Just one...

There was a huge thunderstorm east of here late this afternoon. After dinner I decided to drive out towards Canyon Lake to get some pictures of clouds or the sunset or whatever turned up. I pulled off the road halfway between the Superstition Mountains and Canyon Lake. I was going to get on top of a small hill to get pictures of the sunset. It seemed like the lightening was far away. Then I heard thunder less than 10 seconds after a flash. Not a good time to be on top of a hill. I got back in the truck. The lightening flashes seemed to last a long time so I though I might be able to catch some. Out of about 40 attempts, I got one.

 

1900

That's a road, not a year. I'm not supposed to be out in the sun much yet, and it was pretty warm today, so I decided to take a drive up FS172. It had been a while since I had been there and I wanted to see if it was any cooler up at the Rogers Trough trailhead. I didn't find out, though. I was driving along 172 and passed a little side road labeled 1900. I had to see where it went. It's very narrow. You can see in the pictures that it is just wide enough for my truck. The last time I was on 172 there were ATVs everywhere. Didn't see a single one today. I guess people don't ride them as much when it's 104 outside.

In some places out there, the soil is very red. It would look just like Mars if it weren't for the plants and animal tracks in the dust.

The pictures:

1900_2007_05_13

When I got home from work yesterday, I wasn't completely exhausted. The antibiotics are doing a great job. I had to go out and enjoy the desert before I went to the airport to pick up Suzanne and Lindsey. I stopped along Apache Trail to get some pictures of the mountains. You've probably seen pictures like this one before, but I think this one is pretty.

 

Missed one

I think there was a very pretty sunset tonight. I couldn't see much of it from the chair on the back porch, though. My head hurts, my back hurts, and my skin hurts. I'm going to the doctor tomorrow to get some miracle drugs.

 

Sunset

I got home a little late today, and the lawn needed mowing, so I plopped down in front of the TV and watched an episode of Startrek. I did get out later to get a so-so picture of the sunset, though.

 

Curses, foiled again.

I tried to get to the top of the Goldfield Mountains using the route shown on my map (it's in yellow). Halfway up, I realized I had been up there in almost the exact same spot before. I didn't make it to the top last time, either. It was too steep and too hot. I went in the morning this time because I didn't want my hike to be cancelled by storms again. I had forgotton how brutal the sun is, even on days that are just a little warm. It was about 92 out there. Seemed warmer, though. My water was getting too warm to drink. I didn't make it to the top, but I did see lots of pretty things. Here are some of the pictures.

BC_2007_04_29

I think the snake is a coachwhip, aka a red racer. Click here to read about the coachwhip snake. Here's a short video of the snake making his getaway.

Wind, dust, rain, no hike

I had plans to hike deeper into the mountains of Bulldog Canyon OHV area this afternoon. When I was about to leave the house, though, I noticed that it was unusually dark. I looked outside and saw that we were in the middle of a thick dust storm. I decided to drive out to Bulldog Canyon anyway. I was hoping it would clear up by the time I got out there.

Here's a short video of a helium balloon used to advertise some new homes being built near our neighborhood. It's really being whipped around by the wind. You can see that the air is kind of dusty, too.

Here's a few pictures of various things I saw while I was out. Richard called me at about 2 this afternoon to tell me that he saw black smoke coming from the mountains north of here. He probably saw that burning microwave relay station in the pictures. I took that picture at 4.

Dust_storm_2007_04_28

Another ridge in Bulldog Canyon

There's a small ridge in Bulldog Canyon OHV area that I have made a few half-hearted attempts to reach the top of. I was always stopped by something, usually sunset, once by Lindsey's stomach cramps. This time I was determined to get to the top, though. I changed clothes and ate a snack when I got home from work and headed out. It wasn't until 6 pm that I started up, though. It was 78 and there was a light breeze when it wasn't blocked by terrain. This is the ridge I climbed:

It doesn't seem to be so horse shoe shaped when you are on top of it. Also, those parts that seem to have gentle slopes seem much steeper when you are on them. There's a very nice view from up there, especially if you like looking over cliffs that seem to drop away forever. I couldn't make myself get closer than about 3 feet from that edge, though. Here are the pictures from this hike:

Conquering another ridge in Bulldog Canyon

There are a couple of pictures of the view, then there's one of a stand of teddy bear cholla. I learned that you shouldn't talk on your cell phone when walking through them. I didn't start down until close to sunset, so I called Suzanne while I still had a good signal to let her know I was OK. I kept walking because I was running out of daylight. By the time I got to the other side of those cholla, both feet were covered with cholla balls and they were halfway up my legs, too. I managed to shake them off and kept going, but I kept getting poked by cholla needles until I took a shower.

There are some pictures of cholla flowers and the setting sun. I turned to get that picture of the sun and briefly thought about moving to the left a little so the tree wouldn't be in the way, and almost screamed at myself. The cliff was 3 feet to my left. Ever since I started taking pictures (25 years ago?) I've worried about falling while trying to get in position for a good picture. I hope I never do that. Talk about embarrassing.

