Eivm84AAOctuoU5_U2UG3XrMX8mSRapH2L5z7xC8R9SPpEaZaabfAjLCNJ6Kh9jnVK9Rd/s1600/7Z0A6269_70_71_tonemapped.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" data-original-height="1066" data-original-width="1600" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie7JCjDoe4B6HsmsdKOeLKbl-nxLleuOHJdtOwdGZR9EJi7GxR1YzY0F0-KI1QGh-Eivm84AAOctuoU5_U2UG3XrMX8mSRapH2L5z7xC8R9SPpEaZaabfAjLCNJ6Kh9jnVK9Rd/s400/7Z0A6269_70_71_tonemapped.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>Apache Leap as seen from Apache Leap.</i><br />
<p>As you approach Superior, Arizona, from the west on US 60, you will see some cliffs towering above the east side of the town. <br />
That's Apache Leap. I've hiked out to Apache Leap a few times (from the other direction). It's about 2 miles round-trip and about 500 feet (about 150 meters) in elevation change. It isn't a difficult hike if you stay on the trail. If you lose the trail you will be worn out quickly. The manzanita is thick in places and difficult to push through. The open ground is covered in calf-high grass so you can't see what you are stepping on. Since your feet will usually come down on the sides of round rocks you will be struggling to maintain balance, which is tiring. So stay on the trail if you go.<br />
<p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-OAJHvDepURGGP3YrJr455QaxapCfMw_tZubruOW03epHGL15tB8GrXJcD02ENH85bwp-rpL5Nz_7TPMMwyqxh7v0Log75i3mE57cNtHw0gcoVpQiJRP04t_a_qrD5rWU9bOr/s1600/7Z0A6219_20_21_tonemapped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1065" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-OAJHvDepURGGP3YrJr455QaxapCfMw_tZubruOW03epHGL15tB8GrXJcD02ENH85bwp-rpL5Nz_7TPMMwyqxh7v0Log75i3mE57cNtHw0gcoVpQiJRP04t_a_qrD5rWU9bOr/s320/7Z0A6219_20_21_tonemapped.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><i>The trail is marked with cairns but sometimes they are difficult to find. This, of course, is an easy one.</i><br />
<p>Which kind of brings me to the new gadget. I've always thought that using electronics to keep track of your workouts was silly. Listen to your body. You don't need all that distracting crap. Then we were offered a deal on Fitbits through work. I thought it might be nifty to see what my heart rate does during a hike so I got one.<br />
<p>There was a short blurb about fitness trackers in a recent issue of Scientific American. A doctor wanted to know how accurate they were as heart rate monitors and so he compared their results to medical-grade heart monitors and concluded that they are acceptable. The article didn't get into any details about the conditions under which he tested them, though. My experience is that they can be way off if you are doing something besides sitting in a chair.<br />
<p>Apache Leap is 500 feet above the unofficial trailhead. Five hundred feet of elevation gain in a mile is not real steep. Normally I could walk up something like that at a slow but steady pace. I was struggling on this hike though, and was wondering what was wrong with me until I remembered that I started out about 3000 feet higher than I'm used to hiking. Anyway, I checked what the Fitbit thought my pulse was on a stretch where I was gasping for air. It said 86. No way. I felt my pulse. I didn't have a watch to count my pulse, but it felt like it was well over 120. Fitbit still insisted it was a rock-solid 86.<br />
<p>I have seen it make errors in the other direction, too. It has recorded that my pulse was over 140 when I was on an easy downhill section of trail. If my pulse was really as wacky as my Fitbit says, I don't think I would feel as good as I do while I'm hiking. Also, I wore a medical grade monitor for a couple of weeks not too long ago and it didn't show anything wacky, so I am confident that how I feel is a better indication of what my heart rate is than the Fitbit.<br />
<p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-tcYk3TVmqnYqhEUWrMrFso2L1zxYApIjCdK-AeABQMDeRDoaaVRRlIl5g42s0PHiGjCUKjamFsQ6HddygJO4-3xRmloR0NPP_TpQX2tbxeHEIgcwo4rENxHgGNnB_ACWhY2W/s1600/7Z0A6232_3_4_tonemapped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-tcYk3TVmqnYqhEUWrMrFso2L1zxYApIjCdK-AeABQMDeRDoaaVRRlIl5g42s0PHiGjCUKjamFsQ6HddygJO4-3xRmloR0NPP_TpQX2tbxeHEIgcwo4rENxHgGNnB_ACWhY2W/s320/7Z0A6232_3_4_tonemapped.jpg" width="320" height="213" data-original-width="1600" data-original-height="1065" /></a></div><i>This stock tank is just before you get to the cliff of Apache Leap.</i><br />
<p>Apache Leap hasn't changed since the last time I was there. It may change soon, though. A land swap has been pushed through congress that puts the Oak Flat area in the hands of a mining company. I think it would be kind of hypocritical of me to say that's a bad thing while I surround myself with high-tech gadgets made possible in part by the copper that comes out of mines. Instead, I go hiking in that area whenever I can and take photos of whatever I come across.<br />
<p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbeHdnBmc6t_TzekE3qHCGn0PkqQ5I0BB0LnY8C1t34kjBTPtTov1ns3up2EtOUFpTF-DgJzJ-DH-23sfy38yvpBdAc09xsDj2j0mouqpFaS1-lPsBqH8xT29KiLNE28-CKWwh/s1600/7Z0A6254_5_6_tonemapped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbeHdnBmc6t_TzekE3qHCGn0PkqQ5I0BB0LnY8C1t34kjBTPtTov1ns3up2EtOUFpTF-DgJzJ-DH-23sfy38yvpBdAc09xsDj2j0mouqpFaS1-lPsBqH8xT29KiLNE28-CKWwh/s320/7Z0A6254_5_6_tonemapped.jpg" width="213" height="320" data-original-width="1063" data-original-height="1600" /></a></div><i>Picketpost Mountain as seen from Apache Leap.</i><br />
<p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqvzrZOiWAuVksUJ928oDMTPxkrCcK1hx0z3enF4dEN03Lxh-N7xulkhv8sgeMK-pdGwsK4WKUnyw98l3QFXLVZKLXqcWDjdaAmBdSpij9E1oYFKT2s40EC-RdjAaVTF_-qbxo/s1600/7Z0A6312.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqvzrZOiWAuVksUJ928oDMTPxkrCcK1hx0z3enF4dEN03Lxh-N7xulkhv8sgeMK-pdGwsK4WKUnyw98l3QFXLVZKLXqcWDjdaAmBdSpij9E1oYFKT2s40EC-RdjAaVTF_-qbxo/s320/7Z0A6312.JPG" width="320" height="214" data-original-width="1600" data-original-height="1068" /></a></div><i>A tarantula hawk visited as I sat on a rock resting. This wasp is about 2 inches long. I hear they have a paralyzingly painful sting. I'm not going to try it myself, though.</i><br />
<p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4ty2zDS30_dBrox4_ks3Kn_rKmtjLBeRzgfpAUf_oHotgugf9GhqJJWbHO4X220vqyxk5_XFeW3YLV50dsOn3PC5j-PLYrPTfV4n7OhTbYGg2riUkfYPHRnjYJELKBCjmwfOP/s1600/7Z0A6326_7_8_tonemapped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4ty2zDS30_dBrox4_ks3Kn_rKmtjLBeRzgfpAUf_oHotgugf9GhqJJWbHO4X220vqyxk5_XFeW3YLV50dsOn3PC5j-PLYrPTfV4n7OhTbYGg2riUkfYPHRnjYJELKBCjmwfOP/s320/7Z0A6326_7_8_tonemapped.jpg" width="320" height="213" data-original-width="1600" data-original-height="1065" /></a></div><i>The trail goes up the middle of this canyon. This is facing back down the canyon (Apache Leap behind me). I tried hiking up to Apache Leap on one of the ridges between canyons once. The terrain varied from difficult to impossible.</i><br />
<p>Just before I retired a lot of people asked me what I planned to do in retirement. One thing I said was that I was going to work on taking better pictures. I am working on that, but don't expect to suddenly see NG-quality photos on my blog, OK?Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09495771485593181492noreply@blogger.com0Unnamed Road, Superior, AZ 85173, USA33.287344403465092 -111.0759744575195233.260799403465093 -111.11631495751952 33.31388940346509 -111.03563395751952tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35723123.post-19108762216649421012017-06-01T15:32:00.000-07:002017-06-01T15:32:22.332-07:00A new era<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_KNbURmOqPMjxZ2MjCVlZyc5H2-rHboK4sqp72OGdubqybcExsMNGeI3em_Gg3l3Efqst0tqP1Q9DUydn0UMdfveEZ380WkAn1y_i03VRywOY5QYpUN13sDA_3Z59UsN-hyQ1/s1600/7Z0A6064.JPG" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_KNbURmOqPMjxZ2MjCVlZyc5H2-rHboK4sqp72OGdubqybcExsMNGeI3em_Gg3l3Efqst0tqP1Q9DUydn0UMdfveEZ380WkAn1y_i03VRywOY5QYpUN13sDA_3Z59UsN-hyQ1/s320/7Z0A6064.JPG" width="320" height="213" data-original-width="1600" data-original-height="1067" /></a><br />
<p>I almost titled the post "Day 1". But then I would need to come up with a "Day 2" and "Day 3" and "Days 43 through 56", etc. I didn't want to get stuck doing that.<br />
<P>So what's new? Well, I can go hiking just about any time I want to. I don't have to look longingly out the window at passing storms; I can go play in the lightning any time. In other words, I have retired.<br />
<P>I have the feeling that I will miss working. People that have experienced this tell me the feeling will pass in, like, a day or two. We'll see. I had the good fortune to work at a job in which I could have a positive impact on many people's lives. I can certainly keep busy now, but what good is busy if there's no impact? If that really starts to bother me, there's always volunteer work. Even better would be to work as a consultant at the same company for a few months at a time. Work a little, play a little. Well, time will tell.<br />
<P>The picture above is something I rarely get a photo of. I've photographed a lot of sunsets, but this is a sunrise. Last week a guy at work said it's a tradition to get a photo of the sunrise on your first day of retirement. Sounds like a nice tradition but coming from Iggy made me wonder if it was a prank to get me out of bed an hour earlier than usual on my first day of retirement. Too bad I retired so close to the summer solstice.<br />
<P><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvM_uGd3AbpBozi3DN2a1lWCpK0F_ZU9_OeGEggLJgIj5ZesFxElQwJh-ch5k8WhOwNb6sUc6FHQD7UOgvt90AmQ9fBAK6foPRjBYLaaXCktSLiuOfvVx-UD1Ow0EM2Cv-kCMB/s1600/7Z0A6066_7_8_tonemapped.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvM_uGd3AbpBozi3DN2a1lWCpK0F_ZU9_OeGEggLJgIj5ZesFxElQwJh-ch5k8WhOwNb6sUc6FHQD7UOgvt90AmQ9fBAK6foPRjBYLaaXCktSLiuOfvVx-UD1Ow0EM2Cv-kCMB/s320/7Z0A6066_7_8_tonemapped.jpg" width="320" height="212" data-original-width="1600" data-original-height="1062" /></a><br />
<i>The sun makes an appearance.</i><br />
<P>Now that I can create a blog post without dozing off and drooling all over the keyboard, I plan to start posting again. I've never stopped wandering around the desert. Now I can start working on bringing you up to date.<br />
<P>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09495771485593181492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35723123.post-12644183039650208282015-11-02T18:22:00.000-07:002015-11-02T18:25:22.878-07:00Hike to a Lime KilnAt least that's what I think it is. I could be wrong. I don't think there's a lot of limestone out here, but there could be some, I suppose. Anyway, somebody told me about this and about where it is and I think they told me what it is but I can't find that conversation. I wish I could so I could let him know I finally made it out there and so he could confirm if it is a lime kiln.<br />
<p>So somebody told me about this thing and I searched for it on Google Earth and found a likely candidate and stuck a push pin in it and thought for a couple of years about how long a hike it would be to get out there. Then last Friday I decided I could reduce the hike by at least a couple of miles by wading across the Salt River instead of using the bridge. I did that once before on another hike. I wore sandals made for use in water that time. It was a little chancy going up the far bank in sandals, though, what with all the cacti and rattlers around. On Saturday morning I decide to go down to the river and see if it would be as easy to cross as I suspected.<br />
<p><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/GWxbU1K7Q8iDfRK3IGzbeNMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMQfZ5FmDCKOnk3kG6ZYmyPxmfmpekiwo3lp4i0yK3uO1DDP7CqIf1tiBX7sA7H2jBSfXALhXybkNUrj0vAZHf6dOZs2uZdjFH837Y3sFr7qg_Yam2wTURceKIe-wl_qelUPMO/s400-Ic42/7Z0A2694.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>There were only 2 horses in the area when I got to the river. The flow of water from Stewart Mountain dam is cut in October because the Salt River tubing season is over. All those rocks in the foreground would normally be under water but are exposed because the flow was dropped last week.</i><br />
<p><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Y8jhNf_7iOnOp-_VAwVpVdMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2W_Qq3aAdWd3-eMS9HKBIAB_G9z2sKoD_nrKov2z_tTwGGl9dD6AWX6FwpfM0s0QxZ2BuBmg3rUJzlGXOeMXo3k8ECY58i2MOyhhMez7gSJri445X1uJqCuH8bBO0keas_RWJ/s400-Ic42/7Z0A2698_tonemapped.jpg" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>You can kind of tell where the water was in this photo.</i><br />
<p>I went to the place that was my first choice from crossing the river and decided that it was too wide. I didn't pay much attention to how deep it was but probably should have. I made my way over to my second choice but it took me a long time to get there because I kept stopping to take pictures of birds.<br />
<p><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/HfBpmC2E2RAR7MaQsgENjdMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRpUYx2vtFAkefUgBdJVYyooGC-klX32nDeVqzc-qFrKGK-xCl44XL4wuPschzbA-1RHLn_Fc8uJttjCOdzb7P12u0hQtxymQkvjifZqZw0VEUbbF-MiSQ0K-BdtVk2gphEFgl/s400-Ic42/IMG_0923.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>This is how birds fish.</i><br />
<p><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/4ouePObZzPxI-EoLp9UbQtMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4LAkZiVBWzNUrBF0aBCHhbeGlaFZS4wpDkv-XJhphC5M6IOJCcJSWAFTgN6S8RIxH8vDw7U5NrRu9S6pgFrMA2ODr11k4AUNy_6bm8Z4NVDVsr2K4DfxhTHZk7TFaEdzmb-gY/s400-Ic42/IMG_0932.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>These birds are cuter.</i><br />
<p>I don't normally take pictures of birds but I got a new lens a couple of months ago that enables me to zoom in enough to get decent pictures. That lens is not suitable for landscape photography, though, and that's the kind of photos I most like to take. So am I changing lenses while I'm out hiking? What, and get all that desert dust in my camera?!? No. I carry two cameras. I got a new camera in January and BTW it is the heaviest camera I have ever owned. I kept my old camera and put the new lens on it. The new lens, BTW, is the heaviest lens I have ever owned. So now I'm carrying 2 instruments for taking pictures and each one is heavy. Have you ever put two camera straps around your neck? Having two heavy cameras strapped to your neck can make hiking difficult for lots of reasons besides impeding breathing, though that is certainly one of the top reasons. Fortunately, I stumbled across a solution to carrying the cameras a few weeks ago. They are something called "capture clips" made by Peak Design. I put them on my backpack straps and hang the cameras there. It's a little awkward having two large heavy things on my chest but it beats being strangled.<br />
<p><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/UR83Pk2ChjZIHOHh0ZBJydMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-waLS6o5kkOk/Vilz952WWPI/AAAAAAAC54w/p9rZyt3ZlRI/s400-Ic42/15%252520-%2525201.jpg" height="400" width="225" /></a><br />
<i>Me with cameras attached, and a bonus Halloween decoration.</i><br />
<p>OK, so I'm looking at my second possible location for crossing the river and I think it looks a little deeper than I would like if I was to try crossing it with my hiking boots on. I've splashed through this river a few times with these boots and they do seem to be water proof, as advertised, so I decide to see if the water is too deep. I think it was about half an inch too deep. One of the most distressing feelings I know is that of water coming over the top of your shoe and down into your shoe. It's right down there with hitting your brakes and then realizing that you are on ice. It was only a few steps to get across, though, and it didn't get any deeper, so I kept going. When I got out of the water and up the other bank, it felt like the water had only seeped down to my heels and had not formed puddles in my boots. Puddles in boots is one of the few things that feels worse that water coming over the tops of your boots. I decided that since I was across, I might as well keep going.<br />
<p><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/rqJimLgaMV3Soc6lf1PRKtMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha9kfji5_C9kr0CM2KVVQe6h0wCPiGYzHfS-QtTZyz4F3nnawQThKmJRpkJjtMOrsGyXnOlpju7MQFtSf-Mb-uW92MpOn-ho6gHBFPLxcmQZbx53teQRdpGztkMwb_9zrayEVJ/s400-Ic42/7Z0A2704.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>The ground is unusually bare in this area. I think that may have something to do with the nature of the soil. There are no rocks in this soil. Every time I have come across soil without rocks in this desert, it has very few plants in it.</i><br />
<p><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/QXTCVJ2sa71t-LK3YzqZ5NMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjRHRDyW5WDy10IJRZifgYXou1KALkX68Vxn9PGJ52HRymCAckcsztdepYjzvWeY0pEQcSiRSErOW9Fy7Mx_iDoq8OQ87X_oaH9u4JGHbnEXCB0P9FPeMRFqjmZr75jMpsMy7U/s400-Ic42/7Z0A2713.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>I got the feeling that few people visit this area these days. There were many dead trees that had not been chopped up for firewood. Also, there were few beer cans or shot gun shells.</i><br />
<p>I wandered slowly in the direction I thought I should go to get to the suspected kiln. I had a 4G signal out there and figured I could check Google Earth if I couldn't find it, but it would be more fun to wander around and see what I could see.<br />
<p><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/MAvBtScaYt_1A5GNgqyPltMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj_kD13GYidymWs5rPyJUKH9icjI54VjqWgRxjSYX2ghh8NqzgZTJWFBxmC3n8ZT_qOLTJwTUpEL6FO2JnZLEUnYnBWyuDRCNB3kKuTGHrXV-JduxKxiSuNJOkL20BKySc5214/s400-Ic42/7Z0A2715.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>I felt like I should be getting close to the kiln so I decided to climb this small hill and see if I could spot it.</i><br />
<p><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/fbaPoLg_zd49EKNlB15AP9MTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRz19bPA2oNjpNpRbY79qqOJSUfvTirrZyCy6nqUiL507Eo6mYpYfVA3rFTt6loCgojs_bwILYvExff7qaIpkIzgSuOKxK_2C4bauejKOBANhKvBf6MAqyrUw89vwK-ymH6LZO/s400-Ic42/7Z0A2718.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>Almost at the hill ...</i><br />
<p><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/S6Qiy057NlhGvN3b_kwu_9MTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwf7K-moILE7lZW7CPSVUkBdtsBvKwiyKwx4Y-oFoA5SLJmqzTfDE_c4XO48t3VPbqaKm-VbiTAZWEBFGQbqOecbje-NzYq0hgQR1_hQBERWukq0pc3yI0UUFUnWiU8Y8F_Vsk/s400-Ic42/7Z0A2719.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>... when I look to my left and see this.</i><br />
<p><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/K6ciHiR52ydN3Ju9rLEdZdMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkvgIInrfeHpohFg1eRdaM428nimH0L9xd644s8b0clQCT5QpnltIb_ZW0o8IAFq19q5FokGd1t37SKmpE9F8UYx7xdSyvf-5_GVPRdtbC63e-mXJfxrhpNpsxjFBoUczITOdv/s400-Ic42/7Z0A2720.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>This matches descriptions of lime kilns that I've read.</i><br />
<p><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/wjk3m1Lbu1GSCXqGQb2IoNMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivI7k34e27U17xF4Lim8qdQcOFYd0tmweXePvkADfrU3v8tiCqWeyukUs4ka6hwF2J6XfKt4Clkbh_PdpnyOPsXxAvpgTQJOv7uGmfRWImCtU0v8NGW2mPHbTgFJo9MyzZ5mQm/s400-Ic42/IMG_0945.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>At the same time that I got to the kiln, the Red Baron flew in and started doing aerial stunts. I used to see this plane frequently while hiking but haven't seem it much the past few years.</i><br />
<p>I hung out there for a while taking pictures of the kiln and of the Red Baron. I decided to climb the hill even though I had already found my destination. It was during this climb that I concluded that hiking in wet socks is a lot less fun than hiking in dry socks. The hill was actually the end of a ridge. There were cairns on the ridge and a very faint trail. I couldn't resist. I followed the trail for almost half a mile before I decided the sun was getting low enough that I should turn back.<br />