I added some of these pictures to my map of Bulldog Canyon, in case you want to know exactly where I was, and even if you don't.

Another Arizona Sunset!

Today we had another one of those beautiful Arizona sunsets. I took 45 pictures of it. It's a good thing I don't have to pay for film, developing, or prints. I'd be broke.

Here's a few of the pictures, including some with airplanes, birds, and rooftops.

Sunset

Tucson Mountains video

Here's the video I made in the Tucson Mountains on Saturday afternoon. If while watching it you get bored but you keep watching in case there is something interesting, don't bother. Stop right then and save yourself some time. I'm afraid the entire thing is difficult even for me to watch. I got bored explaining what was what to Suzanne. That's so sad. I need to figure out a way to spice up my videos of the desert. Or just stick to pictures.

I wish I had taped the little girl that growled at me on one of the trails, or the look on her parents' faces when I growled back. I missed a great opportunity there.

Weekend in Tucson

Suzanne went to a nursing conference in Tucson on Saturday. I've been wanting to check out Saguaro National Park, so I went along. Well, I went along for other reasons, too, but I did want to see the park. It's split in to two pieces. I went to the part on the eastern side of Tucson Saturday morning. It's a very nice park, though their visitor's center parking lot is way too small. I had to sit in the van for several minutes waiting for a place to park. A very helpful gentleman in the visitor's center described a hike that would be about 3 miles long. That sounded good to me. My foot has been acting up lately so I didn't want to walk very far. It was about 60 out there with a light breeze. A lot of plants had flowers, so there was a lot to look at.

I had always thought prickly pears were boring plants, but now they are covered with pink and yellow flowers (both colors on the same plant). They were very pretty. The ocotillos also had flowers, but I'll try not to overwhelm you with pictures of them again. Click below to open a new window with the Saguaro National Park Pictures.

Saguaro National Park

I had to walk slowly so my foot wouldn't hurt. Walking slowly makes my hip hurt. I was ready to sit down for a while by the time I hobbled back to the van. I grabbed a bite to eat at McDonald's and went back to the hotel to take a nap and then pick up Suzanne from the conference. She was already at the hotel, though. They got out early. She wasn't feeling too good, though. Some kind of intestinal bug. Well, we weren't going out to eat and there was still sunshine, so I headed for the Tucson Mountains. They are some small mountains on the west side of Tucson.

I had driven through the Tucson Mountains in January but didn't have time to stop. Now I could check out a trail or two. Now the bad news. I left my camera in the hotel room. Bummer. I had the video camera with me and it will take pictures, but they look so bad I can't stand to let you see them. I'm putting a video on Google Videos but that will look bad, too, since they seem to reduce the resolution. Tough luck. I may not put a link to the video on here until tomorrow. The upload is going very slowly.

I ate at Church's yesterday evening, but Arizona Church's don't have fried okra. What a disappointment. Then I made 2 or 3 trips to the pharmacy as I nursed Suzanne back to health. I must have done a good job because this morning she felt good enough for the drive up to Summerhaven, on Mount Lemmon. I'm still trying to get some good pictures of Mount Lemmon. In the mean time, here are some that I took today.

Mount Lemmon

Back in the desert again

I haven't posted anything about hikes in the desert for a while. I've been kind of busy. Here's one thing that kept me busy:

Pool

The pool had way way too much mineral build up in the water. I think it was about to start forming travertine on the waterfall. Richard and I just found out that you aren't supposed to drain your pool if it's over 85 or the plaster will crack. It was cool this past weekend and was probably going to be the last cool weekend before October. I really wanted to change the water because I haven't been able to use the pool for the past two years. It made my skin itch. It got really green because I wasn't able to balance the water and therefore couldn't maintain any chlorine in the pool and if you get any algae it clogs the filter and you can't circulate enough water to keep more algae from growing and it's a big mess. It looks a lot better now. Enough about the pool.

I have also been very busy at work for the past few weeks. I was able to leave on time today, though, and headed out to Bulldog Canyon as fast as I could. Oh, it was so nice to be out in the desert again. I really missed it. It was in the mid 70's with a nice breeze. Perfect. I went to check out the place that rock climbers like to use there. There aren't any places to attach ropes. Maybe they just wrap them around a rock. Anyway, here are the pictures.

Rock climber spot

I've put some of these pictures on my map of Bulldog Canyon.

A map!

I've been busy at work lately. Getting home too late to hike. Yesterday, though, I discovered something awesome online. Google Maps now lets you create your own customized maps. You can put place markers on it that have descriptive text and can also have pictures and movies. I've thrown together a map of one of my favorite places to hike (Bulldog Canyon OHV area) to demonstrate. If it opens in map mode, click on satellite or hybrid (in the upper right corner of the map) to see the terrain. Click on the place markers to see the text/pictures. Click on a picture in a balloon to go to the full size version of the picture.

Click HERE to open a new window with my customized map. Be sure to bookmark it and check back now and then. I'll be adding more pictures to it over the next few days. Please let me know what you think. (Click "comments" at the bottom of each post.) I think the customized maps will be a great way to show where I am on my hikes.