<p><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/mnojCPrRJGa_KUzCoPA8j9MTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA1d36EpmlW-g3qEOzyliEjIWmT5ybLiMMmcJJ7EAQ-ucz1gnm5FdbpcmyUFZbNUPjRINUF1Lh6V-7PndWdTKDUkMYTFV4ncxrqhcP5HMvvCb6CLFuBlN5nWUajIjK8NSsAnHD/s400-Ic42/7Z0A2735.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>Looking along the ridge.</i><br />
<p><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/ZTJxrBqYqmTDILQ6nUji2dMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwlnFQlfQba-R0Fp8Ax9F_d5-DUjITVudGac1LadBoiUTBBchhOkIs4pFF1H9IiHZzkkte0iuRbIwVqD06ZOrES3V1kA9f1cuurInwS6Oin2UyIlvuIt76tp9Nc2y_mPCh2BLC/s400-Ic42/IMG_0976.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>As is common in this area, one of Sheriff Joe's fancy helicopters flew by. It was doing some wild maneuvers to follow the path of the river. Maybe the pilot was trying to impress the female you can see in the front seat. I wonder how many of these helicopters Maricopa County could have purchased for the cost of all of Sheriff Joe's lost lawsuits.</i><br />
<p><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/oyo8A0tW0SbhJEzR62DHI9MTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAeMJwblodIjUIVax8L3CB5ETbw_eWFxV6DpljEOpWooWhbS9uvNHyEPIKS3ywK0c8tDuIr9uc9-l81a1UMhg_Ui9nn-SNWTjQ6et0KTVGgA-_SvSMzSUGqXaAmSvu6WRAUT8W/s400-Ic42/7Z0A2751.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>I don't think the trail goes anywhere but the desert is pretty.</i><br />
<p><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/DyYQwvKY0xF5aZKTkJSnrdMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDkx9rwWMD4GGqgp33YOXgywbK41oH86ZOCOsMLXRYXeu3wiu7SX2jAL5l2ZnMfOQkXmckn_GTCrIRGOMBN-qZwCmaL2fvGcqzJVpC_FKFhhVzgGWUvUg5vbNPdgIOnW27AYi5/s400-Ic42/7Z0A2770.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>Large rocks.</i><br />
<p>As I strolled along the top of the ridge, I thought about how I used to run through the shallow water at the beach in Texas. When your foot comes down, it pushes the water out, and you lift your foot up for the next step before the water rushes in to cover it. I wondered if I could use that technique to cross the river. It might be tricky running over a bunch of slippery boulders that you can't really see very well, though. I decided to try it and was quickly reminded of how, when one foot splashes down, the other leg gets drenched. At least I didn't get as much water in my boots. I need to find a better way to cross the river. Stilts?<br />
<p><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/fNjk0dK2U0UVi_PsayC_2dMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAbLtIHEXpU-fQ74koDArBfeAJiSd6fEYXhPghW6dfN3KFyCFdiv7Jip12yMlq-Y1GtU4nxilq8-iEnLqo5Ki3cWR4pztFEM1UvLtdm5l21OK2F2xRpSqGqWI63Gg3n4uzxYm9/s400-Ic42/RenderWidget%2525201112015%252520121053%252520PM.jpg" height="286" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>Map of the hike.</i><br />
<p>Click below to see all of the pictures. I took over 200 but narrowed it down some.<br />
<p><table style="width:194px;"><tr><td align="center" style="height:194px;background:url(https://www.gstatic.com/pwa/s/v/lighthousefe_20150907.00_p0/transparent_album_background.gif) no-repeat left"><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/113977173584662724959/2015_10_31?authuser=0&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-GSrKpJVpf0c/VjbUgW1F2RE/AAAAAAAC6kY/kW7e4GrPXAE/s160-c-Ic42/2015_10_31.jpg" width="160" height="160" style="margin:1px 0 0 4px;"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td style="text-align:center;font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px"><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/113977173584662724959/2015_10_31?authuser=0&feat=embedwebsite" style="color:#4D4D4D;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;">2015_10_31</a></td></tr>
</table>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09495771485593181492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35723123.post-90416489882942189542015-03-09T21:05:00.000-07:002015-03-09T21:07:04.486-07:00Dome Mountain<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/lbW0A4isucXj8qHfuj4_VNMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7wpBkkayI8UGuPtClGHcF8r26uqg3zDFWdbLNqnKdyEWKIyxDB1Rp3SpNA8wYdRMBLKEJRBhl2cm9XnI_tRsq2OsVZk-tZJ_Yy3RlOziyo4LbQ2wvJJNEE-p7btWBMrB1rbzx/s400/IMG_9378T4R3.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>A view of Dome Mountain.</i><br />
<p>There are only a couple of mountains in Bulldog Canyon OHV area that I know of that have names. Dome Mountain is one of them. (The other is Lone Mountain.) It's also the highest peak there. I've thought about climbing it for years, but not seriously, because every view I had of it made it look like it couldn't be climbed without doing some actual rock climbing. I was just wandering around in October of 2010 and got pretty close to the peak and thought I saw a route to the top, but it hadn't been easy getting as far as I did and the rest of the route looked difficult, so I continued to wimp out.<br />
<p><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/K_c0IRTmAhefyI0ZDvswyNMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2tmwVMOPE9V2FuC-NIJllsDKavnZD3Zt5JjkNv1r-IwMmZvIq2kDj6FolweQgQHFNAQ4xelzNQC_6dD8W4gCPbOhXu5f5E9OO7FzxTBodJRM9aIQtTgd8aNaRB9-DcynwGQLH/s400/IMG_9225T4R3.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>This is a view of Four Peaks from what I consider to be the halfway point. It's as far as I had gotten in 2010.</i><br />
<p>As usual, I was off work for a couple of weeks over the Christmas holiday. As is not usual, I didn't have anything but hiking planned. I was thinking about climbing Picketpost Mountain again and spending most of the two weeks gearing up to do that. I was going on long (for me) hikes with a lot of elevation gain to prepare and decided to go up to the halfway point again for the exercise. The first time I had been up there, there was a very faint trail. This time the trail was more pronounced and as I approached the halfway point, there were frequent cairns and even some white paint marks.<br />
<p><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Gm5Kt4yGJWlrTVx23eVJXNMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigJ1ios9Tnk_cF7q_DtdSICHNHM6FM-30LrEsq8xY0Vi3OJjNwb4i8s3iledX7NBOig2vVuG9FDa3c7OIylu9LMJ_pONnBpeOrEsHvkVMNLCfWHUIpGkZdzyPBEOM8lfai2NeB/s400/IMG_9046T4R3.JPG" height="400" width="267" /></a><br />
<i>A cairn and a couple of paint stripes are visible in this photo.</i><br />
<p><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/CNX2xZKsbGR8eqTkB1OZi9MTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl2RgNZO5P2W6fCq7VBlDAmYLFYlO64xDpp6VJnbJ40vudksQnG03-NBjFJl5daeZHEe7jou_XkS2FkM240I_eNDm55m59QuthGmSKmubM-phM1CZPgClnn-zB08doZQjs2jhZ/s400/IMG_9047T4R3.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>At the halfway point.</i><br />
<p>I followed the trail up from the halfway point for a quarter mile or so, but I didn't have enough daylight, water, or snacks to go all the way to the top then. It looked like somebody had marked a trail all the way to the top, though, so I knew it could be done. I decided to concentrate on getting to the top of Dome Mountain instead of climbing Picketpost again because every time I looked at Picketpost I felt dread. Picketpost is a very steep and long hike and I wasn't looking forward to how much I would ache afterwards. I wanted perfect weather when I climbed Dome Mountain; no gloomy clouds. Perfect conditions arose on December 30.<br />
<p><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/6UXAdLWZzU6N26pKHuEUYtMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaxVBk-p-4FKRQD_SqKmBb2PAquYEYFcqxdce_RQzujRmCcP8WQv51Pbx-v2pG5OEEBJ_fyyqDrYlTBX36S3cbjTTwXAy9y3104_nl_rKXSZsexcXz0MpRW3UJiHztdQ8zXoOb/s400/IMG_9261T4R3.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>Looking toward the Superstition Mountains from about 3/4 of the way up. There's a little haziness (pollution) in the air and it's the middle of the day, so I blame the blah-ness of the photo on that.</i><br />
<p><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Sbi9zEm7qabiQLsqscqG-tMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIIrBCrow4wFkpneeAxjPGY4BCaZ2F3UWnrgBf6vuMamsLEe6PektryootbhlLKEI9awpTRzC3qak37uEdjrMKf0RqqN8tbHfMEYBrYD20dK8irqzGmo19zVBGgRPZXmJGb7LM/s400/RenderWidget%252012302014%252073603%2520PM.jpg" height="286" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>You can see how I really slowed down near the top in this plot of speed and elevation. It was steep and I was gasping for air. I was also going very slow in that area on the way down because it was steep and I didn't want to slip and land on a cholla.</i><br />
<p>The climb was uneventful except for the very nice views all around. I wandered around the top eating snacks, taking pictures, and relaxing until I was bored. The hike down was exciting as all steep descents on scree-covered rock are. My butt made unintentional contact with the ground only once.<br />
<p><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/47pSjm3nHkiQPaAG0_DrsdMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh_Sa8w80Vuc7xlMbo96cXJf-U8mgDSsBjQrnMZJZ6t6P9Pnoeen70BSWmLyGDf4p_nVYochl3ZLUjeVDr6O0Ha4FHz-mrK7T58riWS8c0eV5Fh3HQ4YQBSfx4Ik8w0p176WpW/s400/IMG_9264T4R3.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>The top of Dome Mountain.</i><br />
<p>From the halfway point back to the parking spot can be tricky. The cairns and paint are harder to follow in that direction. When I was up there on the 23rd I got off-trail and couldn't see how to get back to where I needed to be. I had to backtrack quite a ways. This is a warning to anybody else that heads up there. Come back in daylight and keep making sure you on on the correct route or you'll be stuck out there in the dark, which won't be so bad as long as you have a blanket and the mountain lion isn't looking for easy prey.<br />
<p>I made a couple of 360 panoramas from the top but they must be too many pixels. None of my viewing software can display them and I can't upload them. I'll put them on my Photosynth page someday.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09495771485593181492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35723123.post-41937752170446113902014-11-24T09:59:00.000-07:002014-11-24T09:59:43.997-07:00The 2014 monsoon rainsWe had a very wet summer in the Sonoran Desert. It was the seventh wettest monsoon season since records have been kept. People that have lived here for 30 years says it the most rain they've ever seen. All those storms mean that there were some great photo opportunities, and on a couple of occasions I was even in the right place at the right time, and even had my camera with me.<br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/CzOKh1GmioQsiL1lzbM1KtMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaMtX5Xhl576ERvLjzEqpMB_v3_w_GnjZ-QITuB7YteMM08QbtYejWPtQgiqm3G4Na4KYT1QBraurBtxs1iZqvEZwWcDIV4MrrZVf0gEEKcytMCNjqLvv9xfVttJLmlwKA5hGc/s400/IMG_3640_1_2Clouds1.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>A storm moved in while I was in Bulldog Canyon. I thought I had heard a screaming animal out there a couple of days before and had returned to find the body (but the only body I found was a dead saguaro). I have since decided that somebody is hunting mountain lions out there.</i><br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/h721JDwsfb_jXEYKx36AQ9MTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglZVt-m7E1DlsmtmLicL6bUf7fI5q85yg5yFiOfOfgkLE8clIzrKacG7IHxlGQJE0nMyf-XHcbfrfxI6lRMqTSgnQdbaG9gahntrlfnnNDh2AblZnRX_byaBpnVmBHzT8Cp_3p/s400/IMG_4331_2_3_tonemapped.jpg" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>Great clouds mean some great sunsets.</i><br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Gl4FYlVhE3K7TtwRfa5rsNMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjQyUt0Xrw919Q3YM-HGLfTGX43IaJDykxfQ8bFFe8Vr1VobPpoysSU-K3csPvlHltqzBQqM_J_yna1aRZufbxSaWbyp2J8KSyzQStWq9aVo2VSzKMMSTJAaZRMw_FhGC98k4L/s400/IMG_4491_2_3_tonemapped.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>I was out in the middle of a relatively flat area south of Florence Junction when I took this. You can see dust being kicked up on the left of the photo and a column of rain on the right.</i><br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/9M9zWvqfjF7FpQKp6IGY89MTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3uve_XX0XTqKrFImMjyxIYRxmIOSEwlxfw3uJ3mJTT_-b4lVnkHbCf2YZfpDb0_tmVgd14t7HGaVRK9DDR0XTllCaDIPJkC2gU6in73xosawrNn2Zgru40ZnM4kzG0cc_voqe/s400/IMG_4472_3_4_tonemapped.jpg" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>This looked really ominous. I was worried I might be trapped in mud so I hurried to pavement. Turns out the rain never got to where I had been.</i><br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/r18QfvvddtAPxXmM__AepNMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBTuwKOZk3TSQRmU5T0xOrr5VUrljvxV76QREbaNsV2T2nE5XuSNrv_yxUO6O4ju7-hz-or_foImna2yvD1e3pSUDOk93tGapWj_xtvQT4kyfaJw6TvmsoFHUIhTrrSQ0HXs_h/s400/IMG_4563_tonemapped.jpg" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>I stopped to get a picture of the rain falling on the Superstition Mountains and accidentally got a lightning bolt.</i><br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/SLoVyaYHQATEGj_x1Ecir9MTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGn1v0QGS9HIIx_2DsuC4_xLcC3wOBtY8hmxQqLWFi4nR1dDRUNHVM9EJiJjg3d1JMd9Kbx9-A7rvoehtHnJDvFWXmsjBHv1RfbzL8I96io1bfy3TLKTPfmEDDC6RYXXZba4J7/s400/IMG_4575_6_7_tonemapped.jpg" height="269" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>There was a great sunset going on at the same time in the other direction. I kept going back and forth across the road to get pictures of both.</i><br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/AIj4zVbk71pwuOqhvw_CyNMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPSctdICoUN_7TSDSKyp3jHG0xpp6EJVw8sSnsdMyZG7ApTMlA8pcP52iYmesakBNHP1V_6JLi9GyazJ6vHf_DfL6eJ9dUNW8-uU60L85T8iwLLqmAJ228YReakLrA3BZbFM_D/s400/IMG_4599T4R3.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>It looks like it's probably raining pretty hard over there.</i><br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/nmydtA5syGkCsRwxMlc3GtMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsK0zIJL-oK-baUWBV2jHggQSMB6DdffoIpnmKqjeWk_wM6xF3btFyQFrKzBS8zKW_nK6OxY4tvW3sJjmCR0RzO99pWFYMFYN0eYxzshcWer0r4R9i1SzpZXK9z1QGOjHrdctg/s400/IMG_4696T4R3.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>I hung around after sunset to get some lightning pictures.</i><br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/lGsY6_5Si_-r69mjSE7cxtMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiQHnhHv3NqIC0mWJMHL77BTSGPuL5SpgaYSEFpVfVyLeu7XVp4kme8S7VvERucAIad3Ln2uryPeANWEuTaEHKNQJxBP90fH4ul2SjkUccKLPU3FkCszPMevHI9w51jOiY27bO/s400/IMG_4837_8_9_tonemapped.jpg" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>This is a normally dry wash a couple of miles east of Tortilla Flat. There were some small waterfalls there but my pictures of them weren't any good. I decided I need to get an ND filter.</i><br />
<P>Yes, all the storms were great for pictures, but there were a couple of drawbacks, too. On several occasions I gave up on taking pictures because the bugs were so bad. Mostly they were gnats but once when I was on top of Lone Mountain some termites chased me away. Termites often swarm during the monsoon rains. Thousands of winged termites leave the colony to start new colonies. They have no interest in people but when there are so many in the air at once, the can't help landing on you. After a while it's just too creepy with all those bugs in your shirt (they always seem to fall into my shirt).<br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/DIZ8EAZWR9sdpDbb1HkJBtMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCKogy_pxlluLAmdLQcoPt6VH6slSb7ksP5VyZzG30p2R-quiwBoMhBjL-Dtx2S6k5h9xpDWlC61V_FGXbKrfvVB5K9zzLBf5nWh5rzj0wdEeD13cBlu_buAqT0RrK1kFPGkPi/s400/IMG_5054_5_6_fused.jpg" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>Just about every day, everywhere I went, there were nice clouds. This was taken northeast of Roosevelt Lake.</i><br />
<P>The other drawback to all the rain was, of course, the humidity. I decided to get serious about losing some weight this year and was frequently climbing Lone Mountain to burn some calories. The sweat dripping off my face created my own little salty rainstorm. It was a pretty mild summer temperature wise, though. There was only about one week when it got over 110. The humidity hung around long after the storms left. It was only during the past week that it seemed to return to normal. (I noticed because my knuckles cracked and bled when I made a fist.)<br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/iaWsq6aK54vWO5hYYbpYbdMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiofS2gbeGvzCgnbjBzg43ybRT__UaAtPwO9gu8vjLpsjz8agiNBqxkBq5zbMrelse2G3rjzn7ntsTslTTbcgTDVlVyk0YBeVGcZJ7wcEalnX0qT3LuJXYtHef34bcdKxUoLYSZ/s400/IMG_2972T4R3.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>Winged termites leaving the nest. Photo taken on top of Lone Mountain.</i><br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/WLUUtRhgIvJTPgckwvWv-NMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzym5UUZvE2pMnTvAAuTzSvu0JXgsHOxMxVFL7lzPJtcyqnYXNJdyIbLLtVy19Y7jj7spNZsYF2AgOaT5UheLkfAQuJiZwXWt9IDHaURbn9mJJpxo3NYDAKD04-ffUf6rFXf1Q/s400/IMG_2817_8_9_tonemapped.jpg" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>I took a lot of pictures of Four Peaks from the top of Lone Mountain during the summer.</i><br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/u-CZFIIGq44XZzqhjzYATdMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnj0XR2AoLPh7vliETUqNfmtpaSfc-fc-daghij4yfgp3ExTG93e_DNi1FMEt887USK6N_X-CERdBXR2h73GmeufgSq9qFj2LRN4lqfliVufHzUpOeVhVtMA9r5fg6D7q3JZD0/s400/IMG_5190_tonemapped.jpg" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>There were more flowers than usual during the summer.</i><br />
<P>One day I thought I was going to hike out to Apache Leap, east of Superior. There were storm clouds building over the valley but I didn't think they would affect me. Fortunately, I had forgotten where the trail was and wimped out because of the humidity. A very heavy storm moved through shortly after I got back on the pavement.<br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/WGDx_XGRjO76QBqWJrjKNdMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGzowDQFHMC_pOlbyQijz6HEWBlEIeiPgxhsogqD6-fnxFHxLaXjOtPWQ82OOCG-Ngc-Ng3F_d_zoEU51kKbSB0FX0mx5-X4WJZZCNvflP22WCKiUtE2mi4kvogQZf-c05xhnG/s400/IMG_5440_1_2_tonemapped.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>Even when it din't rain, there were nice clouds around. In order to keep burning calories, I was out hiking and getting pictures several times a week.</i><br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/WNTv0EcJLnkk503Qg5TX-NMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHijoVTeB3D95KrKu8Gv_foXj4jEXVUO8tKzj-ATMWr3bCSx1HidijYMpz6PAwbvqkB3XTfElG6naNqxmWVWuhIpzhUUmuKf1ImMctWKTO9bs2Z4i2cdt2-AGrKS_7R2FDIJPS/s400/IMG_5549_50_51_fused.jpg" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>One day I tried to drive out to White Canyon Wilderness, south of Superior. The road seemed to be badly eroded by water, but the ocotillos didn't have leaves, and the ground was dry. Seemed very strange. Couldn't get to the wilderness so I went over to the Ray mine for a look and got a picture of this storm building. It evaporated shortly after I took this.</i><br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/mVVxrdHMaUNK_zhh4xDXr9MTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8IByIFi9Bh_5SOVHKuoRDZka-8whzCsG8aWDXYIcEkL-RMskjDI4h_X86n-EGl8ZR41dMKEjUqxtJ7ECzcHw72iCL2E4xNOQVByq9LafBV4hEQtKvEGQUyi92b13Krxyks337/s400/IMG_5939T4R3.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>There are horses running loose around the Salt River. I suspect they were set free there by people that couldn't afford them any more when the economy took a dive. Anyway, I see their tracks all over the place but usually only see them at the river. I was wandering around Bulldog Canyon one day, a mile from the river, and came across 3 horses. Wouldn't wild horses run away from a human? These kept an eye on me but went about their usual business.</i><br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/jkSpqU7PTJHICgESOHIF79MTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7e_OAw-SfCMiMCMrOMhA0lDskSJ8Dj9sY9LQlvEUkts7_BqWZ6sOrSm0nL1i_d07hBzHgFGjAWJ5xd5bggZnfn7Wcu-p0HhWgX9P-WiBc0TVy7sAaeFyd8fPJXVNyBjIwne6C/s400/IMG_6838_39_40_tonemapped.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a><br />