Thanks to my friend Steve in H-town, who says last Sunday's mystery bird might be a cedar waxwing. He included this link to a page with pictures and a description of the cedar waxwing.

Easter hike

I went for a hike yesterday afternoon. I came home to a wonderful Easter dinner and sat around visiting with family until bedtime, so I'm just now getting around to updating the blog.

The main reason I went was to look for some cryptobiotic soil. I found lots. In fact, as various articles on the web will tell you, it seems to cover 80% to 90% of the ground in the desert. When you read that it can take up to 500 years to recover from damage, it makes you want to quit hiking in the desert. I've always walked carefully, though. I don't dig my heels in or push off with my toes so that they dig a hole. I probably disturb the soil when I slip, especially if I fall, but I try not to do that. Anyway, I'm sure I do much much less damage than the horses out there. Everywhere I went, I was within sight of horse hoof prints that broke through the crust. I guess deer don't break through the crust very often. The only places I've noticed their prints is in the powdered dirt of a trail or the sand of a wash. It was interesting to see how much of that stuff there is, now that I'm aware of it.

I wandered around out there for 3 or 4 hours and saw lots of pretty stuff. Didn't get any spectacular pictures (even though I took 107). No, not all of them are of dirt.

It was a little breezy while I was out there. When I was about to drive out the gate, the wind started blowing hard. There was a lot of dust in the air. The sun was completely hidden by dust 10 or 15 minutes before sunset. The wind had stopped by this morning, but it looked like the dust was still hanging in the air.

cryptobiotic soil, etc.

Black widow census

I grilled hot dogs tonight. I picked up the bag of charcoal and it was covered with spider webs. I opened it up and reached for some briquettes, but was stopped by more webs. I'm not afraid of spiders, but I've heard that black widow bites can be very painful, and I don't like pain. Have you ever tried looking for a black widow in a bag of charcoal? I went in the house and got the tongs and put briquettes into the grill one at a time. I decided to look around tonight and see how many black widows I could find. They come out at night, so they are much easier to find then. I only found 4, but I only looked for 2 or 3 minutes. I never did find the one (or several) by the grill (and those do look like black widow webs all over the grill). I couldn't find any on the front porch. I wonder if that's because I got rid of those before the trick or treaters came by. I don't use poison because I don't like killing everything. I know there's one in the garage, but I couldn't find it. Come to think of it, I might have smashed that one last week so Suzanne wouldn't encounter it while I was out of town. Anyway, here's the pictures of the ones I found.

Black widows

Sunset from the clouds

Our flight back to Phoenix took off just before sunset. I was disappointed that I wouldn't be able to take any pictures out the window. Then the clouds lit up. Have you ever wondered what a sunset would look like from up in those pink clouds? Well, I have pictures. We were flying straight towards the sun, so I couldn't get it in any of my pictures. Also, my window got frosty, so the pictures aren't too clear. I thought they were interesting, though.

Flight_to_Phx_2007_04_03

Too dark for a hike

It's been a long time since I got out in the desert, so I had to go this evening. It was close to sunset when I got out of the truck, and the clouds were getting thick in the west, so there wasn't much light. All the pictures were taken with a flash.

Hedgehog cacti have flowers all over the place now. I found a dead tree that might make some interesting pictures. I'll have to try to find it again in the day time. I also want to find what's in the last picture again. It looked like pottery that had been broken. The side against the ground was covered with gravel, as if it had stuck to it. I don't know what it was. It was too dark to see anything clearly.

I don't have any pictures of the most interesting thing I saw. I was standing still, listening to the quiet and looking at a saguaro skeleton when I heard the sound of hooved animals running. A couple of guys on horses had galloped by when I was driving and I thought it might be them. I heard a pause in the hoof beats as the animals jumped over something. Then I spotted a couple of dear about 75 yards away, heading north. I only saw them for about a second. I decided to go take a look at their footprints. At first I couldn't find them and felt like I had probably gone past them when I spotted some fresh horse hoof prints. I couldn't believe that I had mistaken horses for deer, even if it was a little dark. I was sure there weren't any riders. I was slowly making my way in the direction of the truck when I spotted the deer tracks. The dirt had just been kicked up; they were very fresh prints. Then I found a cholla and some brittlebushes in a row, with prints on either side. The prints on the north side were deep and a lot of dirt was displaced, as if the animals had landed hard. This was what I had heard them jump over.

Bulldog Canyon 2007_04_04

Wharton flood

Can't upload a lot right now. Dial up. Here's a picture of the sunset on the day of the flood, though.

A stroll through Bulldog Canyon

I was planning to work all day today, but after an hour at work, I realized I couldn't go any further until I got some information I needed from somebody else. Rats. Nothing to do but go for a hike. There were still some clouds around from the recent rains. The humidity was still high, too, so I didn't want to do anything too strenuous. I just strolled along looking for things to take pictures of. I saw the first hedgehog cactus flowers of the season. They are so bright they are easily spotted. I only saw two hedgehogs with flowers. The others are covered with buds.

Fairy dusters are blooming. I saw a cactus I don't think I've ever come across before. I think it might be a pencil cholla. If anybody recognizes it, please tell me what it really is. I was feeling kind of quesy by the time I got to it, so I didn't get any good pictures.

Bulldog Canyon 2007_03_24

Weather!

We had some monsoon-like weather today. Lots of wind and dust, and just enough of a sprinkle of rain to make the dust stick. I drove out Apache Trail to get some pictures (I don't like hiking in dust; valley fever paranoia). I took 72 pictures, mostly of the sunset. I think a couple of them turned out. Check out the cloud with loops in it.

2007_03_21

Lindsey in Bulldog Canyon

Most of today's pictures are of Lindsey, so I named the blog for her. We climbed almost to the top of the butte shown in the picture below. She wasn't feeling too good, so we didn't make it to the very top. We did get to the top of that bright cliff on this side of the butte.

 

It was a little warm today. Low 90's, I think. We were sweating. It was a beautiful day for a hike. The first picture is Lindsey when we had gotten past the steep part of the hike. Next is Lindsey looking through a stone arch. Finally, there is Lindsey standing on the cliff. Unfortunately, you can't even tell there's a cliff there. It looks like there might be a small cliff, but it is not small. I have to lay down to peak over the edge, and it takes my breath away. Behind her is the ridge I've been to the top of a couple of times recently.

Lindsey in Bulldog Canyon

On the way down, I kept hearing her slip and squeal. When I would look around, she would be standing there and say, "I'm OK". Later she showed me how red the palms of her hands were from stopping her falls.

One last thing; I finally got the video of Alex added to the album from the hike he and I went on a couple of days ago.

Alex and I hike in Bulldog Canyon

Alex and I finally got our schedules coordinated and went for a hike in Bulldog Canyon. We climbed what looked like a small hill. It looked much taller from the top (which was at 2121 feet). The sun is still setting pretty early, so it was dark by the time we got back to the truck.

I almost got hurt on this hike. On the way down, I stepped on a rock that looked pretty solid. It wasn't. At first I was afraid I was going to twist an ankle. I managed to avoid that. Then I was afraid I would break a wrist. Avoided that, too. Then I was about to go head first into a large barrel cactus. Dodged that, too. Some how in all that twisting and contorting I wrenched a muscle in my side. I also hit my leg on a rock just below the knee. All minor stuff considering how worried I was when that rock first slipped away.

I think Alex had a good time. He was bored to tears by the time I parked the truck, but then he had fun. He was talking about how rough the road was and kept saying something about "... if you flip the truck again ...". I don't know why he thinks I've flipped the truck before.

The first picture is the hill we climbed (the taller one). Next is a natural stone arch we found along the way. Then a picture showing what happens when you get too close to cholla. I had to get the pliers out. Then a few pictures of the surrounding mountains. The picture that looks so bland is the one where you are supposed to find my truck. There's Alex on top of the hill, and then a bunch of sunset pictures. It was a beautiful sunset. Somewhere in there is a short video of Alex slip sliding down the hill.

BC_2007_03_15

A late trip to Bulldog Canyon OHV area

Lindsey and I went out to Bulldog Canyon today. We got a late start, so the sun was about to set by the time we got out of the truck. It was nice being out there, though. No wind. With the sun getting low, we kept encountering pockets of cold air as we walked. Some coyotes sang to us for a while.

The pictures are so-so. The first is Lindsey acting like she's sinking in quicksand. We don't see much of that out here. In fact, I don't think I've seen any. The rest of the pictures are just stuff.

BC_2007_03_13

Weekend in Overgaard

Suzanne and I spent a relaxing weekend in Overgaard. It's up on the Mogollon Rim. It's a few miles back from the rim, so Suzanne didn't feel like she was going to fall off a cliff the whole time. Click below to open a new window with the pictures.

Overgaard

The first couple of pictures show the cabin. It was nice. I didn't take many pictures of it, though.

One afternoon, we drove down Black Canyon Road. It was pretty. I realized how accustomed I am to taking pictures in the desert. I would stop to take a picture and get frustrated because of all the trees in the way. I finally gave up and took pictures of trees. Also, I found some places where there weren't so many trees, or they didn't get in the way.

The next picture is of Black Canyon Lake, which is a small man-made mud puddle at the end of Black Canyon Road. As you can see, many of the trees are just blackened trunks. They were burned in the Rodeo Chediski fire in the summer of 2002. You can also see some snow on the slope on the other side of the lake. There was still a lot of snow around, especially above about 6700 feet. It was very peaceful out at the lake. Even the kids there were sitting peacefully. Maybe the air was too thin for them.

The next picture shows what is being done with some of the dead trees. I guess you will find them in the mulch department of Home Depot soon. Next is more burnt trees. It's astounding how many burned. There were miles and miles and miles of burned trees, and I'm sure we saw only a small portion of them. You can also see that there are patches of green here and there, so it wasn't total devastation.