I climbed a tall butte near canyon lake. There were nice fluffy clouds all around. From on top you can see the Superstition Mountains, Four Peaks, Saguaro Lake, Canyon Lake, and lots of other landmarks. I got a nice 360 panorama. It's on <a href="http://www.panoramio.com/user/128401" target=new>my Panoramio page</a>.<br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/XFGgtp32mysc7pzIBUEszrQFvRcHUX217NijCHjZB38?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRbfEtMjHb48yvQmJvPnySZH4-fwDra8YLnA2vMpObxHdLWWnTaRSb3bJDG_29QD2P3eV-AQp9XK9GoxwtOUrDp05dDXaSSK7elL-Z0wf4uwvlBV19HWNUkq2i5kWx6PJ_8uB3/s400/IMG_7065.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>The only waterfall I've seen since I got the ND filter is by our pool.</i><br />
<P>I've come across several things I wanted to write a blog about over the past few weeks but didn't have time with all the hiking and picture processing. Maybe I'll catch up now that the sun sets so early.<br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09495771485593181492noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35723123.post-5271246768383568302014-09-09T19:28:00.000-07:002014-09-09T19:28:22.471-07:00BullseyeSometimes I use Google Earth to zoom in on parts of the desert that look like they are probably boring and search around for something interesting. I was doing that a few months ago and found what looked like concentric circles carved into the desert floor. They were faded and barely visible. They were much too circular to have been made by yahoos on ATVs. The outer-most circle is about 0.2 mile in diameter.<br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/ARfhNjqd1QhrRfpCHpomotMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv_vKFJ1u3hJP4TZRSqE-Rzh02xpYW79gqKFxa4hDWbz9uegnVA20upcUn3ohIVBbXYqprQsLLW_tPkW_HR2HOx0wwufricjc_jqzX9oYycD-ljdJvUCwhCVReBE2b57AAYxat/s400/RenderWidget%2520992014%252044103%2520PM.jpg" height="286" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>Screenshot of Google Earth showing the concentric circles.</i><br />
<P>Of course, the reason for looking for something like that is so I can go investigate. I went out there the first time on a day that it was too hot to do any climbing. It was almost too hot to walk around on mostly level ground. The temperature was only about 102 when I started out, and it was close to sunset, but I had to drink a lot of water. I misread my GPS receiver and thought I was only half a mile from the center of the circles when I started out. Actually, I was almost 2 miles away. It was close to sunset when I realized my mistake. I was only 0.2 mile from the center then but I figured it could be difficult to find the truck in that flat, featureless area in the dark so I turned back.<br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/MpuPVRzvkgFWKYnEk7evftMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVem3oS5kCHVjGv3JqQNk6jWGvCRxQVIiDPYDL78n8oSCgZQOYtfNN5Bead1x-ac51fM2ZWkyhWRqa8GbHBgym3rk5xkeu3B60UhLNVjCbthTOJH9nXGYk_FPj6AWZB2eJzRRn/s400/IMG_4277T4R3.JPG" height="400" width="267" /></a><br />
<i>I went by a saguaro with a beehive in it.</i><br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/4UTjd-JRK4o-xTnidmMnZNMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaWFRwkZbjyxX6ghGmEb4721JGJzmm-D1zpud5EeCCoqr2BS-CyTWov6tLse-YIsZgwbvNXxMukFB9pet8R53lTVv7WnoYYIsocGaP1Gw29m7xYZP8z6WGuPmOiOi9u6rNkoep/s400/IMG_4313T4R3.JPG" height="400" width="267" /></a><br />
<i>A droopy saguaro skeleton. Picture taken well after sunset.</i><br />
<P>I went back about a week later. I went a little earlier and it was cooler and I had a plan for getting closer to the circles before I got out of the truck. It's monsoon season, though. There were some large clouds growing east of my destination. I kept going even though I might not get to the circles again. It would be cool to be in a rainstorm.<br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/9M9zWvqfjF7FpQKp6IGY89MTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3uve_XX0XTqKrFImMjyxIYRxmIOSEwlxfw3uJ3mJTT_-b4lVnkHbCf2YZfpDb0_tmVgd14t7HGaVRK9DDR0XTllCaDIPJkC2gU6in73xosawrNn2Zgru40ZnM4kzG0cc_voqe/s400/IMG_4472_3_4_tonemapped.jpg" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>Look at the dark wall of rainfall behind this saguaro.</i><br />
<P>After a while it looked like it was going to rain where I was and since getting there involved driving several miles on dirt roads and because I didn't want to be stuck in mud out there, I turned around when I was about 0.2 mile from the center, again. I could see rain falling on the Superstition Mountains on the way back and stopped with a view of those mountains as the sun set.<br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/r18QfvvddtAPxXmM__AepNMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBTuwKOZk3TSQRmU5T0xOrr5VUrljvxV76QREbaNsV2T2nE5XuSNrv_yxUO6O4ju7-hz-or_foImna2yvD1e3pSUDOk93tGapWj_xtvQT4kyfaJw6TvmsoFHUIhTrrSQ0HXs_h/s400/IMG_4563_tonemapped.jpg" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>The rainbow barely shows up, but I accidentally caught a lightning bolt.</i><br />
<P>I was there for about 30 minutes getting pictures of the storm and the sunset in the other direction.<br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/SLoVyaYHQATEGj_x1Ecir9MTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGn1v0QGS9HIIx_2DsuC4_xLcC3wOBtY8hmxQqLWFi4nR1dDRUNHVM9EJiJjg3d1JMd9Kbx9-A7rvoehtHnJDvFWXmsjBHv1RfbzL8I96io1bfy3TLKTPfmEDDC6RYXXZba4J7/s400/IMG_4575_6_7_tonemapped.jpg" height="269" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>It was a very pretty sunset.</i><br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/AIj4zVbk71pwuOqhvw_CyNMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPSctdICoUN_7TSDSKyp3jHG0xpp6EJVw8sSnsdMyZG7ApTMlA8pcP52iYmesakBNHP1V_6JLi9GyazJ6vHf_DfL6eJ9dUNW8-uU60L85T8iwLLqmAJ228YReakLrA3BZbFM_D/s400/IMG_4599T4R3.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>The storm was awesome, too.</i><br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/nmydtA5syGkCsRwxMlc3GtMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsK0zIJL-oK-baUWBV2jHggQSMB6DdffoIpnmKqjeWk_wM6xF3btFyQFrKzBS8zKW_nK6OxY4tvW3sJjmCR0RzO99pWFYMFYN0eYxzshcWer0r4R9i1SzpZXK9z1QGOjHrdctg/s400/IMG_4696T4R3.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>There was even lightning.</i><br />
<P>The very next day I made my third attempt to get to the circles. As I walked toward the center of the circles, I imagined that maybe it was some sort of ancient American Indian site, used for astronomy and to predict when crops should be sown or harvested and other such things. The American equivalent of Stonehenge. I would be famous for discovering it.<br />
<P>At 0.1 mile from the center, I saw a couple of pieces of metal and wondered what some cowboys had disposed of out there. I took a few steps and saw some more. Then more and more and more. There were pieces of metal all over the place. Many of the pieces were repeated. Lots of 3 inch pieces of pipe with a nut on one end. Lots of U shaped rods. Lots of sheet metal that looked like it had been formed into a cylinder and then smashed into the ground at high speed. Hmm.<br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/8n95BmgOpl-jbgS1BzXrNNMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijjcwHS1HcyQTzLG7oLfmaqQZY65WK0U_KznkueKBihlhVb6iJaUi8q5Y1YyXBd_DFI2-c8gFabKfGtxgs8wfwIn9P8SX1KZBjzo0_jv5E1r2UnZdwHYn2Ya9pjEz4qMFRKlJR/s400/IMG_4752T4R3.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Cy8vph7Jz85gAkiax0Tl_tMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjCOLgRsMoa4FUIAnrB6wZcPwosWFF4Pv7t9ALqTdNJVp2yRbrP55UDuUvFkcwOG1tyFFA8BpBeeFhcGN2_CQELVTWYSxYP0fgeo_9zO3ndnT1wvIkyJlizT1jy_kz8QKacvRr/s400/IMG_4753T4R3.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/vcJ7LTbw4mFqTqszQntM0NMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqAzOYy_Mq6QrihSEjfhHtAe-QdtXTbNJudKs7YUX1wX10e-_B8eHHIQb1WCUnnBfo2j1vhQU5xbRjzPE1vShLv4xKV5UqEsdLQAyGw6HGQjjjHfTlBzLrpWMKzapATYlBEVUF/s400/IMG_4759T4R3.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/_1rWfNIQLIRWUmVOwTBiadMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMFH0mxJujbZXg6ysXWQOlCFxbMqGHsuSXGpfei6IjEuEGYCJLqDbEi5uRQdmY0Q8vWkubTV1PczI9FIHoXl1bikwm9aD2wTt4M39kU3wNY2hN8aRLCbLhzieNT722AiRwLRyx/s400/IMG_4765T4R3.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<P>Well, you get the idea. Anyway, after looking at dozens of pieces and remembering that that area is sometimes used by the National Guard for practice, I realized that the circles were a target and all the metal was pieces of practice bombs. For several reasons that I won't get into here, I concluded that the practice bombs didn't contain explosives. Then I proceeded to touch or move nothing, just in case my conclusion was wrong. I walked around gingerly for a little while looking for the circles but couldn't see them from the ground. It was a while before I noticed something a little unusual about the target area.<br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/_mVTL0tusdlUtKNekNj3odMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAYFCssSMj9CKs-fNnZ7ZUR6IgKLHjX-8-dFB6ma-M-_4vwgAl9_yqS66pHdQrxHaUDA6icwO49QtppkCzXwQwQxfYtx6d8sH_jJu_R9rs0laUtq3ZluSRPlQ37RkDEV1dGYuK/s400/IMG_4777_8_9_tonemapped.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>What's missing from this picture of the Sonoran desert?</i><br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/fuRMTt-qYH1OojD_fsX3S9MTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-0kNtK-GgTv-dvrUheDlV0p3SD6USwq1mcC5XhDv9Bh-D2dFBz0cRghETJriovDyk2G8E79SFuobF6KaKyjpKdgjL6-OCRKB6j5Noeb5G5bNKgceg2DYUgGhyCnd1VQIacqgt/s400/IMG_4781_2_3_tonemapped.jpg" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>What do you not see in this picture, either?</i><br />
<P>Give up? There are no saguaros. They are everywhere else out there, but I could only find one within the target area. I wonder if they were removed before the target was put there or if they were wiped out by target practice. The other plants there could survive damage or re-populate the area in a few decades. It could be a couple of hundred years before there are many saguaros there, though.<br />
<P>There are lots of pictures if you want to look at them all.<br />
<P><table style="width:194px;"><tr><td align="center" style="height:194px;background:url(https://www.gstatic.com/pwa/s/v/lighthousefe_20140824.00_p2/transparent_album_background.gif) no-repeat left"><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/113977173584662724959/2014_08_31?authuser=0&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-RRYpVCuHBCU/VAPnAz1DWTE/AAAAAAACqro/IOIb2-2pKKc/s160-c/2014_08_31.jpg" width="160" height="160" style="margin:1px 0 0 4px;"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align:center;font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px"><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/113977173584662724959/2014_08_31?authuser=0&feat=embedwebsite" style="color:#4D4D4D;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;">2014_08_31</a></td></tr></table><P><table style="width:194px;"><tr><td align="center" style="height:194px;background:url(https://www.gstatic.com/pwa/s/v/lighthousefe_20140824.00_p2/transparent_album_background.gif) no-repeat left"><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/113977173584662724959/2014_09_06?authuser=0&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-ULo6A2M3YFE/VAzQDfkpZUE/AAAAAAACrGc/tliLrmV6G5k/s160-c/2014_09_06.jpg" width="160" height="160" style="margin:1px 0 0 4px;"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align:center;font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px"><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/113977173584662724959/2014_09_06?authuser=0&feat=embedwebsite" style="color:#4D4D4D;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;">2014_09_06</a></td></tr></table><P><table style="width:194px;"><tr><td align="center" style="height:194px;background:url(https://www.gstatic.com/pwa/s/v/lighthousefe_20140824.00_p2/transparent_album_background.gif) no-repeat left"><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/113977173584662724959/2014_09_07?authuser=0&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-XFFrI9rQy3Q/VA-Qr_fYF8E/AAAAAAACrGM/Ma8DZ4hAzIM/s160-c/2014_09_07.jpg" width="160" height="160" style="margin:1px 0 0 4px;"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align:center;font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px"><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/113977173584662724959/2014_09_07?authuser=0&feat=embedwebsite" style="color:#4D4D4D;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;">2014_09_07</a></td></tr></table>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09495771485593181492noreply@blogger.com0Pinal County, AZ, USA33.236292216611893 -111.3112971100097833.209729716611896 -111.35163761000977 33.262854716611891 -111.27095661000978tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35723123.post-4671947921343426212014-08-30T16:13:00.000-07:002014-08-30T16:13:08.059-07:00The blog<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/KF6QVT7OS155iALHGRis4tMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip1p6RMm8oor90EgxkHN-1f8fJohfh9muDS9HJVkLTzzf1Vuj_Ivs8ZEOv6PoLHoSpN1RxJ8me0256tKSkbuCg6U7cvvgFn8Ruq-xDAoJnCpfEJLai_vTmvf1efUcaMHMFB4Ae/s400/IMG_3290T4R3.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>A road into the desert.</i><br />
<P>A road leads over the hills and into the distance. A key word in that sentence is "leads". Roads like this grab my attention and draw me into the desert. I've got to go see what treasures can be found where ever the road goes. And when I've traveled the roads and look on a map at the locations of the pictures I've taken, the empty spots in that map draw me deeper into the desert, further away from the pavement, away from even the seldom-traveled dirt roads. What rarely-seen treasures are hidden there? What surprises await me? What beautiful sights will I capture with my camera?<br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/0dp4O0jFWuLFmVKSsRsaHtMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXWh7OPSPiX5oiYGwxxVDFjP330_zPA1F7EwQm6WrNqNO_E-sD8e8McsTf7I3tNt8y9BIpC321B82Xh6XFwv-c18Qt_OUYTltevSVEaSUIc1lP96wauu145_gG0PrnO3G0B0zr/s400/IMG_3389_tonemapped.jpg" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<P>I first started writing this blog to share my desert exploration adventures with family. I think my mother-in-law was my most faithful reader. Both my wife's parents have passed away now. I often imagined my younger sister reading my blog to my own mother as I wrote blog entries. Both of my parents have passed away now. I still get +1's from my older sister on blog entries, and my older brother makes cryptic comments about the blog and pictures. (I try to blame the strangeness of his comments on his Parkinson's, but I have known that his mind works differently than most people's since the mid 60's.)<br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/_zPTUoucLOSXPYPObOZGItMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeC8wn0vlr8uDCImODTQ0ycS4XxhD-sFgl5ztG0Re8LwkPxjWG3IFrx9k8q4CNnKAsZdGOWAYyF9hVGw87OLclkSk4-S4iT8wfuOTwd43-nRR61Km4tx3S4ifQ5Xkcz6TxJgUk/s400/IMG_3106T4R3.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<P>So the main reasons for writing this blog are gone. I didn't really realize this until I started thinking about why the frequency of posts has declined recently. I can't imagine not writing it, though. I even have ideas for posts I will write in 2015. I just may not be posting quite as frequently as I used to.<br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/DOXxhArjHNhGaVAmCDIpEtMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0shDbBU3SHRGV-Jes53slmodsfPvwmf0GpAlSpVJwocM9MBx9s8NVWvrn4nz43USKbngAztFT59C7YoPXTUa4X0Jc2EYDEKpUWqk-J3DKWUO5pQRUZ-ZIiZsqNzchHhOxk6qq/s400/IMG_3532_3_4_tonemapped.jpg" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<P>The desert still calls to me. I'll be out there as often as I can be, filling in those gaps on the map, finding the things I haven't found yet. And I'll continue posting pictures on Google+. I've learned a lot about taking pictures over the past few years. They're usually in focus and properly exposed now, and I rarely get any fingers in the frame anymore. My main focus has always been to show as much of what's there as I can. I may start working on making them more artistically pleasing. I allegedly have artistic ability; I just don't make use of it. Stay tuned.<br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/WLUUtRhgIvJTPgckwvWv-NMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzym5UUZvE2pMnTvAAuTzSvu0JXgsHOxMxVFL7lzPJtcyqnYXNJdyIbLLtVy19Y7jj7spNZsYF2AgOaT5UheLkfAQuJiZwXWt9IDHaURbn9mJJpxo3NYDAKD04-ffUf6rFXf1Q/s400/IMG_2817_8_9_tonemapped.jpg" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09495771485593181492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35723123.post-68655308434931207992014-07-23T17:47:00.000-07:002014-07-23T17:47:35.355-07:00Heat, humidity, bugs, and thingsI didn't reach my weight goal by June 25th, so I've kept up the hiking. Still not losing any weight. Fortunately, it's been a mild summer so far. Very few days over 105. I've been going up Lone Mountain a lot. It's 2.3 miles round trip and about 850 feet of ups and downs. Sometimes there are some nice things to get pictures of along the way.<br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/2rZwEaar_uCZNb1FPHE5mNMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi5cC3nXHCO_Hl66Jx7gYkX7vH86k-5grLWJhLpV0SzgjUShvWtGQxeC5W1uRRGib3PLcEYIthO8A_h77KNbzoBXtyqgveYyCvvd22JaJk2KJ-a29spKKwwYYm2gYGNVHNmAbZ/s400/IMG_2841_2_3_tonemapped.jpg" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>I've gotten lots of pictures of the sun setting behind Red Mountain.</i><br />
<P>It's been interesting watching the bugs change with the seasons this year. Bug season starts off with gnats. I have a strong dislike for gnats. I'm always looking for ways to keep them off of me that doesn't involve smearing smelly chemicals all over me or hiding under a blanket. I thought I might have discovered something amazing this spring. I have a medication that I take occasionally and one day I took some before a hike thinking that it might make it easier for my body to cool itself. What I noticed, though, was that gnats hardly bothered me on that hike. Wouldn't it be amazing to take a small pill that doesn't even taste bad, and it would keep gnats away from you? I was shaking with excitement at the thought. However, the gnats didn't bother me on my next hike, and I hadn't taken any of the medicine. Then I took some and they did bother me. I eventually concluded that if the medicine did keep me cool or drive gnats away, the effect was too small to be easily recognized. Rats.<br />