Next is a tree growing out of a rock. Looks like a natural bonsai. It seemed so unusual and unique. I took pictures of it from all angles. None turned out too good, though. Bad lighting, and no matter what the angle, there were trees and rocks in the background into which the subject blended. The next picture is of another tree growing out of a rock about 50 feet further down the road. Big whoop.

We came across some 800 to 2000 year old petroglyphs. The plaque near them listed several ideas about what their meaning could be, and at least one of those ideas is probably right. As I stood there contemplating the petroglyphs, I tried to imagine the people that had made them. I thought about what drove them to put those pictures there, about what important message they were trying to communicate to their people, to future generations, or to the gods. One image kept coming to mind, of teenagers drinking loco weed tea and messing around with some paint until their mother or father told them to quit goofing off and go pick some corn or catch a rabbit for dinner. Do we try to attach significance to the images just because they've survived for so long? Surely random grafitti would not be our only link to a civilization that vanished hundreds of years ago. They would not want their society to be remember for the "contributions" of their delinquents. I'm really starting to ramble. I don't know anything about petroglyphs, so don't pay any attention to my silly ideas.

They last picture is the side of Black Canyon. I felt like I had finally found a spot that the trees weren't in the way. Trees are nice, and I like them. I guess I've gotten used to taking pictures in the desert, though. Also, pine-covered landscapes look extremely boring to me. When Lindsey goes to northern Arizona with me, about the time that I'm thinking the scenery has gotten really boring, she says, "Oh, it's so beautiful out here". Mountains that are rocky have character. Pine covered mountains all look the same. I have a picture of one, and that's all I need. I guess I should challenge myself to take an interesting picture of a pine covered mountain. I'll work on it, but don't hold your breath.

A Perfect Evening

There were some interesting clouds around after work, so I went out to Bulldog Canyon OHV area to get some pictures. The weather was perfect. High 70's, single digit humidity, no wind. The best thing was that I had the whole place to myself. There were no vehicles parked near the entrance. I didn't see or hear another vehicle the whole time I was out there. It was incredible to have all of that spectacular beauty all to myself. It always strikes me as very odd, too, that so many people live at least as close as me to a place like that (at least 10's of thousands), but there is nobody there late on a weekday afternoon and probably less than a hundred on weekends. They must be crazy, which is fine with me. I like having the place to myself.

It was very quiet out there today. No ATVs or dirt bikes zipping around. No Hummers full of loud-mouthed tourists lumbering by. I only heard two planes fly overhead. The clouds were a little lower than usual, and I think that soaks up some sound, too. I heard birds twittering on the way out there and listened to crickets all the way back.

No traffic on the road in the OHV area. I stopped in the middle of the road several times to take pictures and didn't get in any body's way. On most of that road, you have no choice but to stop in the middle (if you're going to stop) because it's only one vehicle wide.

Click below to open a new window with the pictures.

Perfect evening

The first picture is some of the unusual clouds. Looks like virga. In Texas you wouldn't expect to see rain falling out of such wimpy little clouds, but here you see it a lot. The ridge I've been climbing lately is in the picture, but it blends in with the mountains behind it so it's hard to tell exactly where it is.

Every time I drive by the cactus in the next picture, I think, "Crown of thorns". Can't help it.

The next picture might be virga over Four Peaks, and the cloud that produced it is gone. I think the relatively flat area way off in the distance in the next picture is The Rolls. I can see some dirt roads out there, and it's in the right direction, so that must be it.

Last is the sunset. No sunlight was getting to the clouds for most of the sunset, then at the end it broke through and there were deep red clouds all around. It was fantastic. If anybody else in the Phoenix area even noticed it, they watched it through power lines and street lights, accompanied by the sound of traffic. Not me!

I took a few more pictures but I deleted them. As I was almost to the gate leaving the OHV area, I noticed that the Fountain Hills fountain was on and lit up. I hurried to a spot on the side of Usery Pass Road to try to get a picture (the fountain is only on for 15 minutes at a time). I set the tripod up in the bed of the truck so I could see the fountain over palo verdes. I had to take 5 second exposures for the fountain to show up, and was zoomed all the way in. I used the self timer so the camera would stop shaking from my finger pushing the shutter release by the time the shutter opened, but I could feel my legs quivering just a tiny bit. It was enough through the bed of the truck to blur all of the pictures. Next time I'll hike to a good vantage point and put the tripod on a rock.

I also took a picture of my truck, but you won't see it here. I took the picture in order to illustrate why a high clearance vehicle is required to drive through Bulldog Canyon OHV area. However, my skills were not sufficient to capture the immensity of the rock being straddled by my truck. I'll just have to take you out there some time and see if you stomp on the floor trying to hit a brake pedal that isn't on your side, the way my other passengers do. It isn't because I go fast; it's because they're sure I'm going to scrape the oil pan off (they don't know about the skid plate, though, or the fact that my skid plate has only ever touch one rock (gently)).

Another hike to the ridge in Bulldog Canyon

Remember when I hiked to the top of a ridge in Bulldog Canyon (2/25)? I went back there today to see if I could get to the top of the ridge on the right side of that notch. I did, and the view was great. Click below to open a new window with the pictures.