<P>The gnats seem to go away when the highs are over 100. The honey bees and flowers that attract them are still abundant, though, and you are accompanied by the constant background buzz of hundreds of bees everywhere you go. Bees don't bother me. I'm not allergic to them. I like to see them busily doing their bee-thing all day. They are the thing that causes me the most concern out in the desert, though. Coyote, mountain lion, and bear attacks are so rare they aren't worth worrying about. Rattlesnakes and Gila Monsters move slowly and won't do anything to you unless you step on them or pick them up. You have to run a minimum of 300 yards to get away from killer bees, though, and they will be doing their best to stop you from running. I try not to do anything that would anger or even attract the attention of bees.<br />
<P>When the monsoon rains hit, the termites send forth queens to start new colonies. Hundreds or maybe even thousands emerge from a termite nest. They were doing that on top of Lone Mountain recently. I went up there to try some (new to me) HDR techniques which involved standing in one spot for several minutes at a time. After taking 2 pictures, I got tired of the flying termites getting stuck to my sweat or tangled up in my hair and left.<br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/iaWsq6aK54vWO5hYYbpYbdMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiofS2gbeGvzCgnbjBzg43ybRT__UaAtPwO9gu8vjLpsjz8agiNBqxkBq5zbMrelse2G3rjzn7ntsTslTTbcgTDVlVyk0YBeVGcZJ7wcEalnX0qT3LuJXYtHef34bcdKxUoLYSZ/s400/IMG_2972T4R3.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>This is where colonizing termites were emerging from a nest. They were all over the top of Lone Mountain. When I went back up there a few days later, the bodies of dozens that never got off the mountain were still there.</i><br />
<P>I wanted some different scenery on a recent hike so I went down Black Canyon to First Water Creek, and then on to Canyon Lake. I forgot that I shouldn't do that in such warm weather. There never seems to be a breeze in Black Canyon. As I stood motionless near Canyon Lake, sweat ran down my temples. It was really humid down there without a breeze.<br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/rlf6g0c8W3DaIjAtCpt9a9MTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOYds0Av9BXGxbihMK4Mp3EQDnpU3mBDw9IG8L2gSiC5poiLZi8XWy-bkqdCwXqblECsoeK3JPW_R6z5EjQhhyphenhyphenBEw6xH9ZX4Uq9CZqjW04eVLo12TI1Hap4dmN81iC_bl302ID/s400/IMG_3020_1_2_tonemapped.jpg" height="400" width="267" /></a><br />
<i>This is where First Water Creek enters Canyon Lake.</i><br />
<P>Black Canyon is where I first encountered a bug I don't remember from previous summers. Maybe that's because they aren't obnoxious enough. They are extremely small gnats. They have a very high-pitched whine. They like my hat and my cell phone more than me, so we get along just fine.<br />
<P>Mid to late summer is also millipede season. I guess their season is drawing to a close soon. I saw several in Black Canyon that had curled up (literally) and died, their procreation duties having been fulfilled.<br />
<P><table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/abVCWO0dzCt1a7z3N0X049MTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg54Ybs3Gqc7wntHKdfLpTDIO-64zAsorIrKyY_yntRz6yg0sKvPnh0KmmiTnMEq3UDe4DH67N5cdordlcfHpHIgigbhOYDqWpsZz0URI-I88fZTf_1mCzd8v5B8N-nNMgZmAC2/s400/IMG_3035T4R3.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/113977173584662724959/2014_07_19?authuser=0&feat=embedwebsite">2014_07_19</a></td></tr></table><i>A live millipede in First Water Creek.</i><br />
<P>I saw something very unusual in Black Canyon that day; a dead kangaroo rat. I've seen a few live ones at night. The only dead animals I've come across out in the desert are just bones. The kangaroo rat looked like it had died that day, in the middle of the trail, which seemed strange. The strangest thing was that nothing was eating it. There weren't even any flies on it. What would make a dead kangaroo rat so unappetizing to all the other critters? I saw it on the way down the canyon and it was still there half an hour later on the way back up. The vultures aren't doing their job.<br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/ehhxPbsQZVQZcgZLzeaScdMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP0vdm22GOhe_uAx9h95uSWnHHsaMKya44C8a74Z4nMbNKxao-Iq3XVxnPwyqhBC1vPIceGs0zzNrJZgyvQvTozBHLa9GtGzfMBongEe9Gh_CerTleKZ2EPNT3EW8e9Pli5KqP/s400/IMG_3003T4R3.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>A dead but unmolested kangaroo rat in the middle of the trail.</i><br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/5tNIhuO37Z9lSQBmfxHyZdMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjulqcbdFn4j9lb1tCdIxwt-k4AQ_Dhat3Dgyir12iHGpu1CPsqGSS163yv8VUv-qSRZdLpc438NyKpSmssJlEcTRqUPyNHFTuFOrJOzXFu6f6c_o9YYutM53w5yTLnvqam0EZ9/s400/IMG_3057T4R3.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>Here's a nicer picture that I took when I was being lazy and driving around instead of hiking.</i><br />
<P>We had a little rain for a few days and then it dried up again. I climbed up the Boulder Canyon trail and Lone Mountain on those humid days. Sweat poured off my face like rain and I drank twice as much water as I usually do. Humidity is a killer if you have to do anything more strenuous than scratching your butt.<br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/G2kxH72wcsoJ6xk8p3bLT9MTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM45VdO3VWtG2p9Snj1L2L1TtjSPEiRtxHudiy61cbVpp3LqdB_rIR5e_Q9LD8Ev0y82kCcgZbACj4jSs3d06P77gLDa2-qbEcFo_d4_DxZlHLLphXzs8bgp2n6PdRlkxZjCXp/s400/IMG_2790_1_2_tonemapped.jpg" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>A picture of Pass Mountain on a humid day.</i><br />
<P>I climbed Lone Mountain day before yesterday (I'm not climbing anything today; it's over 110 out there). I could tell the air was much drier because my throat was too dry to talk. Also, even though it was blazing hot, the sweat never got all the way down my face before in vanished in a puff of steam. That's the way the desert should be.<br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/91Nc0HxaL7_f9-5jywk2p9MTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEYWz97aM23udQTijPkOVeN8RyKkpz3jXr-pkrDy-vRc3CfIm4AHI_aQGw9tT88Z4YMa224isJYfrDk5HhL9jldKPvGeg3rrimLU_X6KqKszAsSvE0smhCHuLzTc_6TDA8pyJJ/s400/IMG_3067T4R3.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>I've been talking about Lone Mountain a lot, so here's a picture of the top of it. I'll try to remember to take a picture of the whole mountain some day.</i><br />
<P>Still to come is tarantula season, when the males go wandering around in search of love (or something). That will pretty much wrap up this year's bug season.<br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/cIIYdl_DMJcSFT_7o7pgIdMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis0amK716rZdDBg0_Ch_Ka7RjZtSIWHmARtU92yvQdyG7aykf6TpD4TRi5B6NdHDE4PE8GUq-zuBruY4IiT6xP-FFvpIqFHKFOjyRp4mHbrXAtFsmWOu2C6JY_w5qi0psImQgn/s400/IMG_3070T4R3.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>I like this view. The only way to see it is to go all the way to the top of Lone Mountain.</i><br />
<P>There's probably more pictures out there. Find them if you can.<br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09495771485593181492noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35723123.post-77619739228772876052014-06-29T10:53:00.000-07:002014-06-29T10:53:53.744-07:00Bats, maybe, and some other stuffI visited Carlsbad Caverns many years ago and watched thousands of bats streaming out of the cave at sunset. I've wanted to find a cave full of bats out here so I could see that again. I see bats at sunset all the time. I just don't know where they all spend the day. I thought I had found one such place on a recent hike.<br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Ss49OG1D1OEBOVwXhGFKu9MTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSy_zT8nTzyfrGKwUIJtBHY5pbG6cxKq-QTR8NNTBIZybMXfHP8jO4fGIXEpoPz7aoF1zvj5cYo7AMCxBWYZIhI1qfYrJeO4HIYZ6JMznx4hx9eHiW1kcbR4-yZ0hyRzVZfGbA/s400/IMG_2542T4R3.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>A possible bat cave.</i><br />
<P>The picture shows an abandoned mine that has been covered with a grating to keep people from falling in. That box on top is about 15 feet from the (visible) bottom and the sides are vertical, so a fall would most likely be fatal. I saw a couple of rattlers down there the first time I was out there, too. A narrow opening at the visible bottom goes deeper, but I have no idea how much deeper. The box is designed to allow flying animals to get in and out. I hiked out there just before sunset recently and took along my <a href="http://www.econvergence.net/The-Belfry-Bat-Detector-s/1830.htm" target=new>bat detector</a>. At first, I thought I was picking up some interesting stuff with the bat detector.<br />
<P><iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/sLejhjFJu4I" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
It was like something in there was turning on and off.<br />
<P>A little later, I noticed there was something suspicious about the way the detector was going on and off. I had noticed before that the detector is very sensitive to EMI. For example, it goes nuts if you hold it close to a CFL.<br />
<P><iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Tx5a94B_Jto" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
<i>Demonstration of interference.</i><br />
<P>Anyway, with all the electronics I was carrying, I'm not sure how much of the things the detector detected were other stuff or just me and all my gadgets. I finally saw two bats fly out of the hole. That was disappointing. But, I also saw three owls come out. That was really cool. It was much too dark to get photos by then. One of the owls kept circling over me and screeching. It sounded kind of like a zone tailed hawk. I guess it didn't like me, so I left. It didn't stop screeching until I was about 200 yards away from the mine.<br />
<P>The reason I was hiking in that general area in the first place is because of something I noticed on Google Earth. There are saw-tooth like lines in the desert along Bush Highway there. I went out there to see what they were. They are channels cut into the ground to direct water so that it only crosses the road in a few places.<br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/4aOyU9i5NivX__BQJZGGa9MTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgffOw8odVv_evS-j8S0IjZW9sHrOR8on3d5hy3LVT1CycLt0COCvXBx-QSkgCqsQbYid3gDwBrx8swNDO766GVGQFPYifW0PQvpPp82sv-d1650D1lO3QAKiMPVTG8rhXfAn6L/s400/IMG_2467T4R3.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>Channel cut into the desert.</i><br />
<P>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09495771485593181492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35723123.post-52128431142806185632014-06-21T15:08:00.002-07:002014-06-21T15:18:09.835-07:00Horseshoe Mountain, bees, snakes, wasps, hawks, lizards, etc.<a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/ZWz9Ry9bzRbocH-Lp5PW2dMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMLW32oP0ua-qrToF0wmwijr8Gzi6MIH5K-6rwA97W-T6UBTqiU-Snz-8CuW187DvbDjMaFBmzWRb6Xm0CXKuwtASqyJkrqm9_uAmog-lABR5XpfMv_i_hEGSaKPuXVPMcL4Qa/s400/IMG_7457T4R2.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>This is what I call Horseshoe Mountain. I don't know if it has a real name.</i><br />
<p>In my continuing effort to lose some weight, I've been re-visiting a lot of places I've hiked before. I was on Horseshoe Mountain a couple of days ago. I hadn't been up there for a few years. There was a saguaro next to a rock wall on the way up, and you had to go between the two. The saguaro had no spines on the side facing the rock, up to about shoulder height. I thought that meant that a lot of people had been through there and a lot of those got saguaro spines embedded in their sides. I guess it's more likely that some kid with a stick knocked the spines off, though. Anyway, that saguaro has fallen over.<br />
<p><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/f_vRegViiBsmdrodSt3TV9MTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0ipmEgg5AAq3zsxUN2DaNfryFzaGIgKCTfPSq5R_Tw8uyTRckwMpqjvbBSDs2j-AN7qLrl5afPO8pnZD9tG09O6cZwnMKn-KeQ_JYpWwPgZRjt9Nwk-cgyfZja614JKVZ0VSZ/s400/IMG_2406_tonemapped.jpg" height="400" width="267" /></a><br />
<i>A saguaro that had guarded the path up for many years has fallen.</i><br />
<p><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/dDc695rOMQQEBCeBhs1actMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja_f1V5X_nHSKcVjJuy6AS7oxX9wtvUnz1jlWwl7F54rP96opChJXQaldT544DZRRZ8vIqkrSCraVvJXs3Hh80qtaOD0v2dsDmBaFzTfRsvZgWnlPEhU7gHtpriFdECCHWuxT6/s400/IMG_2412T4R3.JPG" height="400" width="267" /></a><br />
<i>A beehive a little further up the trail. I don't know if they are killer bees or plain old wild honeybees.</i><br />
<p>I was standing near the fallen saguaro enjoying the breeze and cooling off a little after the steep part of the climb when I became aware of a humming sound that was not traffic. Snakes, scorpions, centipedes, wasps, and heat are some of the things you have to be careful of when hiking in the desert. The thing I fear most, though, is killer bees. You read about people being attacked by them in the Phoenix area every now and then, sometimes on hiking trails. Once they decide to attack, they don't stop until you are gone. You have to run a minimum of 300 yards to get away from them. They attack the eyes, nose, and mouth of their victims in order to blind and asphyxiate them with swelling from their poison or with their dead and dying bodies. Imagine trying to run down a mountain with angry bees stinging your eyes and flying into your mouth.<br />
<p>Killer bees are most likely to attack in the spring, when the swarm is searching for a new place to nest. Swarming season is over. They also don't like loud noise. I'm normally pretty quiet, but I decided to walk very softly. They don't like strong fragrances. That's one of the reasons I use unscented soap, shampoo, shaving cream, deodorant, laundry detergent, and no fabric softeners. I decided that it would be safe to walk around them if I didn't get too close. I restrained myself from swatting at anything buzzing around me. Bees frequently check me out while I'm hiking. They buzz around at belt level about 2 inches away for a minute or so. Swatting at it could cause it to release pheromones that would bring the whole hive to attack you.<br />
<p><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/9Ef1v5lGYGw5sEve9hs0HNMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirb4xwa4jJgxlnMTJhFAsSRx05bZlQqxQpCmRqFLW424y0SACNpxhDUmQEFv579PdtYST0pxEpwNDeb1BVsxwzoGgVMXi3eKTPe7sq571f9e2Olg8PvFRDSUam-98jAL5Hrfmo/s400/IMG_2418T4R3.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>I think I've photographed this view from just about every possible angle.</i><br />
<p>There's a mine shaft up there that goes about 12 feet into the side of the mountain. I had hiked to it once before and decided to see if I could find it again. It wasn't hard to find.<br />
<p><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/1-WerBqBGCZkyUUvK-5729MTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZmRhVxT4Qxii-F6LNi2BMtGLT8v7zqWwP7VJELdaVal6bxQgjkCp5xnS7G4XJUsj4_516V_IxHbVj5YghveTqQ1G7tpZTAtcBdOIbiI3jFG0153yEeL5ZR6ujjeIMowEwiVGA/s400/IMG_2426T4R3.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>An old mine shaft. I had hiked to it from below before. Now I don't see how I was able to do that. Nothing around there looks climbable from up here.</i><br />
<p><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/CRDjdtY5Y_YB2FlQZ_9uQ9MTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgypoa35JSXY-I8FXr8P390Xq780yuT3bF_khFNpdcdgZ4A9Q7qQxfpH1OTl0Gf3ec9duK7nPzws5FYYT27onvMWdsX3A8u6zVQoPNr0uDrbuPkJngiBzQ9eucU1xTL7J8iSDeZ/s400/IMG_2428T4R3.JPG" height="400" width="267" /></a><br />
<i>Looking into the mine shaft. There was a rattlesnake in it last time I was here. Didn't see one this time but I didn't look under that rock.</i><br />
<p>I have never been in that mine shaft. There was a rattlesnake in it last time, and that huge boulder on the floor makes me think that more might fall at any time. I think the bolts in the sides of the shaft are a recent addition, but I have no idea why they are there.<br />
<p>Another trail I hiked recently is Jacob's Crosscut up to the aluminum bench. I haven't been all the way up there for a while because it always makes me tired. It's the trail where I saw my first snake in Arizona. It was a red racer and it was wrapped around a bunny. I got too close trying to get pictures and it let the bunny go and zipped away. People say it was nice of me to save the bunny but I feel bad about making the snake lose it's meal. Anyway, just past the place where I had seen the red racer, I thought I heard a squealing rabbit. I got the camera ready and walked carefully along the trail. I eventually saw a zone tailed hawk fly away with what looks like might be a piece of rabbit. It's hard to tell.<br />
<p><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/TE5qX9CBjWWCBF_0BslKfdMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrDqXUD-EklTWfhZErHF_iu262wcKIbsTK21xp8VnctuAa-t7iNNMZhyTHV1ZW9m6ItnTNor4UjbuzBt150N1loCFogK2DgvKFNQJkyub9bNeTwqQag1Nx0dOJZBD36rug1tlr/s400/IMG_2339T4R3.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a><br />
Zone tailed hawk with what appears to be a piece of rabbit.<br />
<p>That was pretty cool. There was another hawk on a saguaro making screeching noises. That might be what I thought was a rabbit at first.<br />
<p><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/dRO6xbWGxYH0Op5U6ee_stMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAgiTOSG_aqQX_65mwlhnUROucMFBLBoFKwW3tPgEkBnhLZ6MujVV17YzfCMVHnae05yRKadhZ4e0lr_QQRa5PIEK-EWpZM1rUdWnvFqMRAJndyGX_bxaN_OoS61bq_tpDi03Y/s400/IMG_2358T4R3.JPG" height="400" width="267" /></a><br />
<i>There are three benches along this trail. I adjusted my shoe laces on this one.</i><br />
<p>The trail gets a little steep towards the end. I trudged very slowly to the top, then stopped to take some pictures (i.e. catch my breath) and a guy <i>ran</i> past me. Show off.<br />
<p><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/SxiO5nVzepBEfSHhScdTCtMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdOuv5hT_I3olcslre9gy7ldrfSIrjxw-TxisWhMi9mM9wcc9YdWHVqMFxFvMoefqakY94PJUFStt31c7GncS4Cow9HEacEPpSwIpvtxjH-8q9rEd_-_ToQS0LoNoM5wIqt1j5/s400/IMG_2369T4R3.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>Runner on the trail. It must take a lot of time to be able to do something like that.</i><br />
<p><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/aEvWbvJnaFxXP9xPTM7ImtMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCe51nBZ_k3uRue4EJjFh2uovLHwUj96RcQDvKpgC7hSuHiXdHfC37KdW9m4rICCJS2QfDUXKksUv1fm7lokx-hn5iJopO3QpWlQwSBLK3ABRihMWyuv_tVR1htKu5L7b-UEnY/s400/IMG_2394T4R3.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>Horned lizard. I also saw a deer but it was too dark to get a picture.</i><br />
<p><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/rgMiJPKd5hxgAtvH4YIvftMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibrjMom__q6xIepwx_mz2O70TfHDLZVh9K18x7bhxBtwuc_QwB79e1RbLAWCpPybMwxOntQLpam9eBwmf4vCtB8IDMZMtG0-6k8iihlxO5WUlunG2JA6TJO3wDLw03gtnfc14S/s400/IMG_2387_tonemapped.jpg" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>I like the way this turned out.</i><br />
<p><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/6cRcTKyg3Ax764tABGszVdMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixxwNQV9yIoycazpnjutt_I8VpCZ_ku2dOKUfiBdCv2kRy07U2Rs-okmlohf8mh__KzV7ojH9Wg0TXypgF-solXeniCCQbvnu4cV6JaSxjqOE8RCOLTNJyp2zsEkCKbnTVoIlj/s400/IMG_2373T4R3.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>Zebra tailed lizard.</i><br />
<p>I saw a zebra tailed lizard that did the usual zebra tailed lizard thing. It sprints ahead of you for 10 or 20 feet and then stops and slowly wags its tail back and forth. I wonder if they are trying to make potential predators confuse them with the fellow pictured below.<br />
<p><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/wkmniwvFGCq6Orc2CeUYDtMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1aW-ELZPAehPXwdjazIHvtY6AFf9Yvqutq1re1LF-tVGrSFoSLeZFKpYm6HhUp6hFjyKAYN8_lY94eh9f4KIZWDQLy3GlSBbd31n-Z8McBDjuCjTQATzTLTmfJJuEHEBeBNa3/s400/IMG_2185T4R3.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>Rattlesnake.</i><br />
<p>I saw that snake recently behind Phoenix Mountain, which is the mountain with "PHOENIX" written on it in large white letters. It was stretched out in the sand of a wash warming itself up. Just before I saw the snake, I had seen a tree covered with tarantula hawks. At least I think that's what they were. There were dozens of them. I don't know why they were all in one place. Must have been a mating party or something.<br />
<p><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/puthu_iGRRQlp2BYE1yPpdMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYJXYjUM_AWbBFCZfYIrSE55BdRmrdY6YLPe64UIt8420YG24j5aXw4vVKhw0bvTFIBT0IAudSK1IqieZ_AK_Yt69UKdKOSARc_TuV6SUr67lUGK3Dy1DiduqCnv43DSZSTo-Y/s400/IMG_2183T4R3.JPG" height="400" width="266" /></a><br />
<i>Tarantula hawk.</i><br />
<p>Let me know if you have any trouble finding the rest of the pictures.<br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09495771485593181492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35723123.post-50541952320245776132014-06-10T19:07:00.000-07:002014-06-10T19:07:10.067-07:00Invisible lizards, talking flies, and other less wondrous thingsNo, I don't think the heat has gotten to me. Actually, I would probably be the last to realize if that were true. But I don't think it is. I thought of these blog topics in cooler weather. First, though, a brief discussion of more mundane matters.<br />
<p><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/_Cz59TrmLqtJLUF-sfvrhtMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIJ8zX11xoRdSXlItRgghWWtL4KAaQbwOi6KjqgXiiH78nLsaku2QuAI-9OfprzKE0kWh1ER2_LXynAnKMtOxxOjLHZtg4QQM9WcsUsD182UIf3Hjm6oDKfQNyKhZDc3yykUeq/s400/IMG_1307T4R3.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>We must start off with a picture.</i><br />
<p>Since about 2002, I've been saying that I need to loose a few pounds. Of course, my weight has slowly crept up in the years since then. A few weeks ago I decided it was time to get serious and do it. I've been out hiking (to burn calories) every chance I get. I have cut back severely on cookies, cake, and beer. (I know what you are thinking now. These actions have NOT caused me to start hallucinating.) My weight loss has not been as rapid as I had hoped, considering the sacrifices I am making (you would understand if you had ever tasted my Sweetum's chocolate cake). I like to think that I'm not losing much weight because I'm putting muscle on my legs. Yep, that's it.<br />
<p><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/NLxHkKxtbqWwpMgncKErfNMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ-_zTElaG3o6DuPVFa3xFXkBvAPQvBBsqvL7yHbw7alNGplR7464_tRrhKwuxVl3Up5PxynTsZzTH1Wyb0Fj-kpSz8iqPzr4HdJ3NQREVMiqkuh4arYyqg900Eewjdy-1R2xV/s400/IMG_1298T4R3.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>Cactus wren feeding its chicks. I could hear them.</i><br />
<p>So I've been hiking a lot to burn calories. That hasn't left much time to work on pictures or write this blog. I haven't put much effort into exploring new areas, either. I've been hiking in a lot of places that I've been several times before.<br />
<p><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/7_GDKcAuV4Hg0VQSLmRUF9MTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0nMUfpuoL2kfO9_6enw6Z-yczAoCmwe7C2a0iEABxyEUZlOtFjvlRR1GmlVSed1Ox48NU1DrYf25d3EgyXHXD3l3WuHzCyjejglhAXV19sZbqPrmnS1NQ_KazDm4uJry5VjSB/s400/IMG_1214_tonemapped.jpg" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>Julia and Willie went with me on one hike. Julia manages a smile despite being near exhaustion.</i><br />
<p><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/JWeL0lz8e0m85wM8OLTVtdMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAXpU3iAh3ydBF6FnlL0UTtZf15nSqn0zTCe1oFdkVjPtACJnnDPnsSXi-SxcCGKDPnIQxKtZG4sA0JgRdDMoL5RqPZI0OW6dS01UXdBgaYKqzCab1hthGZyXuHs88zUOBNAB5/s400/IMG_1237_8_9_tonemapped.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>I took pictures of the same old things on that hike. Well, it's just so pretty.</i><br />
<p><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/rh8G_3LKLdSMripTzpUYm9MTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgihLtnjTwUqlJqLvPkyMS2PjO1zMMzYZSiERKfr9MFaOcfJUsnlnWhUVAvKVjVdtIsm1VCVE6Ss8QsKWeChiull5cChxlEDQ8sMRu-1v8qNhUGiA6gJz_afstJ5xs5eIWKv_At/s400/IMG_1286T4R3.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>I made a half-hearted attempt to hike to the mushroom rock one day. That wore me out for some reason.</i><br />
<p>Lately I've decided that since I'm just trying to burn calories, it's ok to keep hiking in the same places. I've been up and down Lone Mountain 3 times in the past week or so. On one of those hikes a guy in better shape than me zoomed past on the way up. He was still at the top when I got there. When he started down, he went fast, kind of between a walk and a run. I decided to try that and was amazed and how quickly I got down the mountain. It continually surprised me how much distance I could cover in a single step. My next hike was on the Boulder Canyon trail, which is also a big climb. It took me an hour to get to the top. When I realize the sun would be setting in half an hour, I hurried down. It reminded me of those dreams where you are running and you jump and can glide a long way in the air and you keep holding your feet up longer and longer and going further and further between putting your feet down. Then when you slow to a walk, it feels really humdrum. I think there were actually very few times when both my feet were off the ground at the same time and that only happened when I caught my toe on a rock or something like that. I tried going fast again on my last hike, on Lone Mountain. It's quite a workout for the quadriceps and I don't think mine had recovered since the last time so it didn't feel so much like flying that time. I looked at the GPS track for one of those hikes and saw that I was only going a little over 3 mph when I felt like I was flying. Well, I guess it seemed fast because I was going 2 or 3 times faster than I usually do.<br />
<p><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/_yRd1OHOyGbApSIdLdBSxdMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQzm4Dv8GVH8S8WrrKbYzEqxmBvVrF92yL8Kgg7DnxR_7kydN4jaNxvgbFATBCYsCqX7xfyQKoOjzlvUmALJ7IpVRQOlsQIvS6YXVjmyCHleFSrW1n1vqJkKg0CSGUV3Rj4tAM/s400/IMG_1269T4R3.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>I hid from this copter on a recent hike on the Lost Goldmine trail in case they were planning to tell me to go home.</i><br />
<p>Let's see, I need to tell you about that invisible lizard. I saw it near the Salt River. Well, I didn't see it, of course, but I saw where it was. I was walking across an area of flat, clean sand when something kicked up a bunch of sand, went a foot or so, and then stopped. It looked just like a startled lizard, except there was no lizard. Just sand being kicked around by tiny invisible feet. It must have thought I was about to step on it (I was) or it wouldn't have moved. An invisible lizard would know that it's better not to move unless necessary. "So", you say, "How come I never heard of invisible lizards before?" Well, ain't that obvious? "So", you say, "I heard about the Higgs boson long before anybody 'saw' one. How come I never heard about your invisible lizard before?" Obvious, again. The existence of an invisible lizard is not necessary to complete anybody's theory of the universe. However, believe it or not, I did find evidence that somebody else was looking for them.<br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/30CcHO0ibzl0k2TrbYI_gtMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgfLP8QlSqpnFrTROqXdkONB2DfkIv03qIFJZ3zWGh5CPTrtQFJSIJJPuoNlt-Q3BiyE4UlFFBahuVqumF_9D2CIEzZw-V0U8tqa1A30RelLc5W_o18NnsZgHfjG71vZFYxYV4/s400/IMG_0802T4R3.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>Somebody marked off a grid with rebar in this area.</i><br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/1X_YqMF7KO7HlcLWRI-A59MTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_Z1VeZ6SkwTlzVckyzNNHejLxM7tDAZiTvfuvsXG6s1p89FDrkzuSwyp_X3-tmh9f2KOybqdwd1vLMshenBSN8ICcdlTcvun74BFkJxzAucyUVZUSey2VySZ7blCoqjpQkMtZ/s400/IMG_0774T4R3.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>Each rebar post is labeled.</i><br />
<P>The rebar grid shown in the photos shows that somebody was conducting a detailed flora and fauna survey in this area, which happens to be very close to where I didn't see the invisible lizard. What does the survey have to do with invisible lizards? Well, somebody noticed that things weren't exactly balanced in this area, as if more bugs were being eaten than could be accounted for by the lizards and birds in the area, and so they set up and conducted this detailed survey to try and figure out what was throwing things out of balance. I imagine this was part or all of some students doctoral research. Of course, they never figured it out because they never thought to look for invisible lizards. (Who would?) Because they couldn't account for the missing bugs, they were derided by their professors for doing sloppy work, took up drinking, dropped out of school unpublished, and now run a meth lab in the back of a '68 VW bus somewhere in Gila county. But I extrapolate. All the evidence points to invisible lizards.<br />
<P>After reading that, you probably can't wait to hear about the talking flies. Well, I'm sorry, but they're much more mundane.<br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/YpFPpBRViAQtpoOorCdbatMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqPvL482c1nnA1FaR4BJUREr40NK3xB8bTgyaj8u9vU9yn1n4mLJBSF2T_bK0-FyHVkStCXnSFeydvql9svDzGA0zWWKzdI6fKQuOPFssniTCaHLlw2YRGPK1oGppS44Mou5Hm/s400/IMG_0803_tonemapped.jpg" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>Salt River. I promise.</i><br />
<P>On many occasions when I've been out hiking, I've heard indistinct voices in the distance. You know what I'm talking about. You can't understand them, but you know they're voices, and they stop and start. Many times, I've been able to spot the people that the voices belong to. This frequently happens around the Superstition Mountains because there are lots of people out there and there are parallel trails far apart. Recently when I was out there I heard voices and finally spotted a couple of people on a trail about half a mile away. They stopped walking. Since I was standing on top of a ridge I figured they could see me against the sky, so I waved as I zoomed in and took a picture. It wasn't until I got home and looked at the picture 1:1 that I saw that one of the women had stopped to pull out a wedgie. I guess they hadn't seen me after all. But I digress. Back to the flies. There have been several occasions when I was sure I heard voices and stopped to find their source and discovered that it was a fly that was buzzing around nearby. They fly around near the ground, their wings are loud (for fly wings), and they maneuver around in such a way that their buzzing sounds like indistinct voices. It isn't just me, either. Other people have heard them. Either that or they were just humoring me. "Okaaaay. Sure, I hear them. Shouldn't we be getting back to town?"<br />
<P>The last time I was on Lone Mountain (June 7), I looked across Usery Pass road to the mountains on the other side (which look kind of boring, so I may not have uploaded any pictures of them) and saw a trail going up the middle. I went up that trail yesterday. As I walked along it, I remembered seeing a rusted out jeep up there somewhere many years ago. Wow, I had been there before and had completely forgotten it. As I got near the end of the trail, something reminded me of a picture I had taken from up there all those years ago. It was a picture of Red Mountain. It stirred up a lot of conversation. It was the first picture I had ever taken that more than one person said they liked, and I decided that maybe I was capable of taking a decent picture now and then. I guess that's where all this hiking and picture taking really got started. BTW, I'm not ready to upload the pictures from yesterday yet. I'm still working on pictures from 5/31.<br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/yqNZWz4ToKbjSyANTiK3ItMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtZwXKZ3E39zuHreIyn8EtexQ7GseJx1Un3DlJBHEcfDqr_TfH0MyeNoUM2kAh1E2cx_GPv0WNJBFSL_2EdR6TcsG9WkvqNKrehw_KXtVZRpW6udwjwiq2EadkichCq0iVXmiy/s400/IMG_0799_tonemapped.jpg" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>Here's a picture I took in my front yard. I used a ladder. (To stand on; I used a camera to take the picture.)</i><br />
<P>There are pictures from several albums in this post and I'm not going to try to link to all the albums. Those of you that can figure out how to get to the albums can see all of the pictures.<br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09495771485593181492noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35723123.post-66667074513070431152014-05-25T14:30:00.000-07:002014-05-25T14:30:20.834-07:00A better view of a hole in the rockSeveral years ago, I had made an attempt to hike up to a hole in a rock that could be seen along the unofficial trail to the back of Garden Valley. I seem to vaguely remember that I didn't have a very good view of the hole when I got there. Mostly what I remember is that it was a windy day and there were rain storms around. Anyway, I did not have that in mind when I set off on a hike a few days ago. What I had in mind was getting some exercise and seeing some nice scenery. I didn't want to do a lot of climbing so I started out on the unofficial trail just mentioned. If follows a creek bed for most of the way.<br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/hMKGkQMNlt9PVznrqtky_tMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnTv6SM0jtQy4o_sqAm_6a7b-o3d8SMabSVCV4Tz22bkKrWRbe9_6IpmpG3nR6SRn3KbCN-Ne_txrQ9dsso_7VRnvV0Z0_Jske2Rp3afLxJhHmGByIWtYDlUmvh515BaibK4-2/s400/IMG_1074T4R3.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>Part of the beginning of the trail is in fine sand, which is great for showing snake trails. I couldn't find the snake.</i><br />
<P>I had mostly forgotten about the hole in the rock until I spotted it from the trail. It's easy to miss. You have to look up at just the right time.<br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/kq-TolbO3-xXrPssWcRQAtMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkVxnuk72Ai3jntwRSFQWUA3qbHKAwjj9_AfDmAW1MFsvMy5R1bmU2J4AG3zAiUCThFTNYrz47BJacuTA4rGBs8BxQ9qb_k8M4NOiVCoZyxWx-vkBsoeincGJWw8-6UuUqr88x/s400/IMG_1077T4R3.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>The hole in the rock isn't easy to see from the trail.</i><br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/KuCFo-_jW8Lwi3HAC-mVoNMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihNagWbjqO7AnhAKTkgMJMp59yMNJeW1XOs4VfYtYiGuVTz3YVFlItGvvPUOesmIQfzx0DISUKbN0YDGPv2ls-ezHS_1ESKYWrH6b5smwhcJhVvLtUUa-erTvfGOVgV0ko_EbA/s400/IMG_1079T4R3.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>Somebody also dug a hole in the dirt on the side of the creek. Strange.</i><br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/6D0FEGnQdyudzkjGmqgpIdMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-aNc9ekDaf9fLNkanJ7gcRqBxHdHVPmnt2xSoyj9OreSUmEe8b1icfO6Qw7kurdeuGdS38PynXi32z_O3yMDn44GooRrhHbBhCOd4HmtI2uTr419dgox5Kmif5nvc5bGaG8Jo/s400/IMG_1081_tonemapped.jpg" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>I would like to see this when water is flowing.</i><br />
<P>I walked until I got to a scenic spot and "stopped" there to take a few pictures. Actually, what I did was start up a hill to get a better angle on a shot. Then I went a little further to see what I could see, all the while looking across the creek bed at the taller hill on the other side until I couldn't stand it any longer and started up that other hill. The view was much better from the taller hill.<br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Y5FqPgNNViW_vsDotlrR2dMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxO4H7-IvSt3RIjhl1lrTMhApcVwCU95m4d1INlaREYAyvYfuJ9xyHek_LAOQXaVIB58lB1HPHUCZx5xkLeRxHw1knYZzMLaRe9hzdOryPV8S8L92JZbyoCHT1H9a872gpSSY9/s400/IMG_1130_1_2_tonemapped.jpg" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>This is a bare-rock kind of place.</i><br />
<P>I was wandering around on the larger hill taking pictures of various things when I turned around once to find that I had a perfect view of the hole in the rock. Now, finally, years after I had intended to do so, I have a decent picture of that hole in the rock.<br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/PmojQBsZsewIrGEcis5pzNMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzsQJpQagIpyDEvzZlKoq3-lOecnQFqtB5ujO4CRT8ZEuyfqakalI52JCe0B-AZnozXiWCIek5vArj065c7W5aURWiPbT9BnqN6HA1papx9PV_GDjcxXi7CJemZxugEwejatz3/s400/IMG_1181_2_3_tonemapped.jpg" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>The hole in the rock.</i><br />
<P>Click below for all of the pictures.<br />
<P><table style="width:194px;"><tr><td align="center" style="height:194px;background:url(https://www.gstatic.com/pwa/s/v/lighthousefe_241.01/transparent_album_background.gif) no-repeat left"><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/113977173584662724959/2014_05_21?authuser=0&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-rmcvW9r8T_0/U4IZTMNsQEE/AAAAAAACmwY/mxVBVvJkXMI/s160-c/2014_05_21.jpg" width="160" height="160" style="margin:1px 0 0 4px;"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align:center;font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px"><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/113977173584662724959/2014_05_21?authuser=0&feat=embedwebsite" style="color:#4D4D4D;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;">2014_05_21</a></td></tr></table>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09495771485593181492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35723123.post-81089729206509549792014-05-04T11:30:00.000-07:002014-05-04T11:30:27.303-07:00To the Mule EarsI don't know if that's what it's really called. It reminds me of Mule Ear Peaks in Big Bend National Park, so that's what I call it. It's one of those places I've been meaning to hike out to for a few years. You can see it as you approach Canyon Lake on Apache Trail. Just last year I found myself very close to it and realized it wouldn't be very difficult to get to.<br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/X6omkPV3y2iLt9BUOh1C4NMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiROPceReLEOxd8hmui7oed-Z_25hKZy8LWrGTSxBr7P_IeNSYE9-1Xmk0BvLtbYzZai72HoXvKF1z9leUSTUmcY_dpj54Oq3nScMcBQvQ7-ZTFaGP_LgUmMle-Cfad0J0u7Hoq/s400/IMG_0222T4R3.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>My destination. It was a dusty day.</i><br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/aogxPQa6KVg5Y1-HNC6Qj9MTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdGceWjxllB6MvyHYwCKi10UqXAhSc1iw73uU2yJLXXpdYiH9UI6US9kf4JGPK5Qe5BxjVq1y_FDZUS49VJhXI9PkNBiFSZBxJoDirZGMyXhQ5C0_vcQMPrcZC7XeeN4lG7MYB/s400/IMG_0214.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>I saw some Iron Cross Blister beetles near the beginning of the hike.</i><br />
<P>The wind had been blowing for a couple of days so the air was kind of dusty. It was cool and the wind would keep the gnats away, so I went hiking despite the dust. Between the dust and being out there in the middle of the day (I had no idea how long it would take, so I started early), the pictures aren't very good.<br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Vm4XcTmm6W2oJ-tpNL_zS9MTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTci7q9SKYXfJOVaMYw8I5uHEiowbOJ5OFW__ut3SYN6k6jW5QKfo3b2nvY2QksBpSyN3GXq4ZzYGKMgEqidqujFvNc7HXsyd1ezKxfdRkpruoMT0S2497zBB1rkFHQrAGBqSi/s400/IMG_0233T4R3.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>It rained just enough to make some small puddles out here the night before.</i><br />