Ridge in Bulldog Canyon

The first picture shows the peak that was my destination. It also shows a beer bottle I found under a bush out there. I put it on a rock so I would be able to find it on the way back and take it out. I tried to get it angled just right so I would be able to hear the wind blowing over it, so it would be easier to find. Sorry about the picture being crooked. I tried to straighten it but that chopped off the top of the mountain.

Next is the view from the top. I'm looking down on the part of the ridge that I was on top of last weekend. Then there is the Fountain Hills fountain. I included it to illustrate how windy it was. When I got back to the beer bottle, it had blown over.

The Superstition Mountains can be seen from this part of the ridge. You'll probably recognize The Flatiron. Then there are a couple of pictures zoomed in here and there.

The next picture was taken after I had gotten back to the truck. It shows the peak. Take note of the cliffs all around it and to the right. I broke one of my hiking rules today. The rule is, "Go back the way you came". On the way up, if you didn't know exactly where you were going, that's okay because you got there. If you take a different route down, you might find out that it doesn't work and then you have to retrace your steps to get back to the top and start down again. That's no big deal if you aren't too tired and you have plenty of water. So it was no big deal that I tried to take a shortcut back to the truck. I went along the base of those jagged rocks at the top of the ridge. There were several times that I almost turned back because I was not going to violate another one of my hiking rules, which is, "Don't walk in a place that if you fell and rolled or slid a few feet, you would go over a cliff." The picture does not show how steep the non-cliff parts are. If I slipped there, I might slide right off one of those cliffs. I was able to find a path that was relatively level most of the way, though. I finally got to a point that was just too dangerous, though, and had to turn back. No big deal, but my legs sure are tired now.

That's sounds like a bummer, but as in life, unexpected detours can bring you to wonderful things you wouldn't have seen otherwise. As I was retracing my steps to get back to where I could start down, I found the arches in the next two pictures. The are right next to each other. The picture of the second one shows part of the first. I started to climb up to them and look through them and maybe even climb through, since I was trying to get to the other side of the ridge anyway. I decided I was too tired and it was too risky, though.

Next is a millipede skeleton. I wouldn't have seen that either if I hadn't had to go back. I guess it might not have been worth the detour, though.

The next picture was taken on the eastern side of the ridge, as I worked my way back to the notch. Maybe I have too much imagination, but it looks like the head of a crinoid to me. Next is a different perspective on a saguaro skeleton. Hmm, lots of skeletons on today's hike. I also saw parts of a tortoise skeleton near the top of the ridge. The shell had been reduced to small white squares. I guess it had been out there a while. I didn't get a picture; not enough pieces to be interesting.

I had to include a picture of my truck, too. It's right out in the open, but cleverly disguised. Can you spot it? ;-)

Apache Trail sunset

After work today, I drove out Apache Trail, past Tortilla Flat. I decided to hang around out there and get pictures of the sunset. It was cool and breezy and I was pretty numb by the time I left. Click below to see a couple of the pictures.

Apache Trail sunset

Pretty clouds

There were some pretty clouds around this afternoon. In fact, on the way home from work, it looked like there was a lot of virga. By the time Lindsey and I got in the truck, though, most of the virga was gone. We went to the south side of Bulldog Canyon OHV area, near Idaho road. I drove just half a mile or so down one of the roads (10) and climbed a small hill to get some pictures. Let's see, there's the Superstitions, Four Peaks, and some mountain that doesn't have a name (but Dome Mountain is behind it).

I tried to talk Lindsey into stopping on the way home so I could get some sunset pictures, but she was too hungry. I was taking backroads home and when I turned from Meridian onto University, I saw a great sunset with palm trees in it. I have never gotten a picture of a sunset with palm trees. In fact, I have almost no pictures of palm trees. I managed to get a picture that doesn't have any traffic, power lines, or street lights in it. I had to stop the truck in a fire lane to get the picture. Lindsey stayed in the truck with instructions to bolt at the first sign of flashing lights. Just kidding. She said it was too cold to get out of the truck.

Three of the pictures have Geotags. If somebody who knows what Geotags are sees this, let me know if you were able to view these in Google Earth.

Pretty clouds

Hike video

Click here to see a short video I made on the hike a couple of days ago.

If you are interested in seeing other videos I've made (and uploaded to Google), after you watch this one, over on the right side of the window, click on "From user". All the videos that I have uploaded to Google are very short and were made using the video mode of a still camera. If you view them in a maximized window, they won't look very good. They would probably look great on a tv if you could get them to play there (unless you are watching Richard's HDTV).

A hike near Canyon Lake

Lindsey, her friend Courtney, and I went for a short hike near Canyon Lake after work today. The sun had almost set by the time we got there so I didn't take many pictures. Here's one of the lake. No, my truck isn't in this picture.

 

Finally, the top!

There's a ridge in Bulldog Canyon that I've been trying to get to the top of for several months now. I made several attempts in the summer and managed to get up on one end of it. I never made it to the top near the middle. I had always tried to climb the eastern side of the ridge. That's because that is the side that's in the shade in the afternoon. It's very steep. I always ran into places where I was blocked by a cliff, or where a slip on the steep part would have sent me over a cliff. Also, it wasn't easy driving to the places I started climbing. Very rough, very steep. Even with the axle locked it would take 2 or 3 attempts to get up some parts of that road.

On Thursday, I drove through Bulldog Canyon and went along the western side of the ridge. I decided that I might be able to get on top from that side, and it's cool enough now to do that. So today I headed up the western side. My foot isn't 100% yet so I thought I would just scout out the first part of the route. It was so easy, though, I went all the way to the top. It's cool being on that ridge, with cliffs and spectacular scenery on both sides of you. Click below to open a new window with the pictures.

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The first picture shows part of the ridge. On the right side of the picture is a notch in the ridge. It's hard to see because of the mountains behind it. I headed for the notch. I had tried to get to the same notch from the other side, but it was just too steep. I eventually reached the top of the yellow cliffs on the left side of the picture.

The first part of the hike was the most worrisome. The road near there is in the bottom of a wash. I parked in a wide part of the wash. I was walking toward the notch and realized that I was in a large, "flat" area (flat except for the washes cutting through it, which you couldn't tell were there until you almost fell into them). I was a little worried about being able to find my way back to the truck. There weren't any trails to follow. I stopped a few times to look at the mountains around me so I would be able to find my way back. I hoped I would be able to see the truck from the ridge, too, so I could confirm my memory and make further notes of the surrounding topography.

The next picture is a kind of rock I've found in lots of places around here. I thought it might be quartz, but it was too smooth. I finally found out (at the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum, see link at right) that it's Smithsonite.

Next is a view of a butte that I would soon be looking down upon from above. Next is a picture I took up on the ridge. It's a couple of barrel cacti demonstrating how they lean to the south until they fall over. Next is a rock with some Smithsonite embedded in it.

I'm sorry, but I just had to include a picture that has my truck in it. That's my hand at the top of the picture, keeping the sun out of the lens. I'll give you a hint. The truck is parked on the right side of the wash. You might also notice a road on the far side of the wash and parallel to it for a while, then heading west. That road is a shortcut into and out of this part of the OHV area. I've succeeded in going west on that road 4 times out of 6 tries. To get out of the wash and go west, you have to get up a steep, rough piece of road. On two occassions I wasn't able to do anything but spin my tires. The last two times (today and Thursday), it was easy. I have never succeeded in going east on that road. In fact, going down the steep part heading wast is a little scary and the truck always slides some. No danger of flipping, though. Today on the steep downhill part I noticed some tracks that almost went off the road. I think some people take that hill a little too fast.

The next picture is of the mountains to the east of the ridge. I think the peak near the center is Dome Mountain. I want to climb up there some day. I guess I had better do it soon, before it gets too hot. Next is that butte I said I would be looking down on. In the background is the Fountains Hills fountain. I read that a couple of the pump motors are being repaired, so it isn't at its maximum height.

Then there are a couple of pictures of the ridge. I included some clouds, and I don't usually do that, especially the high, thin ones. These looked OK, though.

The sunset was beautiful. I was driving out, though, and wasn't in a good position to get good pictures. I've included one shot I made out the window.

Lost Dutchman Days Parade

This weekend is Lost Dutchman Days in Apache Junction. Lindsey drove a car for Superstition Ford. I took this picture with the video camera so it's low resolution.

 

Picture of Lindsey

Saul (The Curb) edited the picture to remove one of the power lines. Looks pretty good.

 

Bulldog Canyon

Yesterday was a beautiful day. On the way home, I was thinking I should go for a short hike and get some pictures. I found other things to do, though. I looked outside later and saw that I had missed the chance to photograph one of the most spectacular sunsets I had seen in a while. Today I drove out to Bulldog Canyon after work. There were no clouds at all, so I didn't take any sunset pictures. In fact, this is the only picture I took. It was not a dissappointing trip, though. No trip to Bulldog Canyon is a letdown. I didn't do any hiking. I did mosey around for a little while shortly after sunset. That's when the coyotes like to howl. We carried on quite a conversation for about 10 minutes. I had stopped in a spot with great echoes, too. One coyote was less than 200 yards from me, but I couldn't see it.

 

A picture of me

When Lindsey and I were out taking pictures of mountains and clouds on Monday, she took a picture of me taking a picture of clouds. Here it is.

 

Another rainy day

It rained a lot today. On the way home from work, Richard and I saw some pretty rainbows. I decided to go for a drive and see if I could get some good pictures. By the time Lindsey and I got out to Canyon Lake, it had quit raining out there. When it quits raining in the desert, the water stops flowing almost immediately. No waterfalls. Out there, mountains blocked our view of the west. I thought I might be able to get some pictures of the sun shining through the clouds as they broke up, so we headed back west. By the time we got there, more clouds had moved in and it was just gloomy.

I seem to do that a lot. I go somewhere hoping to get some good pictures of the weather or a sunset or something like that, but I don't see anything spectacular. Then I get back home and find out about the amazing stuff I missed there because I was gone. Well, I've got to try.