<P>There was a faint trail out there the last time I had been there. It seemed better defined now, and there were more cairns. The trail seemed to go where I was going most of the time. I stayed on it because the grass was downtrodden there. That grass is almost as annoying as gnats. I had my gaiters on but the seeds still worked their way through my shoes. I had to stop three times to take my shoes off and remove seeds. It's really aggravating to have something jabbing you in the foot with every step.<br />
<P>There is a trail all the way up to the far side (the side you can't see from Apache Trial) of the Mule Ears. It's possible to climb up to the saddle between the peaks from the far side. It's about a 10 foot climb. I'm sure I could have done it but since a slip could have been disastrous, I didn't.<br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/__6fVg3pAEjscRKrH4CQe9MTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlK1Ufkx9Z_npX9oPAK0QoPXkg3j7vLwZ3wAFlFuGHPYQRtYdIpHVrMlHfS91glAJdlLoq9MV1mqsMITPSBJ3FBhNUzk6Mmhj1hvfRUKhNJzKRoQuxVre9qUEgwnsALVAedycy/s400/IMG_0291T4R3.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>A pile of rocks in the saddle. I didn't climb up there.</i><br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/un5plOsm_vlq3u1Mi_exDNMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0QwF1AAO8sBvSGD-s29DY40Q5tEgytP6wbSYqD_bNlBPEwKwvv9cjFyQFPWujjxVLKbvITPCzceviADyA2HIplBh8_DqHu_lADfUcKVp1PfqRNvPLc787ygZmaUO0I7w2UrVZ/s400/IMG_0306T4R3.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>Four Peaks through the dust.</i><br />
<P>The wind was blowing so hard, I thought my exposure-bracketed photos might not be combinable into HDRIs. Photomatix is pretty amazing at lining things up, though.<br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/qxm0tk9_iBcEaVtlgvNn8dMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_ExAZZ0_F6PJoflarCTcF4wARORvOqf8gJ-0vARH00jrSTjeWNRcaftM_c3ctF-IFykwh4etlbk8t44q0rySHu3j_nvr5sca0cNSIVqu8ZvnPymqPO57uyqDLtZeswxgEqCUf/s400/IMG_0309T4R3.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>Weaver's Needle is usually easy to see from this area, but not this day.</i><br />
<P>One reason I wasn't in any hurry to hike out to the Mule Ears is because you can't get pictures of something like that when you get close to it. I wanted to do it just so I could say I had been there. Well, that's out of the way now. As expected, I saw some other things I want to look into the next time I'm out there. It sure is nice having such a large area to explore so close to home.<br />
<P>Click below for all of the pictures.<br />
<P><table style="width:194px;"><tr><td align="center" style="height:194px;background:url(https://www.gstatic.com/pwa/s/v/lighthousefe_241.01/transparent_album_background.gif) no-repeat left"><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/113977173584662724959/2014_04_26?authuser=0&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-EdmZdfEuEks/U10sfRXeksE/AAAAAAACj6Y/6qhtKC-2KEA/s160-c/2014_04_26.jpg" width="160" height="160" style="margin:1px 0 0 4px;"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align:center;font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px"><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/113977173584662724959/2014_04_26?authuser=0&feat=embedwebsite" style="color:#4D4D4D;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;">2014_04_26</a></td></tr></table>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09495771485593181492noreply@blogger.com0Tonto National Forest, Tonto Basin, AZ 85553, USA33.549079482147938 -111.466229218212933.542462982147939 -111.47631421821291 33.555695982147938 -111.4561442182129tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35723123.post-20412539133684547492014-05-02T18:22:00.000-07:002014-05-02T18:22:25.589-07:00A return, of sortsTwo or three years ago, or so, I had hiked out to some large hoodoos at the northwest corner of the Superstition Mountains. It was a long hike and I was very tired as I returned to the truck after sunset. That was when my ankle first started bothering me. It twisted just a little a couple of times on the way back. Didn't really hurt, but it didn't feel good. It was a couple of days before I could walk normally. After that, any hike over 3 miles would have me limping or hopping on one foot the next day. This went on for about 2 years until one day when I was walking on a sidewalk I noticed that when I picked my foot up, it felt like the bones in my ankle moved apart, and when I put it back down, they got jammed together. It didn't hurt at all, but I decided that doing that thousands of times on a hike was probably why my ankle hurt. Then I figured out that the reason it did that was because of my boots. I really liked them because they came far above my ankles and kept them from twisting much. The problem was that, even though I did not lace them tightly, they would squeeze my ankles just a little. If an ankle was slightly swollen, the squeeze would force the bones apart, only to be pounded back together when I put my foot down, which increased swelling and caused more pounding and, eventually, pain. So I had to quit wearing those boots. After years of abuse, the ankle still gets sore, but not nearly as bad as it did when I wore those boots. Anyway, the reason I bring all this up is because I went back out to those hoodoos recently. I wanted to see something near them but for years I didn't think I could hike that far, even though I've hike greater distances since then. I decided to hike out to the rock I wanted to see one day and use crutches if I had to the next day. It turns out my ankle was barely sore the next day, though.<br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/GP-3uZWriTNy_ZcB86zZE9MTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu7vQeefjsTF3kdz0Yltj-e8WY1PvQii_a8IUTFSSPiRBsyKhTlaRIU640LtQtfs3bg8MOm3b1N3Ey9c12Uw8ItqOj-U_5L6sf2BUBU9X7eoe2giiI_zZjNRc48i6QxsOKk-mW/s400/IMG_9985T4R2.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>I haven't seen one of these for 2 or 3 years. I wouldn't have seen this one if he hadn't moved.</i><br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/RhWBGDcGB4uTWMvwdNxoltMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKKtd76DZkdfgnReC75wEVb-kNhYBjzDhzyzqOn4xVnCar3XQYUnx-dJhK9mSjKCkv-aLe2Mn5Usx7QYUgClKe9wVAJGU0Zf1EXjAj2oKc8-98rU7gaUqzylpZV7ns15VCANAR/s400/IMG_0175T4R2.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>A little while later, I saw this one. Again, I wouldn't have seen him if he hadn't moved.</i><br />
<P>I saw 2 horned lizards on this hike. I don't think I had seen one for about 3 years before this year. I've seen 4 so far this year. I look around every time I pass a big red ant ant bed but if the horned lizards aren't moving, they are hard to see. Both of these were close to ant beds (they eat the ants).<br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/68WbYa-5sw3Lx8Sg_JC8EdMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgogtH-_72n8LPmIZaXMfx7948SLzoZNdTLCkphG4IyGPgD61uba4lJQWx7VtE0mn4vOgZR-RYpM1c3lGs_jBvOsBw51l5sqNsDy9Oyhsz33Y3BZMXDR5naII5-4B_nBFw_Rucx/s400/IMG_0180T4R2.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>Find the horned lizard in this picture. I have trouble seeing him and I know where he is. This is zoomed to how the scene would look if you were standing on the trail. You need to look at the picture full size, though.</i><br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/XQrx6G4OcttMJr-gL-0X5tMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXmP1tcGE78-_gO4KLuXOzoCHxn4rSh_fxW42zQ-JmfwJLWvYoV-WaDqBKMB0EGfUE3p8WyzLxcWejyE8gDWtSgDYS_zONuC6WF8TUjpIS-E7Y0mqsxF9Z-8NNbNXNQ_TFNjGB/s400/IMG_0002_3_4_tonemapped.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>There were some rain clouds in the distance. After 11 years in the desert, I knew I didn't have to worry about getting wet.</i><br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/pG-hGllW4U3xbyXLNZieNNMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj460wbVmLI01J5oJgfS_G7H8aGdxj3qQQIdD9N3GDs7noUsGtSX_8b8nRDDB05CIl4LrUdHO_mFg0JjO4Rc67uLlO987KtXTrvblYLS3agIJ2XTGI-QifB1vEUylPPpwVad-Ym/s400/IMG_0008_09_10_tonemapped.jpg" height="263" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>It is not unusual for a single prickly pear cactus to have 2 colors of flowers. I've seen two colors on one pad.</i><br />
<P>The rock I wanted to get close to looks sort of like a bent thumb sticking out of the ground. I had gotten pictures of it from a distance before but wanted to get closer. I was almost to the hoodoos before I thought I was close enough to the thumb to leave the trail and head for it. Unfortunately, I didn't see an easy way to get to it. I would have to go through steep-sided washes full of vegetation. I decided it wasn't worth the effort. Since I was almost at the hoodoos, I went on to them.<br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/6rPgrDrPJI_7wi0dTymi5tMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJOVqqISG2Tue3dbO97eHM8WABq7t_Iz3HZKESQCveJI2ssyQbYQTF_opQa9r5iSWwRHAFB3jkHiS7EZDCj85xZ-C5k4VBQrqc3NV1hJ8n_NcDxqO9dWcg76vCKQ3G-jzN7HkA/s400/IMG_0202_3_4_fused.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>Nice-looking clouds over picturesque mountains.</i><br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/TfXC861bk2nQtqYOAfV6E9MTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXqKY7EIo-iqYR3JIE_61luPFMOxjOZepvPKd-w4iDtNOgFIcHFxAMyQn93nTI-W2pSrAkff6VzSYG3_9ls9iQI1yByME01tmf0trGA9r2AQk7mjg0jvOI0NwDzy5lioIqslVu/s400/IMG_0041_2_3_fused.jpg" height="268" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>Thumb rock. I still don't have a good picture of it.</i><br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/fhCRTeaLBUuwfr0vYO1lGNMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv0ooXHLu0jcdMRCqvooB_KY_rs1E9HjI3YurxRUZJnuFwoWidymY1vghFI8YlWwwnIvXQKYA4YotcCVMxImXo4eyi-atHj36z9axStVYO7Yzy74ftKM20P8nj8Zl2hJMScweZ/s400/IMG_0047_8_9_tonemapped.jpg" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>I always seem to use that pointy rock as a gauge of how much I've climbed when I'm on this side of the mountains.</i><br />
<P>I didn't feel as tired when I got to the hoodoos as I remember being the first time I was out there. I sat in their shade and had a snack. I looked at all the other places I've explored since the last time I was out there and decided that I need to go to some of them again because they probably aren't beyond my reach now after all.<br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/nxZhIUt8Iy7DdMuyw49nxtMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZLMmgpeSoxUHGMV42fJx3bYppV2f39BrlnzaT72KMQ1mIbdawkvqDgQhYVULs06X9OP4V-rLtbwKChTGeFeSACqoKXqJkklbNdOBEDAj7fGaVLqBVdSWqiFnmLgQ_t7UIwC7T/s400/IMG_0129_30_31_tonemapped.jpg" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>At the hoodoos.</i><br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/4SQmrbdTvN1Ck_jGar2cudMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyRLssEf_8gbwx7tWgB_DmUJqjBtNu42U31KjAC3f-hacf4IBRy-epUpFj-D0-JijqyuddERNyCAgVzetmnJPiTBzcpXJ8QtqNuus3EmiKJFu010hbEZ0HYrVmcWH25W9jkXDj/s400/IMG_0144_5_6_tonemapped.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>I like the view from up there.</i><br />
<P>Click below for all of the pictures.<br />
<P><table style="width:194px;"><tr><td align="center" style="height:194px;background:url(https://www.gstatic.com/pwa/s/v/lighthousefe_241.01/transparent_album_background.gif) no-repeat left"><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/113977173584662724959/2014_04_19?authuser=0&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-bMygHIQzHuE/U1SCaC2UPNE/AAAAAAACjvc/WKdltCtHLp0/s160-c/2014_04_19.jpg" width="160" height="160" style="margin:1px 0 0 4px;"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align:center;font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px"><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/113977173584662724959/2014_04_19?authuser=0&feat=embedwebsite" style="color:#4D4D4D;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;">2014_04_19</a></td></tr></table>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09495771485593181492noreply@blogger.com0Tonto National Forest, Tonto Basin, AZ 85553, USA33.4541568510688 -111.4537477363158533.4508448510688 -111.45879023631585 33.4574688510688 -111.44870523631585tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35723123.post-23122507591532975992014-04-19T20:04:00.000-07:002014-04-19T20:04:07.965-07:00Just a little further up First Water CreekFor years I've wanted to get pictures of the waterfall at the end of the First Water Creek overlook trail from down in the creek. I couldn't get to the waterfall in the creek, though. When Gary and I had been in the creek a few days earlier, we got further upstream than I had been able to before. I thought that maybe a flood since the last time I was down there had rearranged the boulders. I decided to go back and see just how far upstream I could go.<br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/tgNuMaIGNkAiS0_tPs9N-dMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizcJuDj222WiaQmJQls0oD-Vm2I-mer_yW9_9RsQHL6U5wagplLGo54susBfvWu8YPd-6qVEF0SEtue2nQ-yFLlsQYAwQ65vQRd7iXmJNmH8IEyNsLwhjvRyDCjN01Per5BBOJ/s400/IMG_8719_tonemapped.jpg" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>I went earlier in the day so I had some sunshine.</i><br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/0mVSsd8EC-JjWM_K88MsD9MTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTqEE73cMXchcuchBdHTzVAhgITn6U9QN9JAeP_zHhZHCg_u73w6-kaGKHQGBhZlLB65GDPnmdid0HhkmpCPh67rkcTJYSO75gMkKxtUPQST3BZ78g6shzLBENoBwGb8LMrtPr/s400/IMG_8720T4R2.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>There seemed to be a lot of water despite the dry winter.</i><br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/2t04oeUBCQKPS75_8oWfS9MTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB73P2GhK7K14HVZ3T_7C_dQyrEDJP_HtbTxBtmxl1ObjwYcp4xmWd1wxaJUrIuhQ-rvY-5z85Zs119-v_0AOHR8VGPR5yrra1OoOBN5CsBIKLlf6yQeNnpM0ZdvONAYzGkOyw/s400/IMG_8721T4R2.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>The creekbed is mostly a narrow canyon.</i><br />
<P>I finally realized that even though I was able to go further upstream than I had before, I probably wouldn't be able to do that if water was flowing in the creek. I would have been mad at myself if I had gone down there in the rain thinking I could get to the waterfall and then been stopped by water.<br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/vXQ7TcUetfsOtFQ3O9-BXdMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9pyDHKBmtFklmCzEFfYYqd1AIGtxU0vHgJDYv-PzcfDL7bw8MdJ48JtBkHeCN73gEbppaMJm-W-rcAWKtdp9ihtmosxE-dSB94dllEQDzazR3Vkfn0JxEK2WCnUaEh0OGpLoV/s400/IMG_8735_tonemapped.jpg" height="400" width="267" /></a><br />
<i>I may not have gotten through here if water was flowing.</i><br />
<P>I decided to see how far upstream I could go. Turns out it wasn't very far. I didn't have shoes for wading and I didn't want to get in that water anyway after I saw the dead toad floating in it.<br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Sq2_zkNF1hMyI1G_Cf2LqtMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-gJdPakbjR7rYgmwnwlsEDWVfzv3dgdWcrWbHb7CskvV_k5IxvYOvr-YBanTpwjE2xAcZFolAg66vFZm3SxnD4UsEoJNCZxpaP8NI2T29-Y8fMovL3geTD8Ec_hGqjU8wsTN5/s400/IMG_8747_8_9_fused.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a><br />
<i>Time to turn back. I guess the guys looking for the horse a couple of days earlier waded through this.</i><br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/OZpfUTtR0wrhi3RPWsQR49MTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCq7poTbVsEShlG6vjKptJJVPPHbrViL-mqNugY_UNgOhOopJLNJn0oAj2krONpGR5WnaxKdWqlA3Sc71yF6yzBBSnme-4BJfUvYRmYFzVlMweMEcm-8KiCGj0CWmivAJRzmv0/s400/IMG_8754_tonemapped.jpg" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>It doesn't seem to be very deep.</i><br />
<P>I decided to give one of the side canyons a shot on the way back. I had a view of the waterfall from it, and if I could get down that canyon when it's raining, I could get pictures of the waterfall.<br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/iTPHQcHnzqbNgVhTHIOePNMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3mgR6WfKmDZWA6Vfg4biPE3dHl3oksz0uC4M3GsKZMEmUiYtAKiL5OpZXOUZ3AbR4P2MGK8NnibjNxRc0gCZAZQNkcyrRAmJqFGgOrbHRxLxnC2rlhTtPjq_Vd1T4GHywe7X_/s400/IMG_8763_4_5_tonemapped.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a><br />
<i>I would be able to see the waterfall without going all the way down to the creek from the side canyon I chose.</i><br />
<P>The side canyon was a little steep but I didn't have to use my hands, so it's acceptable. After a short climb I topped a ridge and saw a landscape that looked completely unfamiliar. There wasn't much distance between the First Water overlook trail and Black Canyon so it seemed strange that nothing looked familiar. I guess I just didn't recognize if from a new angle. I did finally see a cliff that I recognized.<br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/dJGjmyhvAOIw4md224qlzNMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaGbBCdJU55IUSktQt1LQ2u_YsMjwqDWQkkf1C5GxbArWRVhmK_PBgHFU_9-w4fNkU41hArW-bCWNXJcihcpXCMxFSr_n2cDwzyBPra-IWMoD3_akKW6eYKa7gXSiwhsOmBGtP/s400/IMG_8770T4R2.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>None of this looked familiar.</i><br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/IXSDrczx35pMFOr1Cehaz9MTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_IRa5kTb5eZhaoYGmXsxbtqRMiCB1gCN3WND9TVwW6xLyHjPPhnEA3dng0QnIlMKFJGmL0BF2JNN1QK2LmJFJUUxf7TMQSzLdId82WDQlWhyphenhyphenaUiNWmmrOzFIXiSIKC-DGy3JU/s400/IMG_8772T4R2.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>I finally noticed a cliff I had taken pictures of a few weeks back.</i><br />
<P>I took my time and wandered slowly in the direction I thought that I probably should. I went up to the top of a small hill because you just never know what you might find on top of a small hill out in the middle of nowhere, and I did find something. When I first looked at it the first thing that crossed my mind was that it was a large fiberglass model of a tooth with the mother of all cavities in its side. That isn't what it was, but now I was so biased I couldn't think of what it might be. Everybody else that looked at it figured out what it was right away. Yes, I took it home, because it didn't belong out there.<br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/cSztAr02-2cr08eRCmiBAtMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggd4i-0eHDtw1jCMz3mrgXdkCJB1gJQYpI1S98mcSZ5gr7csbrMhWk7bdGwp7MaVRQqQD0CU7yiNtrr7HVOvLIroo6L4f7PBeDER1uV0GZNmDCp64TK3LNPpi_a2U6o5UBQw72/s400/IMG_8787T4R2.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>What does this look like to you?</i><br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/UmYXRM83nX5sUtEoQS3oRNMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzeg6ajxZJ1qBKTm-EjcDsdnnTtXkKcIxd9j_B3rMnqMifv5_lmLGfEByfHyO2sbuDDQBm_3wFA-5qWarleZWyROCWp4zqGVBknXiYaWd60kyhyDz-de_KhNxymNau4wVR-1Pw/s400/IMG_8790T4R2.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>If you haven't figured it out yet, turn this picture sideways.</i><br />
<P>I was going to throw it away but Skid liked it so much, he kept it. I'm sure his wife was thrilled. I'm probably on her s**t list again.<br />
<P>The next thing I knew, I was back in Black Canyon, on the trail. I just need to remember to turn right just before the last steep third of that trail to get to my route to a view of the waterfall next time it rains. I hope it rains soon. Not sure how long I can remember this. Click below for all of the pictures.<br />
<P><table style="width:194px;"><tr><td align="center" style="height:194px;background:url(https://www.gstatic.com/pwa/s/v/lighthousefe_231.01/transparent_album_background.gif) no-repeat left"><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/113977173584662724959/2014_03_22?authuser=0&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-2d25L8tsGAc/UzdQzbgMyDE/AAAAAAACjZ4/Nr1BsJoIMDo/s160-c/2014_03_22.jpg" width="160" height="160" style="margin:1px 0 0 4px;"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align:center;font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px"><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/113977173584662724959/2014_03_22?authuser=0&feat=embedwebsite" style="color:#4D4D4D;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;">2014_03_22</a></td></tr></table>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09495771485593181492noreply@blogger.com0Tonto National Forest, Tonto Basin, AZ 85553, USA33.534485642776872 -111.4491489112060733.53117664277687 -111.45419141120607 33.537794642776873 -111.44410641120606tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35723123.post-69013078419089249862014-04-17T20:27:00.000-07:002014-04-17T20:27:58.748-07:00Told to go homeMy friend Gary, from Houston, was in town last month. As usual, we went on a few hikes. We went after I got off work one day, so we got a late start. The days are getting long enough for that, though. I was planning to go down Black Canyon to First Water Creek. It's a very scenic area.<br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/CfgzsulAecW0GfdlpBcvH9MTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxj8rUX5Gqwb__vCqpeDKPCNIGgW-0s7feUYV4k8uOEf_51P8HbNOCMqBniFRrJjMkBWuhUwp1ZvLyZcVKMdPOqEH91Jc_J67LJX4SeNbS0HtqVtaO1vbK8k3Rcb60y-fl6xE1/s400/IMG_8605T4R2.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>First rattler of the year.</i><br />
<P>There were several horse trailers in the parking area when we got there. As I was turning on and strapping on all my gadgets (I'm seriously starting to think I carry too much crap when I hike), one of the horse guys came over and asked if we knew where the trailhead was. I nodded towards the telephone pole where the trail starts and said it was over by that pole. Words mean different things to different people, though. He thought he had to do something about a rattlesnake (pictured above) that was at least 70 feet from the pole before he could take horses down the trail. I clarified. You can touch the pole at the start of the trail. The snake remained unmolested, and nobody got bit.<br />
<P>It turns out that the reason all those people and horses were there was because a woman's horse had run off a few days earlier and a hiker had found the horse that morning and they were all going to try to find it again and retrieve it. They were planning to take their horses down Black Canyon to First Water Creek. I don't know a lot about horse capabilities, but I told them that I thought it might be too steep for horses in a couple of places. Turns out they made it about two thirds of the way down before several people went back with the horses while a couple of guys carried on to get the horse in the creek.<br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Fo3QEhk0oDobdj_8YiNB8tMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggHJqBun2DV3IOcwVoKIr_43za5yJiyL3hlZTFiS00PHcMR8612mXCovq3jKSmyly-aDxllIG_P4wsftGV7shrxM3Jc9tWIo5f3wO3S9SdtbhWlTO2GjcM0p3DyZwggjtaVGg0/s400/IMG_8618.JPG" height="400" width="267" /></a><br />
<i>This is about as far as we got going up First Water creek. It was too dark for good pictures.</i><br />
<P>The guys after the horse were in a hurry and left us behind once we got to the creek. Gary and I went upstream a little ways but it didn't take long to get to a spot where too much climbing over rocks was involved. Also, it was getting dark, so we started back. About that time, a Maricopa County sheriff's helicopter started circling the area. It spent a lot of time hovering over some parts of the creek and we wondered if they had spotted the horse. When we were about a quarter of the way up Black Canyon, it came and hovered over us. I zoomed in and took some pictures like I always do when they fly over. Then we continued hiking. As I walked, I thought it was strange that he hovered over us like that. I brought up the pictures and zoomed in on one and I could see a hand out a window pointing toward the trailhead. The copter couldn't get low enough for us to see the hand directly (copters in canyons are a bad idea). If I hadn't had substantial zoom and then zoomed in on the picture, we would not have had any idea what he was doing.<br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/xbIQShu6u66XGIDeHiwzRdMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSjVW3UIttzENupVq4GWf7ZhGk6ssEutpvHPihSC3bwjKhn5f9zaeXQJzcgdHhDbnHayh6gAZLpoaUdrBtETaUp83gk1e13OmQNvZ28BgrU9fgi3Kxxvj7a1LHTHm4pOyf7GGE/s400/IMG_8653T4R2.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
"Go home"<br />
<P>On the one hand, it annoys me that some deputy thinks he can say when it's time for me to go home. I'm an adult. If I want to dance with rattlesnakes in the pale moonlight, that's my business. On the other hand, maybe he thought we were also looking for the horse and he was letting us know we didn't have to search any more because somebody else had it. <a href="http://www.myfoxphoenix.com/story/25042682/2014/03/21/horse-rescue" target=new>Here is the story</a> about the horse's rescue. I would like to know what route they took to get out of there. I don't think they could have come out the way we went in.<br />
<P>When we got back to the parking area, there was a deputy there that wanted our names and the names of anybody else that was still down at the creek. It seems they did think we were with the people trying to get the horse. I guess if I was a deputy, I would want the names of everybody that came out of there, just in case somebody turned up missing that night. If he had the missing person's name on his list then he would know the missing person is probably in a bar somewhere and they wouldn't have to search the canyon for him.<br />
<P>Click below for all of the pictures. Didn't take a lot in the darkness.<br />
<P><table style="width:194px;"><tr><td align="center" style="height:194px;background:url(https://www.gstatic.com/pwa/s/v/lighthousefe_231.01/transparent_album_background.gif) no-repeat left"><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/113977173584662724959/2014_03_20?authuser=0&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-jwm3jrBfZkI/Uzc5-ziDEQE/AAAAAAACieA/0GkEL7TNW4g/s160-c/2014_03_20.jpg" width="160" height="160" style="margin:1px 0 0 4px;"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align:center;font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px"><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/113977173584662724959/2014_03_20?authuser=0&feat=embedwebsite" style="color:#4D4D4D;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;">2014_03_20</a></td></tr></table>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09495771485593181492noreply@blogger.com0Tonto National Forest, Tonto Basin, AZ 85553, USA33.534950680567562 -111.4493205725830233.53164168056756 -111.45436307258302 33.538259680567563 -111.44427807258302tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35723123.post-15830085283968535222014-04-04T14:19:00.000-07:002014-04-04T14:19:41.432-07:00A hike down memory laneThe road to the Massacre Grounds trailhead was closed several years ago. It had become a popular spot for yahoos with 4WD vehicles to go after a rain to spin their tires and fling mud around. The area consumed by the mud pit was steadily growing, so the forest service closed the road and built substantial barriers to stop those yahoos that know better than the forest service. The closure seems to have been effective in stopping the yahoos but the destroyed areas are a long way from recovered. The Massacre Grounds trail used to be one of my favorites but I hadn't been on it since the closure. I felt that by the time I hiked to the trailhead, I would be too worn out to do much more hiking.<br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/WzYGtiGWph-Y5kfKa3G4otMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpC6ab7LGN3I_r9wsdPvUizqwY98DXGtYHpBIUhbr1Onb7v74ZF6oMDGJko38nDighBEA7mGN0NIpr1o8E3rmCT03LQxt_UiIC7Xxbe_P67I9L8CVJBdDm8h_2yeNWBJgVJETd/s400/IMG_9435T4R2.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>The Massacre Grounds trail ends on top of that cliff. The view is great from up there.</i><br />
<P>I had found a very nice trail from the Jacob's Crosscut trailhead to the old Massacre Grounds trailhead a few months ago. I decided to hike that trail yesterday and then see how much further I could go. It was a beautiful and cool (upper 60's to lower 70's) day with a nice breeze. I had a long hike ahead of me so I started early. Consequently the pictures just show what's there and aren't very pretty.<br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/DaZaEobueK6pSLkymxIOZ9MTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDMcW1zrllRj_IiA70emN7z-UrAiIuNQ26Q85eerclN6MrqDnKK4CmUS13A1Oac5MHczvYJbtqgxgxKgS9n9LY2UaVDE5L3qiuxG7XQCcetMqclXASTUKcLrNpII4sZNlyHSoy/s400/IMG_9402T4R2.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>The trail to the old Massacre Grounds trailhead is well-marked and heavily traveled.</i><br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Ht8wWNiEwdjTBen37PEwytMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRWtoE8BQ_2No6Qce0r0gAQdJsZINkdLwTWW54FsRbUTlXwuRZkjxhM8X6459OQmSnp4zRwAzKHj1ZQHxFi7ST3ijjE7LBe0wMFshnvJqjy56G9ihw-yQ1OIv1wsQbx3HWmfQq/s400/IMG_9401T4R2.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>There are lots of flowers along the way right now. Notice how some of these have bloomed and withered, some are in full bloom, and some have yet to bloom.</i><br />
<P>There were some spring flowers along the way. This part of the desert looks like it hasn't gotten a lot of rain over the winter so most of the flowers are on cacti. I was looking at the flowers on a hedgehog cactus when I had an idea. You know how there is software that combines exposure bracketed photos to create HDRI photos and there is software to combine photos taken with the focal point shifted slightly in each photo to create a photo with much greater depth of field? I was looking at the hedgehog cactus and noticed that while it may have had 20 flowers, only 4 or 5 of them were in bloom at any one time. This is also true of saguaro flowers and barrel cactus flowers and probably some other cacti. So I figured there needed to be some software that would combine multiple images of a cactus taken over several days or weeks so it looks like all the flowers are in bloom at once. Hey, I never said it was a <i>good</i> idea.<br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/L4843C_Rgo-pr3LLh0Yo-dMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI3x_yvYBtm82o4MBr4bWBar_HogeQXZsueXYTgU43mMebRZb_xAo0Vj1smadh5ifnTZehQKQ0XSo_Mlg5XeesFqmD_m0fT0YXjJWZAMM50hOkNfxxvNupemWo-4DCCfAB5YL_/s400/IMG_9405T4R2.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>Four Peaks was more clearly visible than it has been for weeks.</i><br />
<P>As I hiked along the Massacre Grounds trail, I saw many sights that I hadn't seen for years and that brought back fond memories.<br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/OIAEa1EfnIU_ZBBMeEsGa9MTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii0RHFEHuqGiKP18tjtkdAaNFb0_HDV581DnUlfXqt1qm80ZLJDv2kr8Qv1_5uUbwdNSThyphenhyphenCNb2pV0p-Kw7WbOdcB-U0K6r8dxse1nJ-5K_vEg9cTIEuOG0t9wGPWYtjm6hrTT/s400/IMG_9410T4R2.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>Lindsey and I went partway up there to get pictures of a sunset once.</i><br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Mvi__2C9vUs_MEBSvPzYXNMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2_rWDt2OTaeuRN9mIcluIQ-Cg1n4oR2mdicmuYJ2QSGKwB1XZfA94SF-mBa7KArCLwrmfXb8fBlnC5r2x0mfWw20CKxrMsx_SK9LVC172vrAFDBjIHZ32CefEXlG3hyphenhyphenrvweby/s400/IMG_9523T4R2.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>Lindsey also had to check out this cave. She was disappointed at how shallow it was.</i><br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/dlWOGMKR-cji4GfEF9kMNNMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhTfhZgHBsy1NZvyEu9hHH_BOrS22pQsQYENNdDD9YxHY08hduebViKs8DmPvAXqMKHyDZkLvC6kEMD8f73JPa9QJ3lVnMldFpBFsjoIsqghGMlQhAlluKktlngi7JIdH2G7KJ/s400/IMG_9418T4R2.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>The place I stood to take this picture is as far as I went the first time I hiked on the Massacre Grounds trail because Sweetums was waiting patiently for me in the truck at the trailhead and I didn't like her being there alone. This is also as far as I could get Lauren and Lindsey to go on the trail with me.</i><br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/k-6g3gelHbBnoEV3ah3AddMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfvE49x1v65Gugpnsl-djEbv6SgXGmP63mCODHQjj-bruQi2lH6dKHZM9_Rxl_99kh4KTKYYg7TC3GMLneRcg6wXPpWT4leevfiQ17I9FGsQY1jjORiyALAM5qrY88HLndFrnS/s400/IMG_9431T4R2.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>This is taken on the really steep part of the trail and Steve did not like that part. He didn't complain, though. Just kept truckin'.</i><br />
<P>The entire trail is marked with frequent cairns now. Also, many horses seem to travel on it now, many more than did before the road was closed. The trail used to be faint in places and I used to almost always take a wrong turn on a faint side trail on the return hike and have to backtrack. You would have to try very hard to take a wrong turn now, though.<br />
<P>Speaking of horses, I was thinking about how trails used exclusively by horses are so narrow but people trails are always wide even though people (generally speaking) are much smaller than horses. I was thinking about this when I was stepping over some large loose rocks and having trouble keeping my balance. I was thinking that it would be much easier to keep my balance in such situations if I had a couple more legs. Then the realization hit me; that's why horse trails are so narrow. As they plod along with tourists on their backs, they always have at least 3 feet on the ground. Humans, on the other hand, are on 1 foot most of the time, and so they stagger all over the place. I know I do. Now that <i>is</i> a good idea. I'm glad I finally figured that out. Well, I also thought of another possible explanation but it can't be proven one way or the other so we won't get into that. OK, since you ask, it has to do with humans thinking of themselves as the current masters of the universe and horses being mere beasts of burden.<br />
<P>Where was I? Oh, the Massacre Grounds trail. I made it all the way to the cliffs at the end. Kyle is the only person that has hiked all the way out there with me. He gave the the usual single finger salute when I tried to take his picture there. Such a sweet kid. I knew I could get to the end this day. I knew I could make it back, too. I mean, wouldn't it be kind of stupid to go all the way out there if I didn't think I could make it back? Yes, I know, people do that stuff all the time. I try really hard not to, though.<br />
<P>The view from the end is the same beautiful view that it has always been, but it means so much more now. I sat there for 10 or 15 minutes finding many of the places I've explored over the past few years. From many of those places, I've been able to see the cliffs at the end of this trail. Now I was on top of those cliffs looking back at all those other places. I've thoroughly enjoyed every moment of the journeys.<br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/FLvn8oCDlLE3B0waGHyx59MTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMq2GFe_ohkQnQyXIMhkVsvVcCtn2fBSXnZnuN6Lk1gVDJexLsEC-dcL8ysnf1WINQ8LL5phXPYErbOV07YjPHb7DxKLjPfDJeTSKLeNZgR77kpOkQZ0-e6UEkqJFK9YEb0atW/s400/IMG_9479T4R2.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>I used to look at that road and wonder where it went. I've been on it several times now.</i><br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/D3nlioTn4OEu3xae5vxjb9MTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8ItccB39JtH9WP8fTSMty7occ1bxWyHQFog1goihdrduzQJaJvm215w3wd9kmUUA4MBIYwCPKAexZ5AxA40uP3CGedfTvYe8gJBQ6OSu44Y8Mxk46LbqeTzLgOIw24bu9FW_b/s400/IMG_9481T4R2.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>Over there is an unofficial route to Garden Valley and Hackberry Spring.</i><br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/TtJvh7614NqE0zpcMmf9UtMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsA08TjZ5SZiyWpNuPCg7U9p7fip8o8gLgzQOTK_c3prfq1OYCH7EiEi_KXSf5za0os7qW2EJBfmePzrCU85ffU8p5Jz4slQ2-RAwF7accnKf7pMPS7INDEjVa11vA7bwj-cOy/s400/IMG_9482T4R2.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>I've been on that sloped peak and many of the smaller peaks and rocks and have wandered in that area quite a bit.</i><br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/YYzSfDMo8l4FfyPnSBRubdMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzqfV3tsbJpS7v8G_xDMwdkz57LixUoeBNWIEqAk-f9hZp2RCwNmXyiYVOqoYoxtLhmDhVpKtNYyvfNMbD3IqAWzn22kPD5kHxcPBYU1vgYghVQ7IBMSqhsnUH2SPLA7K0zZAZ/s400/IMG_9488T4R2.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>The rare and beautiful Desert Mariposa. Does its rarity make it seem more beautiful?</i><br />
<P>It took me 2 hours to get to the end of the trail. I had tried to walk slow to conserve energy and to be gentle on my ankle. I might have to go slow on the way back so when I saw that I only had 2 hours until sunset, I started back. The hike was about 5.3 miles long with 1310 feet of elevation change. That's much longer and more climbing that some hikes I've been on recently that completely wore me out. I wasn't stumbling from fatigue when I got back to the truck and my ankle was only a little sore the next day. Hallelujah. Click below for all of the pictures.<br />
<P><table style="width:194px;"><tr><td align="center" style="height:194px;background:url(https://www.gstatic.com/pwa/s/v/lighthousefe_214.01/transparent_album_background.gif) no-repeat left"><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/113977173584662724959/2014_04_03?authuser=0&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-eqqMzV5_NoI/Uz7uKy0vf6E/AAAAAAACiaM/Ym5c9lL0trg/s160-c/2014_04_03.jpg" width="160" height="160" style="margin:1px 0 0 4px;"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align:center;font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px"><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/113977173584662724959/2014_04_03?authuser=0&feat=embedwebsite" style="color:#4D4D4D;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;">2014_04_03</a></td></tr></table>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09495771485593181492noreply@blogger.com0Tonto National Forest, Tonto Basin, AZ 85553, USA33.452581397503032 -111.4422893394042333.439333397503034 -111.46245933940422 33.465829397503029 -111.42211933940423tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35723123.post-83402946669393598492014-03-11T18:21:00.001-07:002014-03-11T18:21:55.691-07:00Elizabeth Sue Brown<center><br />
In memory of<br />
<B><br />
Elizabeth Sue Brown<br />
</B><br />
June 19, 1924 - February 28, 2014<br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/fuqwQY7BX8hzr_jmXPxLYNMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1mEuKJHaXEA4QyjdnDe41XvWPeYQ2_G-Z7b2CVINhE7sxnS2Hz5t7OX5AtLLHFUpGDoEPy-eGAD7Cw2ojvzZTTT6TAhdX2k3znFn_j8vNsMkBnlkQEVwCfGkhhyGy4APKkR8R/s400/IMG_7808_09_10_tonemapped.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a><br />