There are only two pictures here. One is of Lindsey and I would really like it if it weren't for the power lines in the background. The other is clouds on the Superstition Mountains. Clouds on mountains are pretty to look at, but I've gotten way to many pictures of that this year and it's getting boring. Next time I see that I think I'll just sit and enjoy it and not take any pictures.

Some day I'll find Corel Paint Shop Pro on sale and then I can remove power lines from my pictures.

2007_02_19

A stroll near Canyon Lake

I went for a short hike near Canyon Lake today. It's really starting to warm up. Felt like it was about 80 out there. It was also very pretty. I took 80 pictures but none of them are very impressive. You can look at a few of them anyway, though.

The first is of a "dirt island" There are lots of places that are solid bare rock and nothing can grow on them (except lichens). Sometimes there will be a small patch of dirt held in place by resurection fern. The next is a closeup of some lichen. Some of it is black. I think it must have died.

There are a lot of rocks out there that sparkle a lot in the sunshine. I tried to get pictures of them but they just didn't turn out. The next picture is one of those attempts. You just have to see them in person. Stop by some time and I'll take you out there.

Next is a cute little cactus. Fish hook pincushion I think. If not, at least that's a fitting name.

The last picture is a barrel cactus that has fallen over. They seem to fall over a lot. I saw something at the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum that said they lean to the south. Some of them lean until they fall over. This one might have been leaning to the south. It looks like it's straining to get that last root out of the ground.

Near Canyon Lake

The Superstition Mountains (and Lauren)

The days are getting long enough now that it's possible to get some pictures after work. Today, Lauren and I went out Apache Trail a little ways. The mountains looked pretty with the sun shining on them. They always seem to look better after they've been shrouded in clouds for a while and you finally get to see them again and the sun is finally shining on them. By June I will be thinking that I was crazy to have missed the sunshine.

I'm going to have to find some different spots from which to take pictures. You will probably notice that these are taken from the same angle as some other recent pictures.

It was raining around the mountains and I was hoping to get some rainbow pictures today. As you will see, that didn't happen. I'll have to try again. Woohoo!

Superstition Mountains

Fossils near the Superstitions

It's been overcast all day, with a 30% chance of rain. I left the house this afternoon thinking I would go out to FS172 again, or some other road out there. The clouds were very dark to the east, and that's the direction I was going. I thought about the satellite view of the roads I was planning to be on. They criss-crossed washes, and were even in the middle of the wash for stretches. We don't usually get rain hard enough to cause flash floods this time of year, but I decided to not take any chances. I headed out Apache Trail towards Canyon Lake. There was a lot of traffic on the road despite the bad weather so I stopped at the side of the road just before the Weaver's Needle parking lot. I hadn't planned to hike because my foot has been hurting a lot. I was just going to go for a short walk part way up a small hill.

There were some interesting rocks on the hill. There was just one that looked like it had fossils in it. I took a bunch of pictures of it. There are several areas that look like pieces of crinoid stems. There's also one part that looks like the trail left by a worm as it ate its way through the mud.

2007_02_11

I was a little surprised to find that rock there. It looked out of place and I kind of wonder if somebody put it there. Most of the rock in that area is volcanic in origin. The hoodoos all over the Superstitions are weathered tuff. I did find a few other rocks on that hill that looked like they were sedimentary rocks, though.

It always seems like I'm not able to sit and contemplate the rocks for very long. Usually it's the setting sun that forces me to leave. Today it was rain. I heard thunder in the distance on my way up the hill. The thunder stopped long before I got to the top, but the wind was blowing a steady 20 mph and then it started sprinkling. I got out one of my handy dandy emergency ponchos and started down the leeward side of the hill. It's a one-size-fits-all poncho, which means it fits me very loosely. I had to be careful to not walk too close to cholla or ocotillo, lest they shred my poncho. The rocks looked much more colorful as they glistened in the rain.

Silly Mountain

I'm not sure if that's what it is called, but that's what the road that goes by it is called. I've driven by it for years thinking that I would climb it some day when I'm feeling really lazy. I always see other people climbing it and I've always wondered what the attraction is. I still don't know. Maybe they like it because it's close to the highway. That's exactly why I don't like it, though. I was hoping that when I got to the top, I would see something spectacular. Nope.

I wasn't feeling really lazy today, but my foot has been hurting a lot ever since I walked back and forth across WalMart real fast last week. I wasn't planning to hike, but Silly Mountain looked like it wouldn't be too bad for my foot.

The first picture shows Silly Mountain. I went up to the peak in the center of the picture. The next two pictures show how close to civilization the Superstition Wilderness is. The first is the high point of the mountains. The second is the Flatiron. That's a gnat in the upper left, not a UFO. The last picture is one of a couple of butterflies that were flying around my head up there. Unfortunately you can only see a small patch of the pretty blue on its wing.

Silly Mountain

A little sunshine

There was a little sunshine after work today, so I drove out to Canyon Lake again. Stopped by the Superstitions to get some pictures.

Canyon_Lake_2007_02_01