</center>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09495771485593181492noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35723123.post-23056032694002695882014-02-25T20:07:00.000-07:002014-02-25T20:07:02.603-07:00Out for a strollOn a sunny day not too long ago, I headed out to Bulldog Canyon mainly because I needed to get some exercise and didn't want to drive very far. I headed for a hill I hadn't climbed for a few years. I had been looking at that area in Google Earth and it looked like there was a prospect just north of the hill.<br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/OGZlrG1McP7jSdTYnbG4o9MTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwwpxSVBTNVA9ah9xkDcywd85muAgZ1iX5TBXGDFkSffKYlatHz2lmJ5C4pqT1P5M3D2E2d4DT2zY_bSRwzonaw3llbCRe8WsxtAbd9H_RmlDGI_rkCNSBked1AxoL0a7oU5I1/s400/IMG_7085T4R2.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>I saw my first Mexican gold poppy of the season on this hike.</i><br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/QlVHpopHEZwiNIpfLqkAedMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZxE26e5TmKb_Q7B9SgC-7Vky6L73sLDqUpkXwAi2RY0SXItaoIUy0TJUU0tPxTJdrZ2N5oesEJ82fIIby7k9qwwoVZGxDaI204iIp8Sx2lQt4ew4vM0hL3c5ApQcEHeh-coE8/s400/IMG_7089T4R2.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>The hill to be climbed is in the foreground on the left; not very big.</i><br />
<P>On the way up the hill I came across a Gila monster. This is about the fifth one I've seen in the past 11 years. I vividly remember 4 of them and I think there must be a fifth that I'm forgetting right now.<br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/EO2uS8LL8jKIk7fyrtPEWdMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilLuv1kLMeYNU8qHKAfm8XdKGPqHS3EvNy9R4ioWz2yqFKlZW-au4pXL639Zzgdpq18EJblGVlb3VXLZH4fjG2WmNOMJCuRykp4ZGcDppe5OG40NIayPfUmfHZelf8Q9U4QZdm/s400/IMG_7114T4R2.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>I was trying to get a picture when it had its tongue out. Missed it in most of the pictures.</i><br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/tGMG_MDwIVspIuwWwgyDOdMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYcWMxpeA_SW3JyfEUjgsNmTofLIqk-4vkMYW9nN4mpfxWXQDA5W37J3JPPU-Dk8dz5yUX1K90d9YuSL4XefGvO5oiAelM-oLOeJx8y4evz0_kT_Za_ZD1MvxE-6Bd6M1k8rst/s400/IMG_7102T4R2-MOTION.gif" height="266" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>Google made an animated GIF of the pictures.</i><br />
<P>I could see the prospect from the top of the hill, which was close enough for me. I think I was at that prospect about 7 years ago.<br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/7MLMU0Ul6HNsKmHnwVLZutMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPDx4fz7aTIEWHPDdXPQczFFhWKeNwUrdkJgV2D9Bqg4ui2UO6m2_1eHFevM6aD1RHyTe4RhCcqh0An7PUQMzfb06f7lJytHFM6vg2XeaNyj-EOznlxwTVy4-9wiQGxvLv0Yea/s400/IMG_7123T4R2.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>The prospect. Just another shallow hole in the ground.</i><br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/e4Zj1tQqXzuwqKydFdTXQdMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPrGBDiJeJrWbSDivLHe5_brDG3E29Osr05klNubK3mW6KXf_Yr-bwbd6D4uInEpU3xyjIpyDmtty-YF30upRbMXPf2DyUbWrM8ZRI7C6q1BwiHJNzMex2p5NF6ELvMo42Ldm8/s400/IMG_7132T4R2.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>This looks tame, but it's exhausting to walk across.</i><br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/2m7q5PWmwNUjx5xkfVt_mNMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyGuKJ7jlIXD4qoHUgs-B-2PNNn9Sj1_xMPXMJ6lNl-2vi-pyuiBWA7uzRwRnaBLZYCoZvGcjUGanigjVbzIlHYTJUQxt9lHn_U6Ph9NB4LCA-NxnvTcmOLXT4w8VHlTfjHhwc/s400/IMG_7142T4R2.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>Somebody made a large pile of large rocks near the top of the hill. Then somebody else scattered a few of the rocks.</i><br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/SC6ntS_Xpr3ANc4He2vTodMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWhbZmCYCuNr-hj-JcUHiok88WSAyVRAl9hbKDYpJ1SL4FkTQeWbqiyvIHxxtaYGvWB20NLxfzq4Fxy2nfjwme5QJVNd8ziTXp7aM46oBmd59bnWN5SckwEyE4WQj8zaXnwQnR/s400/IMG_7154T4R2.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>The usual parade of WWII planes flew over.</i><br />
<P>I decided to go down to the wash on the south side of the hill and then go upstream. I had seen a desert tortoise there a few years ago so I thought I would try my luck again. When the wash got too bouldery and overgrown to continue, I continued uphill on its left bank. Oh, no desert tortoise this time.<br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/kcnrBu5Fv3MJv-budVLDjNMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4QTwVhwt3AWgDXNrV7K7RV9cXHj73VYAtU26BQMnT_7qoZ7xDYRVmtIGeCMJv8X-Nbbhnrj0K7RSC96vPNwSBmqQzSqd20Nr5f7voF_M60F_vsVMLQVCm7-OBs7RJA9E7K__F/s400/IMG_7181T4R2.JPG" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>Cholla skeletons are beautiful.</i><br />
<P>It was a beautiful day, so I just kept walking and taking pictures. It eventually got too steep and rocky for easy walking. It looked like somebody might have marked a trail there. Maybe there's a route to the top. I'll have to go back another day to check that out, though. I didn't have enough water, food, or daylight to do it on this day.<br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/BQAzzIFIH8xflW0KhlgCMtMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1CfXsrhUMunSNr8EreF3jOiFMnHebAknpcBchUqPRs9QQ9BRQhFqPijyEfeTz69HFj1MfBTiQ07a1ndVu07FstIK1sScJq865a8dXzmVP0zJTY1EXqgH8EqgTTPITMSi_tF2d/s400/IMG_7189_90_91_tonemapped.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>The hill I came out here to climb is that little bump down there on the right.</i><br />
<P>Click below for all of the pictures.<br />
<P><table style="width:194px;"><tr><td align="center" style="height:194px;background:url(https://www.gstatic.com/pwa/s/v/lighthousefe_177.01/transparent_album_background.gif) no-repeat left"><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/113977173584662724959/BC_2014_02_09?authuser=0&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-20ezq_3s2qQ/Uvg_vCy3tCE/AAAAAAACgZs/YFdkYsGT-RE/s160-c/BC_2014_02_09.jpg" width="160" height="160" style="margin:1px 0 0 4px;"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align:center;font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px"><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/113977173584662724959/BC_2014_02_09?authuser=0&feat=embedwebsite" style="color:#4D4D4D;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;">BC_2014_02_09</a></td></tr></table>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09495771485593181492noreply@blogger.com0Tonto National Forest, Tonto Basin, AZ 85553, USA33.522363266879687 -111.5639305114746133.50912626687969 -111.5841005114746 33.535600266879683 -111.54376051147462tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35723123.post-78494735305382399632014-02-23T10:30:00.000-07:002014-02-23T10:30:17.887-07:00Saguaros and cloudsAs I drove home from work one day, I noticed how great the clouds looked. We get a lot of blah clouds this time of year, but these were fluffy and interesting looking. I changed clothes and quickly ate a snack and went out to chase clouds.<br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/5PfNSrhbcAq6czLgaOBth9MTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiexiKI7p1DzvIXXCEKwxfjOhoyHGZMNpK08QwE3sgsevVR1uKPLnVJRg0NgsTn1R1Ca-NzTLk6VqHBneXcCKH_hL9hUwn0ov79ZTVVws3UG-ZXUWOHNUmcD_kfuioTVdYiEDQ/s400/IMG_6848_49_50Optimizer.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>Some fluffy clouds.</i><br />
I thought about what mountains I would like to have in the pictures with the clouds, but that would pretty much limit me to taking pictures in one direction, which would get boring. So I decided to include saguaros in the pictures with the clouds. There are plenty of those around and you can take pictures of them from just about any angle.<br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Agola3aXE2KUQooylSDjaNMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmk47RHOtfWz0CKFfJaTndtaF7FfCbPuT8Aq11j9-5saPj66mopBkc6qZZXF25zpW3vrS3XIZex0QwvmAXCAXxmzMqdRbKy3KDWLCZa8DBcpe2b3E8HW6T6nO2oKGHmambdORA/s400/IMG_6854_5_6Optimizer.jpg" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>The clouds in that direction weren't as good, but they weren't bad.</i><br />
<P>The clouds didn't look quite as good by the time I got out there, but that didn't slow me down. I left the camera turned on so I wouldn't have to keep setting up the exposure bracketing for HDRIs and wandered around taking pictures of just about everything.<br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Qhq3qtPwLkPpDlntz_JpsdMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEeCum8emMB7qq4NUifqaD9Sm65TGXHfyEPbUH93IljHOGZz4YBI_bseqxaaVzowqjRmYoryt18ou45F_LdNT_sEhqMQ8DXnLj6xOsjFHnhQm__ngi7nfcqCTJGLKRIv-vqg1X/s400/IMG_6863_4_5Optimizer.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>A stick.</i><br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/5HtzB8vNbgSR95gtHMns_NMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVk3wMhplW6Rjge-oEcwSn5DUynk4P05qoSc9O0Yr9Ok97wNsxo9AdAIYQDlyWSb49JriOgIkSt8xxUTKNeRdZLhu7D34ISkqWEP6z3EhWcf5tYwFAtFnJJ_FZHLpc2d5IiRY1/s400/IMG_6884_5_6Optimizer.jpg" height="268" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>An occasional picture like this looks interesting, but they get old fast, too.</i><br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/ZKm8nNdXULSAp96WGaY18dMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio_xT01p-yuise_OHurnj5b-AWKEeTRsDQfGcscXtdYmmC1U6BWsCtuaiiPZl38-P41eXmTD-6YXJULWVMl-_y0b71sMLqFm41CtG8wq95MoZdNs82Y2rleqZEIg2hrdRfXDOA/s400/IMG_6896_7_8Optimizer.jpg" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>Sometimes, good saguaros aren't in positions to allow good pictures.</i><br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/PkrhOgpP9IxCo-RAd0Aj0NMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRZHIYbtrmay43MqMRxuDcLf8lJcObPpGpUoysC-xwPskJ_JEkuY-I9IZkzZFrsyqIvf_Hg2TXmCgk-sEho5G8Mj8GlNUsihjkLnECTsGA0tqT5jbwpvUfrTc_Emg989LHvzfF/s400/IMG_6926_7_8Optimizer.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>Sometimes, it's like they're on a stage.</i><br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/34QvLDWmdTOrkxSU0cpEwNMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUbkFWIlTXfc8-JWCci-uTkGx8NIsgz2399M_A9M7I8zxbTl0YejgXdKP-xBy0CDh-TGj2jh5wAi-WciAbZ4ZRYSru7IovDwn5h2YTVvaiXRwZadgutgu6re6it58acukkogeU/s400/IMG_6986_7_8Optimizer.jpg" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>The clouds got less interesting as it got later.</i><br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/a5RhPM-mjcpQaY-pBlOlqNMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfNcztK05U2MNtwEDWoidh0x1mvUTiKDcI2IGhKAWcOMtg0b1mQadsqreuqPKtbb7jCtgC8qcK3GO3p1wqXO7lOLsbGqZtCku5wH_zK738PwwOIzcgG7KHBNAKngb6CDHzjl6u/s400/IMG_7025_6_7Optimizer.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>I heard some coyotes howling over there. They were pretty close. Of course, I never saw them.</i><br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/9dmPfqDDfXa-k3xMErOpYtMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3rY8Lj_3A4nXTh06Vhl8RfLKqY_hnlnEE3tnY8vDnfn2jPHrds88Yd0ibs1_R06_WBkarkl11jN9UwVA_pENC5sCKlinI-sWoy0Ttq5OkJ5LUPpZ4NwLKQ0YDpMLQ1c8db3nD/s400/IMG_7043_4_5Optimizer.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a><br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/kbVjSpPvu_7KGsTIcfwXoNMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE3mi25ZSZMQJhKAi4psWPRMctu4wfQRLnUYiYxgMNEk_DkImolOLZ-IjAFGzGXFuZ5E4jZNOBqjHiQVc3BEaeuSWNEIsRX_40jVZz6yUKueuaa6OQ5VwdE8OL_wYFFP5rwBuK/s400/IMG_7064_5_6Optimizer.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>I kept taking pictures until there wasn't enough light.</i><br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/5B2rW6WdwIrqxeUrRZP-XtMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlTyx8KnWu9dcBorXc9FbgpgnH0eDRFF9r__CzPF0pHFrJ3bi4MoaNyGBmmNlN_lVQMtKtqqpwWmJ-ytoG0SczcW7nYbAs00nWXwLlm_nSbIGJ7l3ht2vqPdLS837mX4ONcllz/s400/IMG_7079_80_81Optimizer.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>Unless you plan ahead, you may not get good saguaros in your sunset pictures.</i><br />
<P>Click below for all of the pictures.<br />
<P><table style="width:194px;"><tr><td align="center" style="height:194px;background:url(https://www.gstatic.com/pwa/s/v/lighthousefe_172.01/transparent_album_background.gif) no-repeat left"><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/113977173584662724959/BC_2014_02_04?authuser=0&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-swa-hLeiM30/UvQL3L0LoqE/AAAAAAACgD4/5t6ImWYnzaI/s160-c/BC_2014_02_04.jpg" width="160" height="160" style="margin:1px 0 0 4px;"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align:center;font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px"><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/113977173584662724959/BC_2014_02_04?authuser=0&feat=embedwebsite" style="color:#4D4D4D;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;">BC_2014_02_04</a></td></tr></table>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09495771485593181492noreply@blogger.com0Tonto National Forest, Tonto Basin, AZ 85553, USA33.531319000030585 -111.5815067161132133.518082000030589 -111.6016767161132 33.544556000030582 -111.56133671611322tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35723123.post-70413114244426058332014-02-22T14:47:00.000-07:002014-02-22T14:47:29.014-07:00A favorite spot in Bulldog CanyonThere's an area in Bulldog Canyon where I've always enjoyed hiking. The past few times I've been there, though, was during gnat season. The gnats were so bad they drove me out. The other day when I was trying to decide where to hike, I figured I should go out there before the gnats got bad this year.<br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/c7JNxL47y_i2OSdtc8kBGtMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrn7YxqEX-mq0P6iPMOcUeYHj38I2Fefe19IxRQBgFzxWlbIPriOkLlUsxcwNkWp89RFOGGedo8fh_3cDGD7BdfJKakRar1t8KJN3M7VmSUfa1-GKfFPDhJ4TAsFHSmGTmcPDG/s400/IMG_6664_5_6_tonemapped.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>There was rain to the north, but I had a feeling it wouldn't get close to me.</i><br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/fqbi3_B9A_MIJr47ri-ZddMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbG5i-E2h7tE52CIINUCyNQ2JzBM3ayu9ZvpL4UhbhmFd_U4YQosJMHpH-8vu0oh6H43O5VdPcFt2yiB_C_d_6m9cFgIpWoHfHy7ZNdbH_umsABi-KgC9qyQq68XxvQNCY9rLh/s400/IMG_6670_1_2Optimizer.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>I'm going up there.</i><br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/N8BrZaEkksJmPZ7gU5y9BNMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFEuG-TTFFR5l5d95CgPY9fnMRWK9YQ090oI4CHD4fMbybvlwrra8MXe2g_H-_-daxmNrsx-q5HL6Xg0ig-S2oI1XpQLqDP6rEM5YaCkLaOqqQRzFPA2HsbI-2ny9XlVatqwnY/s400/IMG_6673_4_5Optimizer.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>Unfortunately, the clouds would be behind mountains for most of this hike.</i><br />
<P>It had been so long since I had been out there, I didn't remember the best route. There's only one way to get where I was going, though. The landscape guided me where I needed to go. I just went the hard way.<br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/FFx7fIr68dqhbfAUGbEEvtMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrdEA3PcrNPV912gH6zlMTx9wR9akY0qh_TT4PSsWFB4bdpc-OaH_ELiYRFbq6EQLBVogPz19G5krbfLhnSEwVZ6gJaZre-HPfMH0OUIO8ZLhk7ziGtNlfpjimlD1vjTE5JyEd/s400/IMG_6685_6_7Optimizer.jpg" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>I've tried to get up there several times. Haven't found a route, yet.</i><br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/-rF11c2KOoaKLZ1NBOG2RdMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQaoRciU34q2nq_HUO0TO-yRRA-00yXh55G0wI4Aub_fn3KVGghKsXNm5mHzCN-UJ-e9pf9rnPGdyXVaJ2mjGyCdtpPS1ge3gLmVCEVc-v_Z70mlYUiAoqgVdFgiyqfc75tgq-/s400/IMG_6691_2_3Optimizer.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>A cliff edge, and the edge of the rain clouds.</i><br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/zHGajLQ7xUEH5u-utQwiqdMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjGjf_YZyCWatd9vBdgwXwOuvYw7TCSqRDz6s8ygrI6ZdM339ORvj8ZwsLYyo2Qkm36c5smmHrJFRCMotxRVDn41ux3z5-ZRYWe7JwbmAfetfLCVQEapndsJY99SX0Ci9abs8S/s400/IMG_6706_7_8Optimizer.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>The clouds look ominous. I still wasn't worried.</i><br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/ppSsyMhI-XOuwHmRE3lpKtMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4SfPa9kM03St5d2b2eHzrd5vRk5GMLvtWzTyEFltbwf2NXyeuab-n65kT3Y1Uoh5XZ6tKsho_vNpxY_ZTzsBwmq0yCHTCwMmcLCc5h9J8_sSMhxReCJnG7s8kw3CpvuA9QPd2/s400/IMG_6721_2_3Optimizer.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>I've taken a lot of pictures of this view over the years.</i><br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/e7I9G1VfC3SxIIPvweT8VtMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeYaVqDah5R1hb4SAp49Gt2aBKCyICxsdlBVmshuK4Q7qpZdWuHyQKarbQDrXQsb4kJzFUGgkRznFMPjDmEbLIMdqGN_pNaQnqW3e8anbr-AZRQQLTFDMVIdFNwue-Z4rhk9At/s400/IMG_6727_8_9Optimizer.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>The rocks have lots of holes up here.</i><br />
<P>It seemed to be much easier to get up there than it had years ago. I think there are a couple of reasons for that. First, I stop more often to take pictures. Rest helps. Second, I've only been up there before in very hot weather. Hiking in 100+ degree weather in a place where you can't get out of the sun is difficult.<br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/QT7B1QVPiiy3cez88kPT2tMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcsq_4j9PdP5TxPlrhOzX_QwSbd7WrqTqSzXPTN6gCpCiT4LmVHr-3XoSGEPFbqjWOrk1ny6Qx09rAVWmVBsgvkdOxsxh-yar7UgFIwQB9AmDwi97KdWiZN4hxYPyn6QFO7XPj/s400/IMG_6733_4_5Optimizer.jpg" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<P><i>This is a very nice view. I usually relish the breeze that blows through this spot but on this day it felt a little chilly.</i><br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/X3wFjUHGF410vHm6w7Jp9tMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCVtBEvSb5LljmUUCOiWAUu-C6xVM10TwkxC5IpcrRYCqBV_Nj1EbklwrW3cE-0sCMi-7vzWtc0TSN7CVtTIx2KXTYwWfXbM4gilQLQIfvjaOgQZYw__3KF1d1fCTiPV1haBdd/s400/IMG_6742_3_4Optimizer.jpg" height="267" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>I finally know how to get a halfway decent picture of the holes in that rock.</i><br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Mztvd1dYmKMZq-wHW2FoOdMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQybcaocvWNUPkqnVfU_o0L7JJ1A9Xkgmum8UrmA1ZYeRk72C9uk_C709T2JHO-4zWLJL3iFx1OvUeTog2PBY22mRffJapXpyinxqL98RtfTXvbxqfKedERw0SAz7MYsvDaPcQ/s400/IMG_6754_5_6Optimizer.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>There are fluffy clouds to the south.</i><br />
<P><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/V_uhsTxu_QWm4Xuct056vNMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTL4MZMB3uCEEHSjfxn2m5Fkw8ByWhDvfowL6fqJlvPN0tKUvMmr9sj1g3uiQWQizmrkc2Hbl3A1X4FLGf2B4E79oFNQQTQRcQltCB0sFqqAIESqmE-DlGzDAIIxt53rEYF3tk/s400/IMG_6757_8_9Optimizer.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a><br />
<i>That rock looks almost like a mail box.</i><br />
<P>It was a pleasant, bug-free hike. I think I've climbed higher years ago than I did on this hike. It didn't seem safe to keep going. Maybe I missed a turn I had made before. Click below for all of the pictures.<br />
<P><table style="width:194px;"><tr><td align="center" style="height:194px;background:url(https://www.gstatic.com/pwa/s/v/lighthousefe_172.01/transparent_album_background.gif) no-repeat left"><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/113977173584662724959/2014_02_01?authuser=0&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-f8Ocmuna6g8/Uu6jRsH4HvE/AAAAAAACfw8/GS9l1Eurxpc/s160-c/2014_02_01.jpg" width="160" height="160" style="margin:1px 0 0 4px;"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align:center;font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px"><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/113977173584662724959/2014_02_01?authuser=0&feat=embedwebsite" style="color:#4D4D4D;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;">2014_02_01</a></td></tr></table>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09495771485593181492noreply@blogger.com6Tonto National Forest, Tonto Basin, AZ 85553, USA33.5137281232105 -111.5642159510497333.5071086232105 -111.57430095104974 33.5203476232105 -111.55413095104973